Payroll Reimbursement Process

Monthly Earnings Report

Delinquent Paperwork

After All the Work-Study Award is Earned

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) award amount reflected on the student's Work-Study Verification represents the gross amount the student may earn per semester. The FWS Program will reimburse eligible employers 70% of wages paid to a FWS student as long as the student's earnings do not exceed the amount of the FWS award. For example, on her Work-Study Verification, Misty Abbott's Fall FWS award is $1400. If Misty works 10-12 hours per week, by semester's end she will most likely have earned all of her $1400 award and her employer will most likely have been reimbursed $980 (70% of $1400) by the FWS Program.

The FWS Program will also reimburse eligible employers for 100% of wages paid to FWS students employed as reading tutors for children in pre-school or elementary school, OR reading tutors in a family literacy program that provides services to children from infancy through elementary or to their parents or caregivers, OR math tutors for children in grades K-9. These tutor positions must be reviewed and approved by the Work-Study Office (see the Pay Rates and the FWS Share section of Work-Study Policies.)

The required documentation for reimbursement (see below) must be completed and submitted to the Work-Study Office no later than 15 days after the FWS student has been paid by your agency and 30 days after the end of the semester (see the Important Dates). If your agency cannot comply with this schedule, please contact the Work-Study Office. Delinquent Billing Statements will jeopardize your agency's participation in the FWS program as well as your agency's reimbursement.

Required documentation for reimbursement includes:

• Each FWS student's Monthly Earnings Report with original signatures.
• Photocopy of each FWS student's paystub as regulations require that compensation be made directly to students according to their request (e.g., paper check or direct deposit). The photocopy is proof of compliance.
• Billing Statement reflecting the names, listed in alphabetical order, of those FWS students paid by your agency during the billing cycle. This form includes the amount your agency is asking to be reimbursed for a particular month. The University of Texas at Austin Office of Accounting refuses to process Billing Statements that contain white-out or errors that have been marked through. Please pay close attention to detail when completing the Billing Statements.
It is the employer's responsibility to download and print copies of the Monthly Earnings Report and Billing Statement as needed from the Off-Campus Employer Forms page. Please note, however, that the Work-Study Office will provide your agency with a separate Billing Statement to use for students in tutor positions that have been approved for 100% reimbursement. All forms submitted to the Work-Study Office for reimbursement must bear the signature of the FWS student's supervisor and/or the payroll accountant who processed the forms.

All packets submitted to our office for reimbursement must be complete. No reimbursement will be processed if one of the following items is missing: a Billing Statement, a Monthly Earnings Report with original signatures, and a photocopy of each student's paystub. Please review the sample documents on the Forms page with your Work-Study supervisors and payroll accountant.

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A weekly record of time worked by students is required by federal regulations. A Monthly Earnings Report (MER), with original signatures of the supervisor and the student, must be submitted each month for each student who is employed. No agency time sheets will be accepted in lieu of the MER. The supervisor's signature certifies that the student has worked the number of hours reported and performed the assigned job in a satisfactory manner.

Each employer is responsible for documenting the time students start and stop their daily work schedule. Students cannot work during the time period when they are scheduled to be in class.

Please note that FWS Regulation 34 CFR 675.24 states, "FWS students must be paid on an hourly wage basis for actual time on the job". If a student is hired during the latter part of the month, an MER with original signatures must be submitted for that month even if the student has worked only a few hours. Please do not, however, send zero MERs. MERs with original signatures must be submitted to the Work-Study Office no later than 15 days after the FWS student has been paid, and 30 days after the end of the semester (see Important Dates).

FWS Regulation 34 CFR 675.19 states: "The FWS student’s timesheet must include: certification by the student’s supervisor" that the student has worked and earned the amount being paid; and a time record showing the "total hours worked per day". Any MER submitted without the supervisor's original signature will not be honored and will be returned to the agency. Photocopies of MERs cannot be accepted due to the risk of duplicate payment and FWS audit requirements.

Located in the Forms and Sample Forms section are a sample Monthly Earnings Report and a sample Billing Statement. These sample documents are provided to assist employers in completing the forms correctly. Please review these sample documents carefully. Errors on these forms can be very time-consuming and may require corrections on the student's MERs for the following pay period.

«TIP» Audit the Monthly Earnings Reports before signing. This will eliminate errors before the student is paid.

«TIP» Have FWS students sign-in and sign-out each block of time worked. This log will make the Monthly Earnings Reports easier to complete and verify.

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In order to comply with Federal regulations governing the FWS program, the Work-Study Office has found it necessary to implement the following procedures for handling delinquent paperwork:

• 1st Delinquent Notice will be sent when Billing Statements, Monthly Earnings Reports, and copy of student's paystub are 2 weeks overdue.
• 2nd Delinquent Notice will be sent when employers fail to respond by the due date on the 1st Delinquent Notice.
• 3rd Delinquent Notice will be sent when the employer has failed to respond to the 2nd Delinquent Notice. This notice will inform the employer that participation in the Federal Work-Study Program has been terminated.

Employers who are consistently late in providing required paperwork (Billing Statement, Monthly Earnings Report, pay stub) may be terminated from participation in the Federal Work-Study program at the discretion of the Work-Study Office, even if they have never received a 2nd or 3rd delinquent notice.

Once terminated, the employer must make a formal appeal to the Work-Study Office for reinstatement into the Federal Work-Study Program.

«TIP» Give FWS students a written list of duties and responsibilities upon hiring to avoid a possible miscommunication of expectations.

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If a student earns the total amount of the FWS award prior to the end of the award period, the agency may wish to continue its work relationship with the student. This is considered additional employment, not another Work-Study position, which means the employer will not be eligible for reimbursement of the student's wages by the Work-Study Office. Income earned in the non-Work-Study position will be treated as base-year income and will be counted toward next year's student contribution for financial aid.

«TIP» Before accepting additional employment, the student may want to discuss the implications of such employment with their financial aid counselor.

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