• Employees should notify their payroll office if they choose to make changes to their banking information by submitting a direct deposit - authorization for automated clearing house (ACH) direct deposit of wages form [Word doc].
• If the employee changes their bank account, the pre-note process is 5 business/banking days following the date entered.
  • This means that changes made this week will not pre-note in time for the Feb. 10, 2021 payday.
  • Affected employees will receive a paper warrant via US mail until the pre-note completes processing.
  • Be sure to verify the employee’s mailing address at the same time you are updating banking information.
  • Pre-note files are not processed on Friday. Any changes made on Thursday are sent on the Monday morning pre-note file.
• Remember to run EFT letters after updating an employee’s banking information. The HRMS transaction is ZHR_RPTPY713.
• If the employee has opted to email you an EFT form, go ahead and stop their direct deposit, but due to the number of fraud attempts, you must verify with the employee by calling them to confirm the new bank information. Verification should include a non-sensitive challenge question that you can easily confirm, for example, asking the last time the employee took leave, or what year the employee started with the agency.
• Agencies should make every attempt to process EFT changes that are received by close of business Thursday, Feb. 4th for the upcoming pay date.
• If the employee changes their banking information without notifying the payroll office in a timely manner, do not reissue their pay until the funds have been returned to the agency by the Office of the State Treasurer.
  • You will then process their net pay via AFRS or petty cash for the net pay. Refer to the Emergency payroll payment procedures [PDF]. 

Some of this information was sent out to the payroll community in October, 2020, and can be found on our Accounting & Payroll webpage: 

• Payment redirect fraud risk mitigation [PDF]

Questions that payroll might recieve

Q. How/when will I find out if my data was compromised? 

• The State Auditor’s Office is working with a Special Assistant Attorney General and other experts to understand the extent of the breach and to determine the most efficient and effective way to notify impacted individuals. These notices, expected to be sent before the end of February, will include additional details on what information was disclosed in the breach and what steps you can take to protect yourself. According to the State Auditor’s Office, the breach included information for people who filed unemployment claims between Jan. 1 and Dec. 10, 2020. If you filed unemployment claims during that time, you may want to take precautions now.

Q:  Do I need to change my direct deposit? 

• You should work with your financial institution. Also, OFM has created a webpage with some information. Unfortunately, payroll cannot provide this type of advice.

Q:  I want to change my bank account. What do I do?

• Provide payroll with a new ACH Direct Deposit of Wages form [.doc].
• Payroll will contact you to verify your identity to make sure it was you who initiated the change.

Q:  If I change my bank account, will my pay go to the new account next payday?

• It depends on when your request is received and payroll has verified your identity.
• It takes 5 business days for your new bank account to “pre-note” (test) with the bank.
  • If there are less than 5 business days before payroll closes for processing, you will receive your pay via warrant in the US Mail. Payroll staff should remember to verify staff’s mailing address.
• Examples:
  • Request received and verified on February 11
    • There is time for your new bank account to pre-note before next payday.
    • You should receive your February 25 pay in your new bank account.
  • Request received and verified on February 17
    • There is not time for your new bank account to pre-note before payroll processes
    • You will receive your February 25 pay via warrant in the US mail

If you receive additional questions that you do not know the answer to, please email them to payrollquestions@ofm.wa.gov.