UNDERSTAND

The Employee Separation Payment Authorization (ESPA) form must be completed when an employee separates from University employment. This form authorizes payment of unused annual leave, unused compensatory time, and also authorizes the payment of sick leave at retirement.

The Online Work/Leave System (OWLS) will automatically generate the ESPA form when an employee’s OWLS record is ended due to separation.

The ESPA form generated through OWLS will automatically populate appropriate leave balances and employee information. A few items will still need to be entered on the worksheet prior to submitting the finalized form to Payroll.

A completed form must be sent to the Payroll office to ensure payment to the employee of the applicable hours. Submit the form even if the employee is not eligible to be paid for any leave.

ACT

1. Follow the instructions for ending a record.
2. When the Separation Payment Worksheet is generated, enter the employee’s full monthly salary, the budget numbers that will be charged for the payment(s), and your phone number.
3. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “Generate Separation Payment Authorization Form” button.
4. Sign and date the form (need names/signatures of preparer & reviewer).
5. Make copies and follow distribution instructions on the form.
6. Submit signed original form to the Payroll office at Box 355655.

Note:

• If anything is incorrectly populated on the worksheet, please contact askowls@uw.edu to verify the data.
• If the Retirement Plan box says, "NOT ELIGIBLE," please contact benefits@uw.edu to verify retirement plan information.

EXPLORE

At the time an employee retires from employment, or dies while still employed, the full balance of accrued sick leave hours is converted to payment at the rate of 25%. For retiring employees, the cash value is applied to the tax-free medical expense account that may be used by the retiree and eligible dependents to pay medical expenses after retirement. For more information about the medical expense account, please visit the VEBA page.

Ending Employment information

View the Sick Leave at Retirement or Death webpage to help determine which budget numbers to enter into the ESPA form for those separation reasons.

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