Direct Deposit

Duke strongly encourages all employees and non-compensatory recipients to enroll in direct deposit for payments issued by Duke. It is the safest and most timely method for receiving payments. The benefits of enrolling in direct deposit include the following:

• Safe and confidential.
• Funds are deposited directly into a checking or savings account for any institution in the continental U.S. based on the financial institution’s deposit schedule.
• Pay is accessible earlier – no waiting in line or for a check to clear.
• Lost or stolen checks are no longer an issue.

Many departments make direct deposit a condition of employment in the department. Contact your manager or departmental payroll representative to confirm your department’s direct deposit policy.

Establishing Direct Deposit

Employees and students who are employed can enroll in direct deposit during the Onboarding process or by using Duke’s employee self-service site, Duke@Work. During Onboarding, employees receive screen prompts to enter their banking routing and personal banking account information. Using their NetID and password, an employee can log into Duke@Work, go to the MyInfo tab, My Pay section of the page, and select a hyperlink to enter their bank routing number and personal account number. In most instances, the employee’s first payment will occur via direct deposit.

Note: Duke systems cannot verify bank account numbers.  Employees should take care when entering information and confirm accuracy before submission. 

Changing Bank Accounts

Employees must follow a three-step process in Duke@Work to change direct deposit. As a security measure, employees must know and enter their current bank account number in Step 1. In Step 2, employees must enter their new bank routing number and bank account number. Finally, in Step 3 of the process, the system provides the “Valid From” date. The system determines the “Valid From” date based on the status of the most current payroll calculation process. All payments processed after the “Valid From” date will be directed to the newly entered banking information. If the payroll calculation process is in progress, employees cannot make changes. To ensure a smooth transition of funds between accounts, Corporate Payroll Services recommends that employees only close an old account once a payment is deposited into the new account.

Note: Duke systems cannot verify bank account numbers. Employees should take care when entering information and confirm accuracy before submission.

Students Receiving Non-Compensatory Payments 

Non-compensatory recipients, excluding Postdocs, should update their direct deposit information using the Duke Student Hub.

• Non-compensatory recipients must record their direct deposit information through the Duke Student Hub before the 15th of each month, and the student must have an active Non-compensatory record to affect the current month’s payment.
• If students receiving Non-compensatory payments elect to change bank accounts, they should plan to leave the old account open until payments are posted to the new account to avoid any timing issues.
• If there is a need to cancel direct deposit for any reason, students will need to update information in the Duke Student Hub.

Note: Duke systems cannot verify bank account numbers. Non-compensatory recipients should take care when entering information and confirm accuracy before submission.

Direct Deposit Cancellation

If an employee needs to cancel direct deposit, they should submit a paper direct deposit form to Corporate Payroll Services via the Payroll Strongbox. Employees cannot complete cancellations via Duke@Work. Once received, Corporate Payroll Services will cancel the direct deposit for the next available pay period.  

Note: Based on how payrolls are executed, the next available pay period may not be the next pay period.  

If A Financial Institution Returns Funds 

Corporate Payroll will reissue funds returned to Duke due to individuals submitting incorrect account information on the Friday of the following week after receipt. Corporate Payroll will notify the individual to provide an updated account number before reissuance or deactivate the erroneous account and process a paper check. 

Closed Accounts

Closing a bank account with a financial institution does not cancel/change the direct deposit account information in Duke’s payroll system. The employees and students who are employed must update the account information via Duke@Work and non-compensatory recipients via the Duke Student Hub. If an account is closed, and Duke sends funds to that account via an ACH transaction (direct deposit), the financial institution will return funds to Duke; however, it typically takes two-three business days before Duke receives the funds. Corporate Payroll will reissue funds returned to Duke, due to individuals submitting incorrect account information, on the Friday of the following week after receipt.

Foreign National Employees and Non-Compensatory Recipients 

Foreign national employees or non-compensatory recipients cannot establish direct deposit until they have provided Corporate Payroll Services with a valid social security number or individual tax identification number as appropriate for the individual’s status.