Completing the Termination iForm - Exempt (Monthly) Employees

This quick reference provides guidance on completing the termination iForm for any exempt (monthly) position. This includes faculty, staff, monthly students, and any other positions paid on a monthly basis. This guide is for employees of Duke University/School of Medicine who are due payouts of discretionary holidays and vacation, and for employees of Duke Health who may be due payouts of PTO. Unless noted, the iForms and business processes are the same across the enterprise.

Gwen Hall-DiFabio
|
29 steps
|
3 minutes

Duke

Information in this guide has been redacted to protect information.

Generally, exempt terminations should be completed by the payroll deadline for the month in which the employee is terminating. Exempt iForm deadlines can be found on the current year payroll calendar in the All Types of IForms column. The current schedule is available on the [Payroll Schedules](https://finance.duke.edu/departments-services/controllers-division/corporate-payroll/employee-time-pay/pay-schedules/) page. Processing terminations in the month after an employee terminates may result in overpayments and cause the employee to appear as an active Duke employee after they have left Duke, creating additional security and access risks.

Click "iForms"

Click "Staff"

Click the "Last Name" field.

Select **Start** to search for the employee.

Click "New Forms"

Click "Termination"

Click "Header Data"

Click here.

In the **Last Working Day** field, enter the last day the employee will be paid their salary. This date can be the end of the month or any other working day in the month. Generally, the will be the last day the person is actually working. **Please note:** See [Appendix A](https://scribehow.com/viewer/Completing_the_Termination_iForm__Exempt_Monthly_Employees__55EtlyyKS7q8WFrjV7BhDQ?scrollToActionId=4ba1cb2c) for additional details on entering the **Last Working Day** with specific guidance on leaves of absence. **Failure to process exempt terminations without the correct Last Working Day, will result in issues with payments and benefits eligibility!**

As a reminder, it is a violation of Duke guidance to extend the Last Working Day using time away from Duke (vacation, discretionary holidays, PTO) in any situation.

Next, select the appropriate **Personnel Action.** Select the interlocking squares for a drop-down of available options.

**Personnel Action** options include the following: - 10 - Term -Eligible for Rehire - the most common action and used for retirees. - 11 - Term - Not Recommended for Rehire - 14 - Term - Ineligible for Rehire Please reach out to your HR support group if you have questions about which action to use.

In **Reason for Termination,** select the option that best describes the reason supporting the **Personnel Action.** Select the interlocking squares for a drop-down of available options.

**Reason for Termination** options include the following: - 01 - Voluntary resignation - 03 - Termination at the end of orientation or a trial period - 06 - A faculty member's appointment ends - 07 - Employee retires - 08 - Employee has passed away - 18 - A staff member's appointment ends Please reach out to your HR support group if you have questions about which action to use.

**University/School of Medicine Employee - Paying Out Vacation and Discretionary Holidays** Duke pays out **Vacation Hours** and **Discretionary Hours** in alignment with the [Payout of Accrued Time Policy (University) ](https://hr.duke.edu/policy/payout-accrued-time-policy-university/)**.** All payouts of vacation and discretionary holidays will be made in a lump sum. If the unit completes the terminations iForm in conjunction with the last pay period worked, the employee will receive this payout in their final pay check. If the termination is late, the employee will receive the payment for their last days worked in a one payment and the payout of their vacation and discretionary payments in another payment.

Enter the appropriate **Vacation Payout Hours** and **Discretionary Payout Hours** in alignment with the [Payout of Accrued Time Policy (University) ](https://hr.duke.edu/policy/payout-accrued-time-policy-university/)**.** You can pull balances as of the beginning of the month from the exempt time off tracking tool in Duke@Work. You must account for any used or accrued time during the month of termination, as accurate balances are not calculated until the month closes and the time report is approved. Mid-month terminations result in pro-rated accruals. The **Termination Date** populates based on the **Last Working Day** and cannot be edited. This is the case of all **Reasons for Termination** including Retirement. Image A is an example of a voluntary resignation. Image B is an example of a retirement.

**Duke Health Employee - Paying Out PTO** PTO payout for a Duke Health employee depends on the Reason for Termination and the PTO Policy that covers the employee. Fields that display will be dynamic based on the reason and the applicable policy. Visit the [Payout of Accrued Time Upon Leaving DUHS ](https://hr.duke.edu/policy/payout-accrued-time-upon-leaving-duhs-policy/)policy for detailed guidance. All payouts of PTO will be made in a lump sum. If the unit completes the terminations iForm in conjunction with the last pay period worked, the employee will receive this payout in their final pay check. If the termination is late, the employee will receive the payment for their last days worked in a one payment and the payout of their PTO in another payment.

**Duke Health Employee - Paying Out PTO** PTO payout for a Duke Health employees depends on the Reason for Termination and the PTO Policy that covers the employee. Fields that display will be dynamic based upon the reason and the applicable policy. Visit the Payout of [Accrued Time Upon Leaving DUHS Policy](https://hr.duke.edu/policy/payout-accrued-time-upon-leaving-duhs-policy/) for detailed guidance. If **Voluntary Resignation** is the **Reason for the Termination,** enter the appropriate **Short Term Bank/PTO Payout Hours.** You can pull balances as of the beginning of the month from API. You must account for any used or accrued time during the month of termination as accurate balances are not calculated until the month closes and the time report is approved. Mid-month termination result in pro-rated accruals. The **Termination Date** populates based on the **Last Working Day** and cannot be edited. If the **Reason for Termination** is **Retirement,** the employee maybe eligible for payment on their long-term bank as outlined in the policy. If this are eligible, provide the **Long Team Bank Hours** as well. Image A shows an example of a voluntary registration. Image B shows an example of a retirement. Notice in both examples, the **Termination Date** is the same as the **Last Working Day.**

The iForm does not verify the accuracy of vacation, PTO, or discretionary holiday balances. Please validate and enter results carefully to ensure the employee receives an accurate payment.

Type " [[Delete]]"

Having an accurate address in SAP is critical to ensure the employee receives appropriate tax documentation for the year in which they terminated.

Click "By checking this box I am certifying a letter of resignation has been received."

From your computer, find the appropriate file. Select **Open.**

The Attachment box is now populated. Select **Upload** to attach the document to the iForm.

Once the document is uploaded, it will display in the **Attached Documents** grid.

Click "Comments"

Type "Free text field"

The **Status Overview** will populate once the iForm enters workflow and allows the initiator to check the status. It does not contain data during the iForm's creation.

Click "Check Emphasized"

If you check an iForm, you will see the screen below if the information is consistent and the system doesn't detect errors. It is critical to double-check information accuracy, and the system cannot check for all data entry errors.

Click "Submit Emphasized"

Click "Close Window"

To monitor the iForm's status, go to the **IForms Overview** tab. Select the **Processing Status** hyperlink for status information. The **Status Overview** displays each step of workflow approval. The coding at the end of each line describes the workflow step. If multiple approvers are listed for a step, only one of the approvers needs to approve the iForm for it to move forward. The iForm has been fully processed and integrated into SAP when the last step says, "Processed On" with the date, time, and pay period listed.

Reason for Termination - Deceased

If an employee is terminating because they have passed away, a **Date of Death** and **Next of Kin** field displays. It is critical that this information be completed accurately. Please work with your HR support for specific questions about processing an iForm termination for a deceased employee.

Late Terminations - Overpayments

Late terminations may result in overpayments to the employee. If you are processing a termination retroactively for a pay period that has already been processed, you will receive the error message below. It will not stop you from submitting the iForm, but it may require additional action. Review Duke's [Salary Overpayment Collection Policy and Procedure](https://finance.duke.edu/policy/salary-overpayment-collection-policy-and-procedure/) for more information.

Appendix A: Last Working Day Guidance

As a general rule, the last working day is the last day the employee is at Duke working their normal shift. Exceptions to this guidance include the following: - If an employee is on a leave of absence, the Last Working Day should be the last day of the leave, not the last day they actually worked. Entering a retroactive Last Working Day will likely create payment issues (SAP may think the employee was overpaid) and will cause the employee's benefits to end as of the retroactive date. If you are unsure of what date to use as the Last Working Day due to the specifics of the employee's situation, please contact your unit's HR support.