Stanford
Cardinal at Work

Payroll for Employees

The Payroll Office is part of the Vice President for Business Affairs & Chief Financial Officer Operations.

For more information regarding payroll for employees, including employment verification, step-by-step payroll instructions, policies, forms and training materials, visit the financial gateway website (Fingate), and see the Payroll for Employees section.

Go to the Fingate website

Learn to complete and submit your Axess timecard.

Below, you'll find common questions we receive regarding payroll.

Form W-2 Schedule & Information

  • By January 15:  W-2 Forms available online for employees who have opted for online delivery
  • By January 31:  Paper W-2 Forms mailed to employees who have not opted for online delivery
  • February 15:  Paper W-2 Forms reprints available

Opt-In for Electronic Delivery of W-2 Forms

Due to the personal information included in W-2 Forms, it is recommended that employees opt for electronic delivery through Axess, which requires two-step authentication. Your consent will remain in place until such point as you withdraw it, or you terminate your employment with the university. Confirm your e-consent in Axess on the Employee Center tab.

Important Note about Phishing Attempts: Efforts by identity thieves can take many forms and are increasingly sophisticated. They can include "phishing" attempts, which generally take the form of a seemingly internal email requesting W-2 or other confidential information.

Under no circumstances will Stanford leaders ask you to send them W-2 documents. If you receive an email asking for your W-2 or any other personal/private identity information or for information about other employees, do not reply to the email; report the suspicious email by forwarding it to spam@stanford.edu.

Common Payroll Questions

How do I get a copy of my W-2 for tax purposes? It may have been sent to my old address, but I have since moved and did not receive all my forwarded mail.

All W-2s are mailed out by January 31. To request a W-2 reprint starting February 15, please follow the instructions on the Fingate site.

If you need further assistance:

You should also update your contact information for the Stanford directory if you haven't already done so; visit StanfordYou and click on "Maintain your directory and AlertSU emergency contact information."

What is imputed income?

Imputed Income is the estimated value of Stanford's financial contribution towards health insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision, and accidental death and dismemberment) for registered domestic partners. It must be reported as taxable wages earned and as such, the value of their coverages are exempt from State taxes. However, because Federal tax rules do not recognize domestic partners, the cost of the coverage is not tax protected and an imputed income tax is calculated on the cost of the coverage for the non-employee.

The imputed income rates are calculated based on the unadjusted rates established for each medical plan for Stanford University. These unadjusted rates represent the best estimate by our actuaries for the plan costs, which are used as the basis for the fair market value of the health care coverage extended to the employee’s domestic partner and/or domestic partners’ children. 

The rates shown on the Stanford website as the “total cost” represent the risk-adjusted rates and do not reflect the actual cost of the plan. When Stanford calculates the plan rates that we charge employees we follow our managed competition philosophy. This means we do a rate adjustment based on the health demographics of a plan when compared to others to spread the risk evenly across all plans (i.e. a plan with a sicker population would see the rates we charge reduced as compared to the "actual" cost and a plan with a healthier population would see the rates we charge go up as compared to "actual" cost). Our university subsidy is also based upon the cost of the lowest cost plan.  However, for purposes of calculating imputed income we are required by the IRS to base it on the actual plan values which is why the two numbers will not be comparable to each other. To ultimately determine the imputed income amount you can look on your final paystub of the year under DOM-YTD. If you have any trouble finding this, Payroll may be able to assist.

I’m a former Stanford employee. How do I get a copy of my W-2 for tax purposes?

All W-2s are mailed out by January 31. To request a W-2 reprint starting February 15, please follow instructions on the Fingate site.

If you need further assistance, please contact the Payroll Office:

I’m a former Stanford employee applying for a loan/mortgage/new job, and the company needs information regarding my current and past employment. How do I get this information?

The Payroll Office handles employment verification through an external vendor, called The Work Number. Visit the Fingate website for instructions on responding to employment verification requests with and without salary information.

If you are a former Stanford Hospital employee, please call (650) 497-2750 and follow the menu instructions.

I’m a former Stanford employee and want to see my last pay stub/pay check, but I can no longer access Axess.

For questions about your Stanford pay stubs or pay checks, please contact Payroll:

I have a Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account. What information is reported on my W-2?

Employers report dependent care benefits in box 10 of your W-2 form. Dependent care benefits include your pre-tax contributions to your dependent care FSA. Also included are eligible amounts paid by your employer to you or to your day care provider and the fair market value of dependent care in a facility provided by or sponsored by your employer. The fair market value of dependent care services that exceed the non-taxable limit of $5,000 allowed for the FSA is listed in boxes 1, 3 and 5 of the W-2 form. You must complete Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses, to compute any taxable and nontaxable amounts.