Our contract (Appendix A) contains the minimum stipend amounts by month. Of course, departments are free to pay above the minimums (and several departments do so). In 2009, MSU changed to a biweekly pay schedule for TAs. Below is a method for comparing your biweekly gross amount to the contract minimums as well as a schedule of minimum amounts converted to biweekly stipends.
BEWARE: Doubling your biweekly paychecks does not correspond to a monthly paycheck because 4 weeks is not precisely a month. The 2 or 3 extra days in most months amount to about $70 – $100.
Converting Monthly Minimums to Biweekly
1. Take the monthly stipend amount from our contract and divide it by 30.4, the approximate number of days in a month. This gives your daily stipend amount. (E.g., a half-time TA at Level 1 should make at least $1332 a month, so $1332 / 30.5 = $43.67 per day.)
2. Take your daily stipend amount from step 1 and multiply it by 14, the number of days in a biweekly pay period. This gives your approximate biweekly stipend amount. (E.g., $43.67 * 14 = $611.38 per 2-week period.)
3. Compare your approximate biweekly stipend amount from step 2 with the gross amount listed on your biweekly pay stubs from epayroll.msu.edu — if there is a substantial difference between these two numbers, your pay may be at the wrong level or appointment fraction (or payroll has simply made a mistake). Contact the GEU at geu@msu.edu.
Alternative Algorithm: biweekly pay converted into monthly
1. Take your gross biweekly pay and divide it by 14.
2. Multiply your daily pay (the result of step 1) by 30.5. This is your approximate monthly stipend level.
3. Compare with the contract minimums or with your expected monthly stipend level in your department.
Schedule of Minimum Biweekly Stipends
- Level 1, 1/4 time: $314
- Level 1, 1/2 time: $628
- Level 1, 3/4 time: $942
- Level 2, 1/4 time: $346
- Level 2, 1/2 time: $692
- Level 2, 3/4 time: $1038
- Level 3, 1/4 time: $361
- Level 3, 1/2 time: $723
- Level 3, 3/4 time: $1085
Note: The first and last paychecks in the employment period may not be for a full 14 days, and thus may have a lower gross than is indicated in this schedule.
