News to Use – March 2023
News to Use is a monthly summary of HR information for all employees of McMaster University.
New provider for McMaster’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) effective April 1st
McMaster University has selected Telus Health (formerly known as Lifeworks) as the new provider of its Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) starting on April 1, 2023.
The Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is a free program available to employees and their dependents and can be used to access confidential counselling as well as resources to support mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing on a 24/7/365 basis.
Additional communication on the new program, including an exciting new EFAP online platform, updated resources / materials and details on the transition from Homewood Health to Telus Health will be shared shortly.
More information on McMaster’s EFAP can be found here.
Working from home expenses and tax deductions
McMaster employees working from home may be eligible for a tax rebate for some expenses incurred while working remotely.
Similar to last year, the Canada Revenue Agency has continued with their temporary administrative policy on how individuals may claim home office expenses if they have been working from home during the pandemic. T2200S forms will once again be prepared for eligible employees and distributed via email by March 26, 2023. Look for an email from “HR-Tax-Forms” or “hrtxform@mcmaster.ca”.
Employees who are eligible to claim other employment related expenses (i.e. travel, vehicle, mileage, etc) in addition to home office expenses and supplies, must obtain a signed T2200 form. The process for obtaining a regular T2200 form remains unchanged and employees will need to request this form from their manager per the current T2200 form policy.
All questions regarding T4/T4A tax slips, the T2200S form or T2200 form should be directed to HR Operations at (905) 525-9140 ext. 222-HR (47) and/or e-mail hr.mcmaster@mcmaster.ca
Top 3 HR Questions
We are pleased to share the Top 3 questions and responses received by HR during the month of March.
1. Why does the amount in Box 14 “Employment Income” on my T4 slip differ than the YTD earnings amount on my last pay statement for last year?
Box 14 on your T4 slip includes employment income, which is earnings and other taxable benefits. The most common taxable benefit amounts are the Employer Paid Life Insurance Deductions and Employer Portion of GRRSP. For more information on your tax slips, please visit our website here.
2. Why am I receiving multiple T4 slips?
Some employees with multiple appointments at McMaster will receive more than one T4 slip. Employees will receive a T4 slip for each wage loss plan they have a balance for in that reporting year. An employee may fall into multiple wage loss plans if they have appointments in other employee groups (i.e. interim, Unifor, TMG) that have different sick programs that drive EI rates used to calculate the employer EI deduction. Please ensure you are submitting all T4 slips to CRA. For more information on your tax slips, please visit our website here.
3. How do I update the financial chartfield/combo code on an existing position in Mosaic?
The Request Position Data Update eForm is used to update the attributes, such as chartfield/combo code, of an existing position. This eForm is also used if you need to change the GL chartfield (combination code) funding information for a position used in a job opening. Once the form has been fully approved, you will see the updated chartfield/combo code funding information the next time you view your job opening.
A chartfield/combo code can also be updated through the Contract Extension eForm IF it is a result of a contract extension.
For more information on Mosaic eForms, please visit our website here.
Questions? Call Human Resources at extension 222-HR or email us at hr.mcmaster@mcmaster.ca. You can also visit our website: https://hr.mcmaster.ca/
News To Use