CHRO Announces Compliance‑Driven Remote Work Changes
As we continue to improve our process and ensure state and federal compliance around international and remote employees outside of Alaska, I wanted to share an important update regarding the approval process and cost structure for international and remote work arrangements. These changes are necessary due to increased compliance requirements related to employing individuals who work internationally or remotely from outside the state of Alaska.
Updated Approval Process
Effective July 1, 2026, any international employee who does not have an approved international remote work arrangement justification on file per the new process released in December 2025 will be required to complete a new approval request in order to continue working internationally. December 2025 marks the timeframe during which we released the new process for international approvals.
The approval process includes:
- A formal memo approved by the Chancellor and the Chief Human Resources Officer as the final approval.
- Please check with leadership at each university as some additional approvals have
been added that are specific to the MAU.
- The memo must clearly outline:
- The reason for international work
- The expected term of the international work arrangement
- How the position is funded
- The funding source that will cover both the internal ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å charge and GTN (Global Tax Network) compliance expenses
Human Resources will be reaching out to deans and directors to identify international employees who do not currently have an approved memo on file and will request updated documentation. Moving forward, this approval process will become annual, taking place at the start of each calendar year to ensure information remains current and compliant.
Changes to Cost Structure
To reflect the increasing cost of compliance and required oversight, the internal charge associated with international and out of state remote workers will change as follows:
- Beginning in FY27:
- The quarterly charge will increase from $115 per quarter per employee to $375 per quarter per employee
- This is equivalent to $1,500 annually per applicable employee
- Beginning in FY28:
- The annual charge will increase by $125, bringing the total to $500 per quarter per employee
- This is equivalent to $2,000 annually per applicable employee
These changes are being communicated in advance to support planning and budgeting at the unit and campus levels.
If you have questions about how this may affect your department or specific employees, please contact ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å HR’s accounting team at ua-hr-accounting@alaska.edu.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation as we work to ensure compliance while continuing to support our university community.
Sincerely,
Nickole Conley
Chief Human Resources Officer
Published ÂÌÅ«Ì컨°å News 5/1/2026
5/1/2026 Emailed to Deans & Directors- International & Remote Work Update - FY27 Charges and Process Updates