This section provides you with answers to the most frequently asked questions about payroll.
General
What day do I get paid?
The pay date (also known as the value date) for your monthly salary payment is the last business day of the month, based on the U.S. banking calendar. Please note that your payment can be impacted by holidays where you hold a bank account or by an issue with your intermediary or beneficiary bank over which AIARC has no control.
What currency is my salary issued by AIARC?
Your salary payments are issued in U.S. Dollars (USD).
If I have a bank account in a currency other than USD, will there be any issues?
If you have a non-USD bank account, it is very important that you verify with your bank that your bank can accept and convert from USD to the local currency and that you are provided with the correct intermediary bank details from your bank in order to expedite the currency conversion. It is strongly recommended that you correspond with an individual who handles wires for your bank to get the correct information.
Please note that your bank or its beneficiary bank may charge a currency conversion fee and require additional time to process payments when converting currency. Please verify with your bank if these fees will apply because you will be responsible for these fees, not AIARC or your Center.
If you do not have a bank account in USD to receive your salary payment, please indicate the currency that is denominated on the Payroll Deposit Authorization Form and contact your Center’s AIARC Coordinator.
How is money sent to my bank account? Does the location of my bank affect how the money is delivered?
If your bank is located outside of the United States, you will receive your salary payment by international wire transfer. If your bank is located in the Unites States, your salary will be sent via ACH.
Does the name on my bank account need to match the name on my passport?
Ideally yes. Because of worldwide Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, it is recommended that the name on your bank account matches the name(s) on your passport or other government issued identification to avoid regulatory delays in processing. If you are depositing your payment into an investment account with a third-party financial institution (e.g., investment broker), you must provide additional banking details in order for your investment account to be properly credited with the deposit from AIARC.
Can I send a portion of my salary payment to my spouse or partner?
No, AIARC will only transfer payments to you or to an institution with which you hold an account. If you want to give your spouse or partner access to your pay, you must establish a joint account, recognizing your spouse or partner as an additional account holder.
How do I change my current banking details or change my bank?
To change a payment method, deposit allocation, bank account, or other information, you must complete the Payroll Deposit Authorization Form and send a signed copy to your Center’s designated AIARC Coordinator. To add a new bank account or modify an existing bank account, AIARC requires you to complete a verbal verification for security purposes. The AIARC Coordinator will contact you to set up a convenient time for this verification. The change will not take effect until the verbal verification is completed and all required information and documents are submitted to AIARC before the monthly payroll processing cut-off date (usually the 7th of each month). If the documents are not received and the verbal verification is not completed by the cut-off date, the banking change will be applied in the following month.
How many times can I change my bank account in a year?
You can change your bank account up to two times in a calendar year without a processing fee. You will be charged USD 25 for each change thereafter.
Direct Deposit by ACH and Associated Fees
What is an ACH Direct Deposit transfer method?
Automated Clearing House (ACH) which is a network that coordinates is an electronic payments and automated money transfers of funds directly from AIARC’s bank via a batch to the automated clearinghouse (The Federal Reserve or The Clearing House), which clears the payments to banking institutions. AIARC uses the ACH Direct Deposit transfer method to your bank that is located in the United States as it allows for efficient matching and processing, it is also cost effective and safe.
For ACH, what do I need to do to ensure that my salary is processed without delay?
To ensure your salary is processed through ACH without delay, you will need to provide AIARC with accurate bank information by completing the Payroll Deposit Authorization Form Your payment may be rejected or delayed due to inaccurate information. In addition, you are required to provide a copy of a voided check from your bank for account verification.
An ABA (American Bankers Association) routing number is required to deposit your salary through ACH. It is a nine-digit number used to identify your bank, which is required for direct deposits. Some banks and credit unions may have multiple routing numbers serving different purposes, geographical regions, or branches.
Beneficiary Banks, Intermediary/Corresponding Banks, and Associated Fees
What is a beneficiary bank?
A beneficiary bank is the receiving bank where you have your bank account.
What is an intermediary/correspondent bank?
The intermediary/correspondent bank is a third-party bank used by the beneficiary bank to facilitate international transfer and settlement of funds.
Why are there so many different types of banks in the process?
Banks do not necessarily have direct relationships with one another. Thus, they use intermediary banks as a means to find relationships, acting as brokers for transactions. If your bank is located outside of the United States, you are required by U.S. law to use an intermediary/correspondent bank because AIARC transfers salary payments in U.S. Dollars. To ensure expedited payments, please contact your bank representative in the wire department for the correct intermediary/correspondent bank information.
Incorrect intermediary/correspondent bank information can delay a wire transfer by as long as three months. It is very important to find a bank with which your beneficiary bank has the most direct relationships—generally larger international banks.
What fees are charged? How much can be charged?
Additional fees may be charged by your intermediary or beneficiary bank for processing incoming wires, currency conversions, commissions, maintenance, and so forth. Fees vary depending on the services that you get and the relationship that your beneficiary bank has with its intermediary bank.
It is very important to understand that because these fees are charged by your beneficiary bank and your beneficiary’s intermediary bank. You are responsible for the payments of these fees, not AIARC or your Center.
Therefore, please make sure that you choose the best bank that meets your needs. For example, if you require immediate access to your money, you may need to use a larger international bank for processing, although a larger international bank may charge higher fees than a smaller local bank or credit union. In some cases, the lowest fees may not be the best option as smaller local banks and credit unions may require additional processing time, which can cause significant transfer delays (e.g., in some cases, these smaller local banks and credit unions have taken up to three months to process a deposit).
How can I find out in advance how much my beneficiary and intermediary/correspondent banks will charge me to receive my salary payment?
You should contact your beneficiary bank to determine if you will be charged any fees for receiving an incoming wire transfer payment from the United States. Your bank will be able to provide you with more details and should assist you in choosing the best intermediary bank to fit your needs.
Delayed or Returned Payments and Associated Fees
Isn’t it AIARC’s job to ensure that I get my money? Why do I have to get involved when I do not have the time?
Once the payment is released from Western Union (AIARC’s payroll provider), privacy laws prevent AIARC from dealing with your beneficiary or intermediary bank. Thus, to ensure that you get your money and to expedite the resolution of issues, you must assist in this process.
What do I need to do to assist?
Usually, payment delays arise from missing information, changing of bank account information, bank locations, and holidays outside of the United States. If the money is not received within five business days from the payment value date (the last business day of the month), you should immediately notify your Center’s designated AIARC Coordinator. Your AIARC Coordinator will provide you with a Good Faith Letter, which contains the intrabank tracking details, to help your beneficiary bank to find out what happened to the missing payment.
My payment was returned to AIARC, what do I do?
If your salary payment is returned to AIARC after the payment value date, your Center’s AIARC Coordinator will contact you for more information. AIARC will not resend your payment until the requested information is received from you.
Do I get charged for a returned payment?
Fees may be incurred for returned wires or ACH direct deposits resulting from inaccurate banking information. Your beneficiary and/or intermediary banks may withhold fees from the amount that is returned to AIARC’s bank account. If the inaccurate information was provided by you, AIARC will deduct fees from your account to cover the costs associated with returned wires or ACH direct deposits.
Does AIARC charge a fee to resend the returned wire payment?
If a wire payment is returned due to inaccurate banking information provided by you, AIARC will charge a $25 administration fee and a $12.50 bank wire fee to resend the wire payment.
OFAC Rules and Regulations
What is OFAC?
OFAC is the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which administers and enforces U.S. economic and trade sanctions against targeted countries and groups of individuals allegedly involved in terrorism, narcotics, and other disreputable activities. If you are listed on the OFAC register, your assets are usually “frozen”, and any U.S.-based organization is generally prohibited from dealing with you.
Why do I have to be concerned about OFAC?
Because AIARC pays in U.S. dollars and is a U.S.-based organization, it must comply with the rules and regulations of OFAC. If your name is on the OFAC register, OFAC has the right to freeze or block any of your salary payments processed through AIARC.
What is an OFAC SDN list?
As part of its enforcement efforts, OFAC publishes a list of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country specific. Collectively, such individuals and companies are called specially designated nationals (SDNs).
Does AIARC check my information against OFAC lists before processing my salary payment?
Yes, AIARC checks your full name and your bank’s name against OFAC-related lists before sending your salary payment to your bank account.
What happens if my name or bank information appears on the OFAC list?
If part of your name or your full name appears in an OFAC list, you will be contacted by your Center’s AIARC Coordinator for additional information, such as your full complete name, including middle name (if any), date of birth, place of birth, current address, and so forth. This extra information may help to distinguish you from an SDN with a similar name. Please note that even with the additional information, the release of your payment by OFAC may still take up to one month or more.
If your bank appears on the OFAC list, AIARC cannot release your salary payment to your bank. You will need to change banks so that AIARC can make payments to you.