Some additional important information pertaining to your 2016 taxes:

Federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit

In accordance with the Earned Income Tax Credit Information Act, the university includes a notice with all Form W-2 statements notifying employees that they may be eligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Please note below an important amendment to this required notice, notifying employees that they may also be eligible for the California EITC:

Based on your annual earnings, you may be eligible to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit from the federal government (federal EITC). The federal EITC is a refundable federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. The federal EITC has no effect on certain welfare benefits. In most cases, federal EITC payments will not be used to determine eligibility for Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, low-income housing, or most Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments. Even if you do not owe federal taxes, you must file a federal tax return to receive the federal EITC. Be sure to fill out the federal EITC form in the federal income tax return booklet. For information regarding your eligibility to receive the federal EITC, including information on how to obtain the IRS Notice 797 or any other necessary forms and instructions, contact the Internal Revenue Service by calling 1-800-829-3676 or through its website at www.irs.gov.

You also may be eligible to receive the California Earned Income Tax Credit (California EITC) starting with the calendar year 2015 tax year. The California EITC is a refundable state income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. The California EITC is treated in the same manner as the federal EITC and generally will not be used to determine eligibility for welfare benefits under California law. To claim the California EITC, even if you do not owe California taxes, you must file a California income tax return and complete and attach the California EITC form (FTB 3514). For information on the availability of the credit, eligibility requirements, and how to obtain the necessary California forms and get help filing, contact the Franchise Tax Board at 1-800-852-5711 or through its web site at www.ftb.ca.gov.

Electronic W-2 now available

• If you signed up to receive an electronic W-2, it became available in the UCPath system on Jan. 20. (If you did not sign for an electronic W-2, a printed version will be mailed to you by Jan. 31.)
• To access your electronic W-2, visit UCPath online and click on “Income and Taxes,” then “View Online W-2/W2c” to download a copy.
• Need assistance in understanding your W-2? View or download the  “Your UCPath W-2” guide (pdf).
• Important: UC does not send W-2s by email or text. If you receive an email or text with an attachment for viewing your W-2, it is a phishing scam designed to gain your private information. Scammers may also send emails with fraudulent links. To access your W-2 statement, you must go directly to the UCPath site and log in. See this Link article for more information about this type of scam.
• If you signed up for an electronic W-2, UC did send you an email to say that your W-2 is now available if you log in to UCPath. If you did not receive this message, you either did not sign up for an electronic W-2 or UC does not have a current email on file for you. To update your email information, log in to UCPath and click on “Personal Information,” and then “Personal Information Summary” located in the menu at upper left of screen.

A few more reminders

In case you missed them, here are a few more tax and payroll reminders that appeared in earlier Link issues:

Claiming exemption from withholding

The IRS requires you to complete a new W-4 form each year if you are claiming exemption from tax withholding. If you wish to claim exemption from withholding in 2017, you must make this choice on UCPath online before Feb. 15, 2017. To learn how, click here.

Dependent information

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to make reasonable efforts to obtain Social Security numbers for its employees and their spouses/domestic partners and dependents. Take a moment to log in to UCPath and review and update your dependent information by selecting “Dependent Coverage” in the Benefits menu.

New 2017 payroll calendar

Find it under the “Quick Links” section on the front home page of UCPath.

Have questions or need help?

Please visit UCPath and on the upper left hand side, click on “Ask UCPath Center” to submit an inquiry. You may also call the UCPath Center at 855‐982‐7284 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PST) Monday – Friday and speak with an associate.

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