Payroll Examiner 1 & 2

***Due to the size of the candidate population for this date, candidates may be scheduled to take their test on either October 26, 2024, October 27, 2024, November 2, 2024, November 3, 2024, or November 9, 2024, or a subsequent date. Your admission notice will tell you where and when you are scheduled to appear. You cannot request or change your scheduled day or location. Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to a test site to take this examination. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to a test site to take this examination. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

Interdepartmental promotion examination open to all qualified employees of New York State.

For Promotion in State Departments, Facilities, and Agencies

1. Within Promotion Units 2. Within Entire Departments 3. To Other Departments

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before October 26, 2024, you must be a qualified employee of New York State and have had 45 days of permanent competitive, non-competitive NY HELPS*, or 55-b/55-c service as shown below. † If you have received a permanent appointment to a qualifying title listed and served provisionally****** in that title immediately preceding your permanent appointment, such provisional service may be counted towards meeting the time in title required for this examination.

For Exam No. 31-187010:

Either A. a Payroll Assistant or Payroll Assistant Trainee;

Or B. in a clerical, keyboarding, or paraprofessional** title allocated to Grade 8 or higher.

Qualifying titles are available at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/announcements/31187010qualifying.cfm

For Exam No. 31-188010:

Either A. a Payroll Assistant, Payroll Assistant Trainee, or Payroll Examiner 1;

Or B. an Office Assistant 2 (Calculations); or in a clerical, keyboarding, or paraprofessional** title allocated to Grade 11 or higher.

Qualifying titles are available at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/announcements/31188010qualifying.cfm.

† If on or before September 11, 2024 you were permanently appointed to a qualifying title competitively, or in the non-competitive class via the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide (NY HELPS)* program, or via the 55-b/55-c program, and have served continuously in this title since that date, you are eligible to file for this examination.

**Only paraprofessional titles in an office environment will be considered qualifying. Service in a direct care title is not qualifying experience. Examples of non-qualifying titles are Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide 1, Direct Support Assistant, Food Service Worker 2, Licensed Practical Nurse, Mental Health Therapy Aide, Security Services Assistant 2, Youth Support Assistant, and Youth Support Specialist.

******If you were permanently appointed to a qualifying title and had provisional service in the same title immediately preceding the permanent appointment, such provisional service may be counted towards meeting the time in title required to apply for this examination. Your provisional appointment must have been on or before September 11, 2024 to qualify for this examination.

Only the title or titles listed are qualifying.

Qualifying Experience For Appointment From The Eligible List: After one year of the service described in the Minimum Qualifications, successful candidates will be qualified for appointment from the eligible list with the exception of Payroll Assistant Trainees. Successful Payroll Assistant Trainees will be qualified for appointment from the eligible list after one year of permanent competitive, non-competitive NY HELPS, or 55-b/55-c service as a Payroll Assistant. † If you have received a permanent appointment to a qualifying title listed and served provisionally****** in that title immediately preceding your permanent appointment, such provisional service may be counted towards meeting the one year time in title required for appointment from the eligible list.

Employees appointed via the NY HELPS program to a qualifying title in the non-competitive class will have their names restricted from appointment from the eligible list until their position is covered-in to the competitive class by action of the New York State Civil Service Commission or otherwise obtain permanent competitive status in the position.

Eligibles who meet the "B" qualifications, and who are subsequently appointed to an "A" title, may request to have their name added to the "A" list, once they have completed the time in title year(s) of service in the full performance level "A" title. The request should be submitted in writing to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239; Attention: S1/MAM.

Order of Certification: The order of certification of this eligible list will be:

1. Promotion Unit "A" eligibles
2. Promotion Unit "All" eligibles
3. Department "A" eligibles
4. Department "All" eligibles
5. Interdepartmental "A" eligibles
6. Interdepartmental "All" eligibles

Additional Requirements for Appointment:

1. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: In some agencies, the names of all prospective employees will:

   • be checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL), maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
   • be investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). You must report all convictions. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal law;

   And may:

   • be screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment.

   You are responsible for payment of all required fees.

2. Medicaid and Medicare: To be eligible for appointment and maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). You may be barred from appointment, or your employment may be terminated at any time if you are listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program).

The Positions: These positions exist in multiple New York State agencies and are located Statewide.

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Duties

Payroll Examiners supervise the staff and operations of an agency or facility payroll program, or a segment of a payroll program, which entails the preparation of the regular, lag, and special payrolls. They also make related payroll determinations concerning salaries, miscellaneous payments, deductions, taxes, and other similar matters.

As a Payroll Examiner 1, you would function as payroll program supervisor in an agency or facility with a payroll of 200 to 500 employees; perform the full range of payroll processing tasks and activities as workload requires; in larger agencies work under the supervision of a higher-level Payroll Examiner and specialize in the preparation of a segment of the agency payroll; and typically supervise subordinate clerical staff.

As a Payroll Examiner 2, you would function as payroll program supervisor in an agency or facility with payrolls of approximately 500 to 1,500 employees; supervise Payroll Examiner 1's and/or clerical staff; and perform the full range of payroll processing tasks and activities as workload requires. In larger agencies, you may work as an assistant to a Payroll Examiner 3 and perform most payroll tasks, but may specialize in the preparation of one or more of the payrolls or in making payroll determinations.

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Subject of Examination

To be considered for appointment to this title, you must pass the multiple-choice test. The multiple-choice test evaluates your knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in the following areas:	For Examination Numbers
	31-187010	31-188010
1. Supervision - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.	X	X
2. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.	X	X
3. Understanding and interpreting tabular material - These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.	X	X
4. Payroll procedures - Candidates will be required to have knowledge of the application of rules, regulations, laws, and negotiated agreements in effect as of January 1, 2024, which are used to govern the processing of the New York State payroll including, but not limited to, sections of State Finance Law, Civil Service Law, and Retirement and Social Security Law, as they relate to New York State payroll.	X	X
5. Office management - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices of planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of an office and directing those performing office activities so as to achieve predetermined objectives such as accomplishing office work within reasonable limits of time, effort, and cost expenditure. Typical activities may include but will not be restricted to: simplifying and improving procedures, increasing office efficiency, improving the office work environment, and controlling office supplies.		X

If you pass, your seniority credit(s), if any, will be included in the computation of your final score. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' credits.

Credit For Seniority: Seniority is credited at the rate of one credit for each five-year period (or fraction thereof), excluding the first year of service.

Admission To The Test: If approved for a multiple-choice test, you will receive an admission notice which will indicate your assigned test date and the way your test will be administered. Your test may be administered with paper and pencil or online at a state test site using a state-provided Chromebook. You cannot request to change your scheduled day or request a specific type of test administration.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include notification of your application status, your test arrangements, examination results, and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Religious Accommodation

Most multiple-choice tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Accommodation Unit of the Department of Civil Service at Testaccommodation@cs.ny.gov.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the multiple-choice test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your multiple-choice test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a multiple-choice test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this multiple-choice test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Eligibility for Examination

To be considered a qualified employee eligible to compete in this examination, you must be employed in, or on leave from, the specified department or agency on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class, or in the non-competitive class or labor class if specifically noted on this announcement (or be on an appropriate preferred list), and have the specified time in the specified title or salary grade. You may not compete in a test for a title if you are permanently employed in that title (unless you are still on probation) or in a higher direct line of promotion.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

S1/TB2 MAM-gcm
Issued: 8/9/2024
*****Revised Material: 9/11/24
†Revised Material: 9/12/24

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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