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Pay and Conditions

Information on the pay and conditions for student workers.

Pay levels for student work assignments

Student casual worker pay levels set out work types, descriptions and examples of work which student workers can undertake and the appropriate pay level associated with each type of work.

Pay Levels vary from Level 1 to Level 6. The University introduced the Real Leaving Wage for all colleagues from 01 August 2019. This applies to Student Casual Workers and is reflected in the rates outlined in Student Worker Pay Levels Document - April 2026

Why does my Unitemps pay rate look lower than before?

Unitemps displays your hourly pay rate separately from your holiday pay, whereas roles previously through the Student Employment on Campus system were advertised with holiday pay included in the total hourly rate.

Although you remain employed by the University, you will be working under Unitemps employment conditions and will have a new employee record on the Unitemps system. This means your pay has not decreased — it is simply shown differently. Your overall pay, including holiday pay, remains the same.

View the Student Casual Worker Pay Levels

Accessing your payslips

To access your payslips, you need to register with Elementary, a secure online platform.

You will receive an invitation email from donotreply@elementary.co.uk with instructions on how to register.

What is Elementary?

Elementary is a secure online portal where you can:

  • View and download your payslips
  • Access important documents such as automatic enrolment letters
  • Stay updated with pay-related communications

Registering with Elementary

  1. Click the button in your invite email to visit the login page
  2. Select ‘Create account’
  3. Follow the prompts to set up your account
  4. Verify your identity using:
    • Your National Insurance number
    • The last 4 digits of your bank account number
    • Your date of birth

If you already have an Elementary account, you can log in and select ‘Add Employer’ from your dashboard. Follow the prompts to link Âé¶¹´«Ã½ to your account.

Unitemps Information Hub

Visit the for information about:

  • Pay queries
  • Tax and National Insurance queries
  • Holiday Pay guide
  • Statutory sick pay
  • Statutory maternity pay
  • Pension auto enrolment

Protecting your rights when working on campus

We care about protecting the rights of all students working on campus, which is why the Student Employment on Campus Policy seeks to ensure that our processes and engagement terms are fair, transparent, equitable and inclusive.

Students completing casual work on campus (through the SEOC policy) are covered under the Casual Worker Agreement and should familarise themselves with the People Services Privacy Notice‌. Before undertaking any work, you should ensure that you have read, understood and agree to the terms of this agreement. If you have any questions about this agreement, contact seoc@ncl.ac.uk.

Statutory Sick Pay Eligibility

Information on sick pay eligibility can be found on page four of the Casual Worker Agreement. Additional information is available at

Do I have to pay Tax or National insurance (NI)?

Students will pay Income Tax and NI when their wages reach the required threshold.

National Insurance:

  • Payable on all income over £1,048 per month. NI is calculated as 8% of any earnings between £1,048 and £4,189 per month and 2% on earnings over £4,189.
  • This includes all payments made to an individual in the month, including payments spread over multiple work assignments that are paid within the same period.

Income Tax:

The tax calculation will depend upon the tax code assigned to the student. When registering with Unitemps, a Tax declaration is chosen, and a Code assigned depending on the choice. HMRC may also issue codes or amendments to us. 

The following is assuming the student is on a standard cumulative tax code of 1257L

  • For the tax year 2026/27 a student can earn up to £12,570 per year before they start paying income tax
  • Above the Personal Allowance (£12,570), the amount the student pays depends on the amount they earn:
    • the first £12,570 is tax-free
    • 20% is deducted on pages between £12,570 and £50,270
    • 40% is deducted on earnings between £50,270 and £125,140
    • 45% is deducted on earnings above £125,140
  • Tax is calculated on a pro-rata basis. Although the annual tax free amount is £12,570 the payroll pro-rates the allowance soa tax free portion (£1,048) is received every month. If a student was to earn a lot in one month they may be deducted tax, however that may be refunded in subsequent months if their year to date earnings are below the pro rate tax free allowance

You can find out further information on the government website