Student and career staff at work in the MU food court

Important Updates

  • If you have been selected for verification, the deadline is June 15, 2023.  Please review your email for instructions.
  • For California Middle Class Scholarship updates, please visit MCS.
  • For Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief information, please visit Apply for Federal Student Loan Debt Relief.

What You Need to Know About Work-Study

When will Work-Study Appear on the ledger?

Work-Study splits will not appear on your ledger until the award has been approved by the Work-Study Manager and the Position Pool ID (PPID) is effective in UCPath. To ensure accuracy check your ledgers monthly to catch any discrepancies and make corrections quickly.

Account Reconciliation and Discrepancy Process

  • Departments are responsible for the monthly ledger and account review to ensure that Work-Study funds are appropriately expended and split. The appropriate split for undergraduate students is 75% Work-Study and 25% departmental funding.
  • When a discrepancy is found by the department, they work with the Work-Study Manager to identify the problem. Before a Direct Retro (DR) is processed, the department must contact the Work-Study Manager for permission to process the DR in UCPath.
  • When a discrepancy is found by the Funds Manager, they will notify the Work-Study Manager to contact the department with the identified problem.
  • If the departmental staff can resolve the problem, they must do so in a timely fashion. If they cannot, they need to call Payroll Services to obtain assistance in resolving the UCPath problem.

Each year during the spring quarter, departments will receive the deadline for reconciling year-end discrepancies. This deadline is non-negotiable due to the aid year close-out process. Therefore, DRs will not be processed after the deadline. It is imperative for each department to assure monthly reconciliation of their accounts and alert the Work-Study Manager of any discrepancies before the deadline.

Transfers of Work-Study funds

Departments transferring funds involving Work-Study accounts should process the DR in UCPath. Note: You must obtain approval from the Work-Study Manager before processing the DR. Approvals for transfers are not guaranteed if you did not follow the process outlined on the Work-Study Employment Request Form. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the department to ensure Work-Study is charged correctly and in a timely manner.

Verification

Students whose financial aid applications are selected for verification will not have their Work-Study awards processed until verification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) information has been processed. These students are notified of verification requirements and need to submit the necessary paperwork to Financial Aid and Scholarships before Work-Study can be awarded. Advise your students to submit the necessary paperwork as quickly as possible. The Work-Study award will not be retroactive to July 1, but only to the date that verification is completed and Work-Study can be accepted. If the student does not meet the posted verification deadline, it is possible that Work-Study eligibility will be lost.

Changes That May Affect Work-Study Eligibility

Work-Study funding is subject to change based on changes to the student’s financial aid eligibility such as not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress or changes in student’s EFC or financial need. In addition, if the student participates in the Planned Education Leave Program (PELP), reduces course units, withdraws, or is dismissed from school, they will no longer be eligible for Work-Study funds. The student should also notify Financial Aid and Scholarships of any changes in enrollment. Once the Work-Study Manager is notified, an email will be sent to the department of the change made to the award. The department should check for the new award limits in UCPath using Cognos report 208.

Time Reporting and Non-eligible Hours for Work-Study

The hiring department is required to have all undergraduate Work-Study students report their time in the Time Reporting System (TRS) and all hours must be approved by their supervisor online. 

Hours that cannot be charged to Work-Study include:

  • 100% of any time exceeding the Work-Study amount
  • Holiday, sick leave, overtime, and vacation, if worked sufficient hours to become eligible
  • Hours submitted after the established June 30 payroll deadline each year

For these hours, a department must use non-Work-Study funding to pay the student.

Additional Information

  • Work-Study earnings are taxable.
  • Work-Study payments are not to precede the effective date on the Work-Study Service Channel Form.
  • It is University Policy to balance ledgers on a monthly basis.
  • The total amount paid to the student is deducted from the Federal Work-Study award (not just the 75% paid by Work-Study).