TA/RA/SA Employment Information

Union Contract

Graduate students with 50% FTE Academic Students Employee (ASE) appointments (including Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants and Staff Assistants) are represented by the UAW 4121 union and covered by the UAW Contract. This contract lays out the obligations of both the University and ASEs. You should familiarize yourself with this contract.

Salary and Benefits

ASE positions of 50% FTE include the following:

  • Monthly Salary (effective July 1, 2024) - $2,984 for Premaster; $3,235 for Intermediate; $3,291 for Candidates (passed General Exam)
  • Tuition waiver – A quarterly tuition waiver covering the operating fee, building fee, technology fee, and U-PASS fee. (Students are responsible for remaining fees, currently set at $271 per quarter— See Graduate Tuition Dashboard and select “Payment required” in the field for “TAs and RAs Receiving Waivers” to see the amount you will need to pay.)
  • Health insurance – For each quarter hired as an ASE, employees are automatically covered by the Graduate Appointee Insurance Program (GAIP). Students who are covered by GAIP for the entire academic year (Autumn, Winter, and Spring) are also covered in Summer quarter.

Eligibility

Graduate students must be enrolled full time (registered for at least 10 credits) in order to be eligible for ASE employment and benefits. (In summer quarter, only 2 credits are needed to be “full time.")

Pay Dates & Appointment Periods

University of Washington employees are paid twice per month, on the 10th and 25th (or closest business day if these dates fall on a weekend) for work done in the previous pay period.

Each month is divided into two pay periods: the 1st through the 15th, and 16th through the end of the month. Salaried employees receive half their monthly salary for each pay period worked.

Quarterly ASE appointments cover the following dates (Note that these dates do not align exactly with the dates of instruction:

  • Autumn: September 16 – December 15
  • Winter: December 16 – March 15
  • Spring: March 16 – June 15

Therefore, an ASE who works a full academic year will receive their first paycheck on October 10 (for the September 16-30 pay period) and will receive their last paycheck on June 25 (for the June 1-15 pay period).

Workday (UW Payroll)

Workday is the tool used by the UW’s Integrated Service Center to manage HR, Payroll & Benefits Support. Log in to Workday to access your paystubs, update direct deposit, and get tax documents.

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