The Federal Work-Study Program was established by Congress to assist students in earning
money to meet their educational costs while providing experience related to the student's
academic major or career interests. Students are allowed to have flexible work schedules,
thus allowing their academics to be their first priority. Federal Work-Study is a
subsidized program in which employer wage costs are reduced through government funding.
Therefore, the Federal Work-Study Program must adhere to regulations enacted by Congress
and enforced by the U.S. Department of Education. Participation in the Federal Work-Study
Program is determined by the student's financial need and is awarded as part of a
financial aid package. Students must re-apply for financial aid each year and remain
eligible for Federal Work-Study in order to continue working in the program. Federal
Work-Study earnings are not applied directly to the tuition bill but are used at the
student's discretion to cover educational costs such as tuition, books, fees, personal
items, and transportation. Students normally work approximately 20 hours a week and
are usually authorized to earn from $750 to $2,750 per year. An award simply authorizes
a maximum earnings limit for the academic year. It is the student's responsibility
to work enough hours to reach the earnings limit and to budget the money wisely throughout
the year to meet educational expenses.
Please remember that you must demonstrate financial need in order to participate in
the Federal Work-Study Program. The following steps should be taken each academic
year:
Reapply for financial aid each year by the deadline dates.
Notify the Financial Aid Office of any changes in your family financial circumstances.
Notify the Financial Aid Office of any changes in your enrollment status.
Earn no more than the predetermined Federal Work-Study award
The award is the maximum amount that may be earned by the student during the academic
year. The employer and student should compute how many hours a student is able to
work at his wage rate in order to determine the student's schedule for the year. Any
funds not earned at the end of the academic year will be forfeited and do not carry
over to the next year. Students are responsible for monitoring their own award to
ensure compliance. If the student exceeds the award, 100% will be charged to the department's
account. Students should be aware that their award might be decreased during the academic
year as a result of the receipt of outside resources (e.g. scholarships). If family
circumstances change, increases to the award may be made. Both the student and employer
will be notified if an award is adjusted.
Before you may begin to work a work-study job on or off campus, the Financial Aid
Office must hire you on the University's WebHire System. The Financial Aid Office
will inform you of your begin date after all forms are processed and approved for
hire. Usually, a student will be able to begin on a Monday after being approved, and
an electronic time sheet is created.
Students are encouraged to review open positions that are listed in binders which
are available throughout the year in the Financial Aid Office. Also, the links listed
below are for the campuses who have Federal Work-Study positions posted on their financial
aid website. Once a student has found a job in which they are interested, it is the
student's responsibility to contact the employer and arrange an interview.
Once you are hired, the forms listed below need to be completed before you can begin
working. These forms are located within the Financial Aid Office of the campus you
are attending.
W-4
INS I-9
FWS Dress Code
FWS Confidentiality Agreement
FWS Employment Authorization
FWS On/Off Campus Contract
All hours must be recorded on a time sheet. Please see your supervisor for instructions
on how to keep track and submit your work hours. The student should fill in the hours
worked on the day that the work is performed in 15 minute increments (For example,
10 hours and 30 minutes should be recorded as 10.5 hours and 12 hours and 15 minutes
should be recorded as 12.25 hours). All electronic time sheets must be approved by
the supervisor in order to be processed. All electronic time sheets must be submitted
to your supervisor by 12:00 noon every Friday in order to be paid on a timely basis.
If the student works on the weekend, the student must submit the electronic time sheet
to the supervisor by 9:00 a.m. on the following Monday.
Students are issued paychecks bi-weekly for the previous two weeks of work. Students
should be able to obtain their paychecks directly from their supervisor or employer.
Please note: You will not receive your first paycheck until one month (two pay periods)
after your first day of work. Please see the Hourly Employee Pay Schedule for paydays as well as weeks being paid.
Yes. Students may elect to have their checks deposited into the bank account of their
choice. Although a Direct Deposit form is available that can be filled out, printed,
and sent to Payroll; the form can also be processed on-line. In order to make direct
deposit changes online, see How to Submit or Change your Direct Deposit on-line.
Usually, the depositing of your check into your bank account occurs the second pay
period following completion of the direct deposit form. The reason your check is not
deposited during the first payroll is to make sure deposit information is correct.
The automatic depositing of your check will then occur on the second payroll following
your completing the form. After the first pay day, instead of receiving a check, you
will receive a "pay stub" indicating that your pay was deposited to the account you
specified.
Yes. Income earned through the Federal Work-Study Program is taxable. Therefore, each
student must complete state and federal withholding forms and include their earnings
on the appropriate tax returns.
Students who believe that their financial circumstances have changed since accepting
the original package should contact the Financial Aid Office in order to appeal. Students
who request an increase must document additional financial need. Please note that
program regulations prohibit the determining of earnings based on an employer's need
to retain a worker or a student's desire to work.
It is the expectation of the Financial Aid Office and all employers that, once hired,
a student will stay in the position for an entire academic year (Fall and Spring semester).
If the student is not satisfied with the position, we ask that the student attempt
to work out any difficulties with their employer before requesting a transfer to another
position. The Financial Aid Office can provide counseling for anyone experiencing
difficulties with a job. If the problem cannot be resolved, the student may transfer
to another job.
Students are asked to dedicate a minimum of 10 hours of work per week to ensure that
they reach their earnings by May. While it is possible to have more that one work-study
job, no student may be employed in more than one department at any given time without
prior permission from the Financial Aid Office. Permission is granted only if the
student cannot reach the award limit through the present job or if the second position
has greater relevancy to the student's career interests.
Students may work during breaks. However, income earned during these vacation periods
will count toward the student's Federal Work-Study earnings limit. Students cannot
work more than forty hours per week.
During the summer, some Federal Work-Study positions are available. Students must
receive prior approval from the Financial Aid Office and cannot work more than forty
hours per week in these summer positions. Wages earned during the summer do not count
against the student's academic year Federal Work-Study earnings limit. However, if
the student is not enrolled at least half-time (6 or more credit hours) for the summer
term, then the student must complete a Summer Non-Enrollment form and the summer Federal
Work-Study earnings will be counted as a resource for the following academic year.
Evaluation forms are sent to the employers in April. At that time, the students and
the employer should set aside time for discussion of the student's work performance.
Based on this evaluation, a student may receive a merit pay increase.
Federal Work-Study employees may obtain pay increases by three means:
Longevity: Students may receive a $.50 hourly pay increase for each year of continuous service
with the same employer.
Merit: At the annual evaluation each spring, students may be awarded an hourly pay increase
up to $.25 for meritorious service. This is an optional increase determined by the
employer and becomes effective the following fall.
Reclassification: If a student has gained additional skills and responsibilities after time on the
job, the student may be reclassified to a new position. An employer must provide documentation
of the increased responsibilities, and the reclassification must be approved by the
Financial Aid Office before it becomes effective.
All address changes should be made through your campus' Registrar's Office.
Students may also work in community service positions and receive payment through
the Federal Work-Study Program. Students who work in Community Service positions will
more than likely work at locations other than on a college campus. The rate of pay
is higher than Federal Work-Study jobs on campus. "Community Service" is defined as
services designed to improve the quality of life, especially for low-income residents,
to include:
health care, child care, literacy training, education, welfare, social services, transportation,
housing, safety, crime prevention and control, recreation, etc.
work in service opportunities or youth corps
support services for students with disabilities
"mentoring" (e.g., tutoring, counseling, supporting educational and recreational activities)
Please note that the Financial Aid Offices on the Palmetto College Campuses do not
research the integrity of each employer located off campus. Therefore, you are urged
to undertake this responsibility for yourself. Use caution and common sense when working
in any position with an organization to avoid putting yourself in a vulnerable situation.
Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.