Why the Pay Centre rejected your pay action request (and what to do about it)
The Public Service Pay Centre receives many pay action requests every day. If you take care to provide accurate information when completing the pay action request form, the Pay Centre will direct your request to the appropriate unit for prompt processing.
If, however, the information you provide is inaccurate or incomplete, the Pay Centre will reject your request. Learn about the most common reasons for rejection and find out how to avoid rejection next time you submit a pay action request.
On this page
- Reasons for rejecting pay action request forms
- Mandatory pay action request form fields
- Checklist: Completing a pay action request form
- What happens if the Pay Centre rejects your pay action request
Reasons for rejecting pay action request forms
The Public Service Pay Centre may reject your pay action request (PAR) form due to:
- the information provided, or the lack thereof, including if it:
- is incomplete or isn’t attached to the submission
- contains the wrong documentation
- is missing supporting documentation
- contains inaccurate information
- example: work types don’t match the documentation
- is illegible, or unreadable
- an issue with the employee information, including if it:
- involves a single PAR for multiple employees
- involves a bulk transaction for one employee
- involves a bulk transaction for more than 15 employees
- is sent on behalf of an employee who is not served by the Pay Centre
- a technical reason, including if it:
- includes double-sided attachments
- cannot be opened due to an encryption issue
- exceeds 5MB
- exceeds 35 pages
- is an invalid or a corrupt file type
- a processing error, including it if:
- is the wrong version of the form
- is sent to the wrong email address, fax or mailing address
- fails the authorized signature check
- fails the employee signature check
- fails the Human Resources Management System check
- fails the trusted source check
Mandatory pay action request form fields
If you correctly populate, or complete, the mandatory fields in your pay action request (PAR) form, the Public Service Pay Centre is more likely to efficiently process your request.
When completing the form by hand, you must also take care to print legibly. Unreadable forms will be rejected. Please ensure you populate the following mandatory fields:
- Name: first name, last name of employee (applies to PAR 446-5)
- Personal record identifier, or PRI (applies to PAR 446-5)
-
Note: This field is not mandatory when the work type is “New Hire”
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- Email address
- Department name (applies to PAR 446-5 and Bulk PAR 446-6)
- Request work type (applies to PAR 446-5 and Bulk PAR 446-6)
- Request sub type (applies to PAR 446-5)
- Name of requestor / Email address (applies to PAR 446-5 and Bulk PAR 446-6)
-
Note: Use your own name when the subtype is “Voluntary Deductions”
-
- Effective start date (applies to PAR 446-5)
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Note: If an effective start date of the pay action does not apply, use the date of submission
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- Trusted source, when applicable (applies to PAR 446-5 and Bulk PAR 446-6)
- Total number of pages (if completing the PDF, this includes the PAR and each page of the submission)
More information
Checklist: Completing a pay action request form
Before submitting your pay action request (PAR) form to the Pay Centre, make sure it is complete, free of errors and that it respects the Pay Centre’s guidelines.
Confirm that you need to submit a PAR form
The Pay Centre process pay-related requests for 46 departments and agencies. Direct all pension-related inquiries, including requests for insurance benefit statements, to the Public Service Pension Centre.
Most documentation sent to the Pay Centre must be accompanied by a completed pay action request (PAR) form. Exceptions include communications from:
- insurance companies
- unions
- financial institutions
Send these without a PAR directly to the Pay Centre at: tiersrequetecentredepaye.paycentrethirdpartyrequest@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Do not send garnishment orders from the Department of Justice or mandatory set-offs from Canada Revenue Agency. Forward these requests without a PAR to: soutiencentredepaye.paycentresupport@tpsgcpwgsc.gc.ca.
If you are served by the Pay Centre, use the Phoenix Feedback form to:
- submit a general inquiry (example: pay-related questions)
- request copies of your tax slips
If an employee currently served by the Pay Centre is going to transfer to a non-Pay Centre organization, the new organization may email us to coordinate the transfer at: pwgsc.mirtransfer-Transfertmir.tpsgc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca No PAR is needed in these cases.
Otherwise, only submit a PAR form for an employee served by the Pay Centre.
Use the correct version of the form
Tip: As the PAR is subject to change without notice, we advise that you always access it online instead of downloading a copy to your desktop.
Complete the form and attach it to the submission
Refer to the mandatory form fields.
Select the appropriate work type and sub-type
Certain combinations of work type and sub-type require specific supporting documents.
Visit Pay process roles and responsibilities to learn more about supporting documentation.
You may also wish to visit Understanding work types and sub-types.
Have a section 34 authority and your departmental trusted source sign the PAR form, if required
All requests affecting financial results or a manager’s budget require a section 34 signature, also known as an “authorized signature.” A trusted source is the person designated by a department to validate the section 34 signature.
- cash payments
- deductions (exceptions that cannot be completed via Phoenix)
- additional tax
- charitable donations
- Canada Saving Bonds
- cheques (declaration of lost or stolen)
- benefits amendments (voluntary)
- only when not applicable within Phoenix self-service
- disability applications
- employee portion
- changes to federal (TD1) or provincial tax
Visit The trusted source and pay action requests and contact your departmental change agent for the list of your trusted sources.
Verify that your documentation is complete and free of errors
Confirm that the appropriate data are entered into HRMS PeopleSoft or Phoenix. For example, if a term is ending earlier than stated, the accurate date must be entered into HRMS PeopleSoft and updated in Phoenix.
Verify that the form is readable.
Check that you have completed all mandatory form fields.
Check that the supporting documents match the employee on behalf of whom you are submitting the PAR.
Check that the employee has signed all supporting documents, if applicable (example: leave forms, extra duty pay, timesheets, direct deposit).
Check that the trusted source signature is complete, if applicable.
Check that the authorized signature is complete, if applicable.
Confirm that the work type and sub-type match the supporting documentation.
Do not insert work types or sub-types that are not included in the available drop-down menus.
Check that the total submission does not exceed 5MB.
Check that the attachments do not exceed 35 pages (front and back).
Check that the attachments are single-sided.
Limit the number of employees per request
Complete 1 (one) PAR form per employee.
The Pay Centre will reject a PAR that contains personal information about multiple employees.
Respect the restrictions if you are submitting a bulk pay action request. (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
Submit only valid and incorrupt file types by email
It is best to send only 1 (one) PAR per email to avoid losing or confusing information.
The Pay Centre accepts doc, docx, and PDF files.
Note: WAV, Excel, Spreadsheets, JPEG, or PDF files saved with Adobe LiveCycle and linking to RDIMs systems will not be processed.
Avoid an encryption issue
The Pay Centre prefers Entrust Encryption. If you use another encryption application, the Pay Centre may not be able to open your submission.
Encypt the email itself only and not the attachments.
Contact your departmental Information Technology team if you have questions about encryption.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact the Public Service Pay Centre.
What happens if the Pay Centre rejects your pay action request
If the Pay Centre cannot process your request, within 24 hours of an electronic submission, you, or the person who submitted the pay action request on your behalf, will get an email informing you that your request was rejected. This email comes from an un-monitored electronic mailbox at the Pay Centre. So please do not respond.
Note: Please note that the mail facility does not retain your original submission.
If you submitted the request by mail or fax, you will receive a notification of rejection via mail or fax.
To protect employee privacy, the Pay Centre mail facility does not return original documents to the sender. If you send your pay action request form by fax or mail, please include certified copies of personal documents such as birth certificates.
Resubmitting a pay action request
If your first request is rejected:
- complete the checklist
- resubmit all of the documents as a complete package, including the PAR
For urgent requests, missing pay and emergency salary advances, we recommend not placing an existing case number on the PAR. Create a new case to ensure no critical information is missed.