UW–Madison employees can enroll in benefits for 2021 now through Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. Resources are available online at benefits.wisc.edu/2021 to help you make informed benefits decisions and complete the benefits enrollment process. The website includes a checklist of steps you should complete and other resources. Virtual presentations include “Benefits 2021: What You Need to Know,” a 60-minute overview that will include an opportunity to ask questions “live” using the chat feature. Multilingual sessions are also being held, including late-night sessions for the second and third shifts. To enroll in benefits, log in to MyUW, find the Benefit Information app, and click on “Enroll Now.” Elections made during Annual Benefits Enrollment are effective January 1, 2021. Learn more at benefits.wisc.edu/2021.

UW–Madison has launched a “COVID Questions” column that will be posted online weekly. Each question is answered by a subject matter expert from UW–Madison. Questions about COVID-19 and the pandemic may be emailed to covid19update@uc.wisc.edu. To view “COVID Questions” and other updates on the campus response to COVID-19, visit smartrestart.wisc.edu.

Employers have the option of deferring tax withholding of FICA taxes from employee paychecks on compensation paid from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020, under Presidential Order 2020-65: Payroll Tax Deferral. UW–Madison, along with the other UW System institutions and the State of Wisconsin, will not be implementing this option. Payroll tax deferral does not waive the employee’s obligation to pay these taxes. Instead, the deferral program would require employees to have the deferred amount from 2020 deducted from their paychecks starting in January 2021. The tax amounts for 2021 would also be deducted at that time. If implemented, this would result in large tax withholding amounts from paychecks in 2021.

All members of the UW–Madison community are invited to participate in UW–Madison's Languages, a new initiative to raise awareness of the value of multilingualism, of the many languages spoken by the UW–Madison community, and of language as a key aspect of diversity. An initial meeting to set priorities for the project will be held virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. To learn more and to register, please visit languageinstitute.wisc.edu/uw-madisons-languages.