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Paperwork, Getting Your ID Card, Getting Paid, Reporting Time and Other Logistics

Your Harvard University ID (HUID) number and your ID card are your keys to getting started with email, voicemail, your HarvardKey login, and online access to PeopleSoft and other HarvardKey-protected tools for employees. (Links are provided in the "footer" of this site.) With the card, you will also have access to the many facilities, campus services, and perks that come with your employment at Harvard.

Your manager and local human resources office will help to ensure that you complete the necessary paperwork, get a Harvard ID, and are placed on the payroll to be paid on schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: In response to the coronavirus emergency and changing workplace rules, some of the following processing may differ. Please contact your local HR office for information on completing paperwork, getting your Harvard ID, setting up direct deposit and other logistics for new employees. 

Paperwork

In order to have a great start at Harvard, it is best to complete your new hire paperwork at least two weeks before your first day. You can reference your offer letter or contact your local HR office about completing your required paperwork, including:

  1. Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9 form): Under federal law, you must complete this form in person in order to verify your identity and eligibility to work in the United States. You will need to provide documents that prove your identity and employment at this meeting.
  2. Most employees prefer to enter their direct deposit information and tax withholding forms online directly in PeopleSoft on their first day. If you prefer to use a paper process, please let your HR contact know, and you will be supplied with additional documents to complete during the I-9 meeting:
    • Tax withholding forms: Federal W-4 and state tax withholding form. These forms need to be signed. You must also supply your Social Security number.
    • Authorization agreement for automatic deposit: This form authorizes direct deposit of your pay. You will also need to supply a blank check or preprinted bank deposit slip that shows your bank account number. You may also do this online in PeopleSoft after you begin working.

Getting Your Harvard ID Card and Claiming Your HarvardKey

Once your paperwork has been processed, you will receive a Harvard University ID number that can be used to get your photo ID card, your HarvardKey, email address, and more. Your Harvard ID number may be available before your first day of work depending upon when your paperwork is completed, which will let you claim your HarvardKey, but you cannot get a Harvard ID card before your first day on the job.

To get your Harvard ID card:

  1. Complete the paperwork above
  2. Your human resources office or department administrator should confirm that a record has been created for you in the human resources database (or, you can check with the ID Office at 617-496-7827 or 617-432-0389 (Longwood Campus) to see if this has happened)
  3. You may then have your photo taken for the ID card at the Harvard ID card at the University Campus Service Center.

Note: Employees working at the Harvard Longwood Campus must also submit an ID Application Form.  The form and instructions for submitting it are available at the Longwood ID Card Info Page.

To claim your HarvardKey — the University’s unified login credential for the online applications and services you’ll use every day, including PeopleSoft, the Harvard Training Portal, the Harvard Retirement Center and much more — visit key.harvard.edu and follow the instructions for claiming a new account. To claim your HarvardKey, you’ll need to provide your HUID, your last name, your date of birth and a non-Harvard email address.

Using PeopleSoft

PeopleSoft is Harvard’s HR management tool, and you will use it for many aspects of your employment. You need your HarvardKey to sign in to PeopleSoft; your local HR office or manager/supervisor can assist you in getting started with PeopleSoft.

You will use PeopleSoft Self Service tools to log work time and request paid time off, view your pay check and sign up for direct deposit, update your address and emergency contact information, and complete your performance review.

You also use PeopleSoft to elect your medical, dental and insurance benefits as a new employee, which must be done within 30 days of your start date, and to make changes to your benefits during benefits annual open enrollment.

Getting Paid

You should receive your first paycheck within two to three weeks, depending on when in the pay cycle your employment begins. The pay schedule is as follows:

Faculty (including junior faculty or faculty on research appointments): Paid on the last day of each month, unless that day is a weekend or holiday, in which case payday is the last workday prior to the weekend or holiday.

Administrative/professional, non-union overtime-eligible employees, and members of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW): Paid every other Friday. If payday falls on a holiday, you are paid on the last workday prior to the holiday.

Other union members: Paid weekly on Friday. When payday falls on a holiday, employees are paid on the last workday prior to the scheduled payday.

Temporary employees: Paid weekly on Friday. If payday falls on a holiday, you are paid on the last workday prior to the holiday.

Emergency Notification System

You are encouraged to register for MessageMe, Harvard’s emergency notification system. When you sign up, you will receive notification of campus emergencies to your personal electronic device. Please visit http://messageme.harvard.edu/ for more information.