Published: April 18, 2024

CU Boulder is changing the time frame used to calculate summer salary limits for academic year contract faculty to reduce complexity and simplify the process.

Starting July 1, 2024, the 3/9ths and 1/9th summer month(s) calculation will be based on the calendar year, rather than the fiscal year. The timeline shift will reduce the administrative burden of multiple salary calculations during the reporting period. The switch to a calendar year lookback period will be effective this year— calendar year 2024— which means 2024 will be a transition year for summer salary calculations.

Why this matters: Faculty and university staff annual salary adjustments are effective the first day of the calendar year, as per the change in the compensation and merit cycle that started in fiscal year 2022. This has made the calculation of summer salary difficult because the institutional base salary measurement has been tied to the fiscal year, not the calendar year. 

FAQs
Q: Who is affected by this change?
A: All 9-month faculty who receive summer salary are impacted by this change. This primarily includes tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, and teaching series faculty.

Q: How does this impact me?
A: Faculty salary will not be impacted; faculty will experience no change in their summer salary limits or earning potential. Those individuals who calculate faculty summer salary will benefit from this administrative change because it will alleviate some of the manual burden and complexity of this task.   

Q: I’m confused; who can help me?
A: Your HR or finance administrators in your unit can help. They’ve been briefed on this issue and can help answer your questions.