MONITOR STUDENT EARNINGS LIMIT FOR FEDERAL WORK-STUDY EMPLOYEES

Based on federal legislation, any student receiving federal campus based aid and paid through the UND payroll system or a community employer must consider wages earned as part of his/her total aid package, along with any loans, grants, scholarships, etc. Once a student has reached the earnings limit stated on his/her certification card, (s)he is not eligible for further employment without receiving prior approval from the Student Financial Aid Office. For example, when students reach their earnings limit under the Federal Work-Study Program, they cannot automatically be transferred to Institutional Employment.

It is the responsibility of the employer to monitor the student's earnings. The Student Financial Aid Office helps in monitoring earnings under the Federal Work-Study Program. When the student is within $300 of his/her earnings limit, a memo is sent warning that hours must be monitored closely so the earnings limit is not exceeded. After each payday, departments will receive a Student Employment Report. This report is a mechanism by which the departments will verify current gross student earnings made within the department, and also monitor the student's total earnings so that the limit is not exceeded.

1. Check the "Name" column to verify that all names of student employees are correct and that no student employee paid by the department is missing from the report.

2. These figures should reflect the student earnings from the department report.

3. Check to see if there have been any changes in the "Student FWS Earnings Limit."

4. Compare the "Student Earnings To Date" to the records kept by the department. If a Students Earnings To Date is higher, the student maybe employed by another department. Coordinate work schedules so the student does not exceed his/her earnings limit. If the student has already exceeded the earnings limit and must stop working immediately. Refer this student to the Student Financial Aid Office.

*** Please note the earnings listed on this report are based on payroll records which are two weeks behind actual hours worked.

It is the responsibility of both the supervisor and the student to maintain adequate payroll records to ensure the gross student earnings do not exceed the predetermined earnings limit.

Individual departments are encouraged to set up a system for monitoring their students' work hours. This information would be more current than that which is provided on the Student Employment Report. The Student Financial Aid Office will furnish copies upon request of an "Earnings Control Sheet" to help you with this monitoring.

The following formula is designed to help you determine the number of hours a student may work for the department based upon the earnings limit and hourly wage.

Scheduling Formula

Earnings Limit divided by Pay Rate equals Number of Work Hours per Period of Eligibility.

Number of Work Hours divided by Number of Weeks equals Number of Work Hours per Week.

Examples:

1. Student has an earnings limit of $2200 for the Academic Year.

$2200 divided by $5.50 = 400 hours

400 hours divided by 32 weeks = 12.5 hours/week

2. Student has an earnings limit of $1100 for Spring Semester.

$1100 divided by $5.50 = 200 hours

200 hours divided by 16 weeks = 12.5 hours/week

Earning more than the predetermined earnings limit is in violation of federal regulations; to do so may jeopardize the status of other federal aid the student is receiving.