EmpowHR: Section 8 - ESS

Charitable Contributions

A charitable contribution is the authorization by an employee to withhold, through payroll deductions, contributions for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

Any employee whose duty station is located within an approved CFC Combined Federal Campaign area, and whose net pay is sufficient to cover the allotment, may authorize payroll deductions for charitable contributions. Included are employees whose appointments are limited to 1 year or less, provided an appropriate official of the employing Agency determines the employee will continue employment for a period sufficient to justify the allotment. The allotment will be an equal amount deducted each pay period (minimum $1.00). The allotment will be for a term of 1 year beginning with the first pay period that begins in January and ending with the last pay period that begins in December.

No deductions are made for any pay period in which the employee’s net pay is insufficient to cover the deduction amount. No adjustments are made in subsequent pay periods to make up for missed deductions.

All CFC contributions are automatically discontinued upon expiration of the 1-year withholding period, death, retirement, or separation from Federal service.

Following are guidelines for processing charitable contribution data:

• Regulations require CFC Combined Federal Campaign designation to be processed by December 1. However, entries received after that date will be processed.
• One-time cash contributions are not entered in EmpowHR. The contribution is made in accordance with the Agency CFC Combined Federal Campaign instructions.
• An employee may discontinue an allotment at any time by submitting a signed letter or memorandum to the personnel office. The document must include the employee’s name, the amount, and the organization from which the contribution is being revoked. The discontinuance is effective the first pay period beginning after receipt of the written revocation.
• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations provide that allotment authorizations be transferred when an employee moves to an organization serviced by a different payroll office. A new authorization form should be completed only if an authorization was in effect with the losing Department on the date of transfer.
• The maximum number of charitable contribution records allowed is four.

This example will show how to enter data for an employee who wants to (1) authorize, (2) change, or (3) cancel biweekly payroll deductions for charitable contributions to CFC Combined Federal Campaign.