Payroll for Employees

To comply with U.S. law, Stanford must verify eligibility for employment of all new employees using Form I-9. New employees must complete Section 1 of this form no later than close of business on their first day of work. Within three days of hire, employees must show original documents, based on a list of acceptable documents, establishing their employment eligibility.

A SUNet ID is a unique three- to eight-character username that enables Stanford employees access to university systems, including Sequoia. All employees are eligible to request one through the Stanford SUNet ID website. 

Employees must also set up two-step authentication, which requires a second verification from an alternate device such as a phone or tablet to protect employee information and secure access to Stanford systems. Visit Stanford Accounts for more information or to select a preference.

Direct Deposit is a safe, convenient and paperless service that allows employees and students to have their pay, expense request reimbursements, refunds and fellowships automatically and safely deposited to their bank account. By using direct deposit, employees can maintain the confidentiality of their financial information, as there are no physical checks to handle. A paper check is the default option and is mailed to the employee to their address in file with the university.

Visit the Stanford Paychecks page to understand the information and terminology on your Sequoia payslips and compare Sequoia and Axess payslip fields and descriptions. Learn more about paychecks, payslips, delivery options, and pay dates.

Federal and state income taxes are deducted from Stanford paychecks. All employees, including students, are required to submit federal and state withholding forms and can securely declare or update their tax withholding information at any time. Changes to tax withholding completed by 5 p.m. on the last day of each pay period will take effect on the paycheck for that period.

Non-exempt hourly employees are required to report hours worked and/or absences taken each pay period. Most exempt employees request absences as they are planned but do not otherwise report their time. Most employees report time worked and request absences in Sequoia. Refer to Topic Overview: Time and Absence Reporting and Approvals for more information. 

Stanford employees are paid on the 7th and the 22nd of each month. Paychecks are issued based on the following pay schedule:

• Pay on the 7th covers work from the 16th through the last day of the previous month.
• Pay on the 22nd covers work from the 1st through the 15th of the month.

Direct deposit posts by 5pm on the pay date; paper checks may arrive later. If a pay date falls on a weekend or holiday, payment is issued on the preceding business day. The tax year begins with the Jan. 7 paycheck, which covers Dec. 16 to Dec. 31 of the previous year. 

Employees can view compensation and print payslips for current and past pay periods in Sequoia. Payslips are generally available to view two business days before payday.

Visit the Stanford Paychecks page to understand the information and terminology on your Sequoia payslips and compare Sequoia and Axess payslip fields and descriptions.

Note:  Pay statements for the pay periods prior to the Sequoia implementation (June 2026 and earlier) remain available on the Stanford Axess website. Employees will find a quick link in Sequoia to the historical pay statements.

Employees can opt in to receive their W-2 Form electronically and can view their W-2 for the current or prior years in Sequoia. Learn more about distribution of annual tax forms.

A useful resource for new employees and hiring managers is Stanford Onboarding on Cardinal at Work. The website provides information to help new employees know what to do before they arrive and what to expect at Stanford. 

The Manager Toolkit provides checklists, templates and recommendations for managers to facilitate the successful onboarding of new hires.