The number of hours in the fiscal year at the University of Arizona may change each July 1, based on the number of regular work days occurring between July 1 and June 30 each fiscal year. Since the pay rates that generate paychecks are based on an hourly equivalent, including annual salary rates, the number of work hours in a fiscal year may impact an employee's biweekly gross earnings. The number of hours in a fiscal year defines the standard used to make conversions to and from wage (i.e., hourly) pay rates and salary (i.e., annual) pay rates.
Hourly wage employees are paid according to their hourly rate; the rates for these employees are not affected by the change each July 1. Employees paid an annual salary, which is converted to an hourly rate at time of payment, are affected by the change each July 1. For a given annual salary, the hourly rate decreases in years with more fiscal year hours, and the hourly rate increases in years with fewer fiscal year hours; in all cases, the total amount of gross earnings for the fiscal year remains the same.
| Fiscal Year | Number of Hours | Number of Pay Periods | Number of Work Days |
| 2006/2007 | 2080 | 26.0 | 260 |
| 2007/2008 | 2088 | 26.1 | 261 |
| 2008/2009 | 2088 | 26.1 | 261 |
| 2009/2010 | 2088 | 26.1 | 261 |
Below is an example of the effect of the change in fiscal year hours on the paycheck for an employee in a grade 22 position. (If the employee is in a wage position, s/he must be paid no less than $10.156 per hour; if the employee is in an annual salary position, s/he must be paid no less than $21,124 annually.) | |
Wage Position Calculation: | |
Hourly Pay Rate x Hours Worked = Biweekly Gross Pay | |
| Regular Work Hours in Year | Wage Position Pay Rate | Pay Period Hours Worked | Regular Biweekly Gross Earnings |
| 2080 | $10.156 | 80 | $812.48 |
| 2088 | $10.156 | 80 | $812.48 |
| 2096 | $10.156 | 80 | $812.48 |
Annual Salary Position Calculations: | |
Annual Pay ÷ Hours in Year = Converted Hourly Rate |
| Regular Work Hours in Year | Annual Salary Rate | Annual Salary Converted to Hourly Rate | Pay Period Hours Worked | Regular Biweekly Gross Earnings |
| 2080 | $21,124 | $10.15577 | 80 | $812.46 |
| 2088 | $21,124 | $10.11686 | 80 | $809.35 |
| 2096 | $21,124 | $10.07824 | 80 | $806.26 |
Definitions | |
Wage: The hourly rate of pay associated with a position. |
