Merit Pay at the University

What is merit pay? 

Merit pay is a compensation program where increases to your base pay are tied to your individual performance. You and your supervisor will discuss your job performance in your annual review.

Merit pay allows departments to reward good work rather than giving everyone the same increase. 

Does this apply to me?

Merit pay applies to you if you’re in any of these employee groups: 

  • Faculty in the 94xx job code series at:
    • U of M Morris
    • U of M Rochester
    • U of M Twin Cities
  • Academic Professional and Administrative (93xx, 96xx, and 97xx series)
  • Civil Service
  • Postdoctoral associates (9546)
  • Employees who start their job near the end of the fiscal year are not eligible for merit pay for the upcoming year. Each campus, college, or unit sets its cut-off date based on its performance review calendar. Ask your supervisor or HR Lead about the timing if you are not sure if you would qualify.


If you’re part of a union, annual pay increases may be negotiated into your collective bargaining agreement(CBA). Please reference your CBA to learn more.

How Merit Pay Works 

Merit pay means the University has a pool of money set aside for employee pay increases, and that money gets divided up based on how well people perform their jobs. The size of the money pool depends on the approval of the Board of Regents. 

Each campus, college, or unit decides how to distribute it among its employees based on work performance. Merit increases vary from person to person. 

What This Means for Your Paycheck 

  • Your individual increase will vary depending on the Board of Regents’ approval of the final merit pool plus your job performance. Your supervisor should be able to tell you your increase once the Board of Regents approves the amount and your campus, college, or unit has finalized merit pay for the upcoming year. The increase automatically becomes part of your base salary and continues to serve you in your future paychecks.

Finding your job code

To find your job code, follow these steps: 

  1. Log into MyU
  2. Click on your name in the top right corner (next to the person icon)
  3. Click on My Account
  4. Scroll down to the Staff Details section to view your job code

Questions?

Have questions about your merit pay? Contact your supervisor or your campus, college, or unit’s HR Lead. 

Questions about your pay rate email? The Office of Human Resources 

Contact Center is happy to help! You can email them at [email protected] or call 612-624-8647 or 800-756-2363.