Hiring Nonimmigrant Employees at Temple University
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at Temple University provides contact information for assistance with immigration matters, including questions on various visa statuses like J-1, H-1B, E-3, TN, and O-1. The ISSS advisors are not authorized to assist with job titles, taxes, obtaining temporary SS#s, onboarding procedures, TU sponsorship for permanent residence, or employment verification letters. The USCIS has announced fee increases for certain filing fees effective April 1, 2024, including an increase in the premium processing fee. Understanding the roles of relevant US government agencies like DHS, USCIS, DOL, CBP, ICE, and the State Department is crucial for navigating immigration processes.
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Life After AmeriCorps For additional questions on your MyAmeriCorps account and Ed Award, call the National Service Hotline at 1-800-942-2677
The Education Award! If you applied for loan forbearance, you will need to apply for the interest accrual payment via the MyAmeriCorps portal. This does not happen automatically. The member does not need to do anything to obtain the Education Award- this will happen automatically.
What can the Ed Award be used for? You may use it to pay toward: qualified student loans or current/future education expenses.
Whats a qualified student loan? According to legislation, a qualified loan is any loan made, insured, or guaranteed pursuant to Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), other than a loan made to a parent of a student pursuant to section 428B of the Act, and any loan made pursuant to Title VII or VIII of the Public Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292a et seq.); any loan determined by an institution of higher education to be necessary to cover a student's cost of attendance at such institution and made directly to a student by a State agency. For purposes of the Education Award, the term "state agency" includes state institutions of higher education. For example, any loan, including short-term loans, made directly to you by a state institution of higher education to cover all or part of the Cost of your Attendance is a qualified loan. You may repay such a loan with your Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. If you do not know if your loans are qualified, you should ask your loan holder. If your loan holder is unsure, have them contact the National Service Trust Office.
Examples of some Qualified Loans 1. Federal Student Loans: Subsidized And Unsubsidized Stafford Loans - Supplemental Loans To Students (SLS) - Federal Consolidated Loans - Guaranteed Student Loans (former name for Staffords) - Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL) - Direct Subsidized & Unsubsidized Stafford Loans - Direct Subsidized & Unsubsidized Ford Loans - Direct Consolidation Loans - National Defense Student Loans - National Direct Student Loans- Perkins Loans - Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL) - Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL) - Loans For Disadvantaged Students (LDS) - Nursing Student Loans (NSL) - Primary Care Loans (PCL). 2. Loans made directly to students by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. 3. Loans made directly to students by a state college or university.
Current Educational Expenses The Ed Award can be used toward current educational expenses at various types of schools - colleges, universities, trade schools, and overseas schools - that are designated as Title IV by the U.S. Department of Education. In other words, you can use it at schools that process U.S./federal financial aid. Veterans of the Armed Forces can also use it for education, apprenticeship, and on-job training at institutions that accept the G.I. Bill. NOTE: Since the award can be used only for current educational expenses, you cannot use it to cover past balances in your school account.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWDMWLRVN34
Things to Consider: What is a qualifying monthly payment? A qualifying monthly payment is a payment that you make after October 1, 2007; under a qualifying repayment plan; for the full amount due as shown on your bill; no later than 15 days after your due date; and while you are employed full-time by a qualifying employer.
You can make qualifying monthly payments only during periods when you are required to make a payment. Therefore, you cannot make a qualifying monthly payment while your loans are in: an in-school status, the grace period, a deferment, a forbearance, or default. Your 120 qualifying monthly payments do not need to be consecutive.
There are special rules that allow borrowers who are AmeriCorps or Peace Corps volunteers to use their Segal Education Award or Peace Corps transition payment to make a single lump sum payment that may count for up to 12 qualifying PSLF payments. For further information about Public Service Loan Forgiveness, please visit: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay- loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service
What else can I do with the Award? You can use the award for enrichment classes and take a course or two here and there through a community college, junior college, or university -- as long as it's Title IV. There are also a number of matching schools that provide an incentive for national service participants. For example, some schools offer a scholarship to service grads. http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/segal- americorps-education-award/matching-institutions A student might be able to use the award to purchase a computer and/or buy school gear as long as the items qualify as "cost of attendance" expenses at a Title IV school.
I wish I could use this for travel A number of schools overseas and in Mexico and Canada are listed as Title IV and accept the award. You can look up specific schools and regions through the Department of Education's Title IV resource. (On the second screen, when it asks you to choose a state in a drop down box, select "Foreign Country.") If your My AmeriCorps account won't allow you to send funds to the overseas school, you might consider taking out a Stafford or other federal student loan and then repaying the loan with your award.
If an overseas school is NOT listed as Title IV but you would still like to attend using your education award, you might be able to enroll in a school stateside and participate in an exchange program. That way, you are paying your tuition to a school inside the U.S. while attending a school overseas. To make this option work, it will take a bit of research on your part. Learn more about the types of schools where you can use your award.
Watch out for: When you are sending Education Award funds to a school, the National Service Trust by law must send it in two equal disbursements: The first is immediate and the second gets sent at the middle of the enrollment period. In other words, if you request $1,000 from your Education Award to be sent to your school, $500 will be sent when you request it. The school will receive the second $500 midway through the term or semester.
Watch out for: Why this is important to know: If money due to the school from your Education Award is due at the start of classes and doesn't arrive until later, you may rack up late payment charges. Work with your school to let them know that the funds are coming from an AmeriCorps Education Award account and are disbursed in this manner.
Watch out for: Another strategy: If you are planning to use $1,000 per semester for two semesters, you might want to request $2,000 from your award to be sent to the school. That way, $1,000 arrives in time for the first semester to begin, and the second $1,000 is deposited into your account prior to the beginning of the second semester.
TAXES!!! The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, unlike most other scholarships and fellowships, is subject to federal tax in the year you have funds sent from your National Service Trust account to a school or lender. If you use your award in 2024, you'll report it on the taxes you file by April 15, 2025.
TAXES When the National Service Trust pays interest off on your student loans, the amount paid is also considered taxable income. More on Interest accrual payments later.
How much tax will I owe for the Ed Award? Your tax liability will be unique to your specific set of circumstances. Former members often report paying $500 in additional taxes after spending a full award. Since people have different tax scenarios, this is not a set amount. Some pay more, others less. Sometimes, you will still receive a refund, but it is reduced by the amount of tax paid on the award.
How much tax will I owe for the Ed Award? You can calculate your education award tax with an online tax service (Many of them are free until you file, and others are always free). At any time of year, you can plug in your estimated tax numbers and note the amount of your refund or what you owe. Then add the amount of your award you're planning to withdraw. By doing this, you can see the difference the education award is making on your tax bill. HIDDEN TAX DANGER! Members who move on from service and start a job in the $30-40,000 a year range risk bumping themselves into a higher tax bracket when using their education award(s).
How will I know what to report on my taxes? If your education award and interest payments total more than $600 in a calendar year, in January of the following year, CNCS will send you an IRS Form 1099 to be used in preparing your income tax return. The total sum of interest payments and the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award payments for that calendar year will be listed together on the 1099 form. Your 1099 can also be downloaded through your my.AmeriCorps.gov account.
What if I used less than $600 (in Ed Award and Interest Accrual payments combined)? The IRS requires that if a business remits $600 or more to you during the tax year, it must issue you a Form 1099-MISC for that amount. You'll receive a copy of the 1099, and the IRS will receive a copy as well. If you receive less than $600, they don t have to give you a 1099, but you still have to report the income.
What tax benefits exist for money used for educational expenses? IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education explains tax benefits that may be available to taxpayers who are paying for their higher educational expenses or repaying student loans. AmeriCorps members who have used their education awards and have had interest payments made on their behalf, may be eligible for these deductions.
One Strategy to Help with Your Tax Burden The education award is taxable in the year that it is used. If you split your education award between 2 or more years, your tax liability will be split as well. Example: You use half of your award on December 31, 2024 and the other half on January 1, 2025. On your 2024 taxes (that you file in 2025), you will pay taxes on portion of the award that you used on 12/31/24. On your 2025 taxes (that you file in 2026), you will pay taxes on the portion of the award that you used on 1/1/25. You will still likely pay the same total amount of taxes, but you ll be spreading that amount over 2 years.
How Do I Make an Ed Award Payment? Click here to view the video. (this link takes you to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeXPB2Cd69U&feature=youtu.be )
Interest Accrual Payments After you have completed your service and received notification of your award, you can go into your account in My AmeriCorps. In your home page, click on the Create Interest Accrual link at the top of the page to bring up the page to request the payment. Follow the instructions. You will select the appropriate term of service and type of loan and identify the holder of your student loan. When you click on submit, a notice will be sent electronically to your loan company. A record of your request will appear in your account home page. This notice will verify your involvement in national service and request that the loan holder provide AmeriCorps with the amount of interest that accrued between your start date and end date of your service period. The loan company will provide additional information, then certify and submit the information electronically to AmeriCorps.
Interest Accrual Payments When the interest payment has been made, it will show up in your account. It should also show up in your account statement that the loan company provides to you. If your loan company has not registered in My AmeriCorps, they will not be on the list of institutions in the system. You should click on the institution Not Found link and follow the directions. These payment requests may need to be processed manually through paper forms and may take several weeks to complete.
How will I know if theyll pay all or a part of my interest? In most cases, following a full time service term, the Trust will pay 100 percent of the interest after successful completion of service. If you serve in a part-time position or receive a pro-rated education award, the total might be less than 100 percent. You can use this formula to determine how much the Trust will pay: (Number of Hours / number of days) x 21.47 If that number is less than 100, that is the percentage they will pay. If that number is 100 or more, they will pay 100% of the interest that accrued.
Here's an example for an AmeriCorps member who completed a 1,700 hour term in ten months (October- July): [1,700 hours / 304 days = 5.59] X 21.47 = 120 Since 120 is greater than 100, AmeriCorps will pay off 100 percent of the accumulated interest on this member's student loans.
Any reason I wouldnt want my interest accrual paid off? If you have the Corporation pay off your interest accrual, that amount becomes taxable income for you. In other words, you will have to pay taxes on the amount they pay. If YOU pay the interest and your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is less than $80,000 ($160,000 if filing a joint return) there is a special deduction allowed for paying interest on a student loan (also known as an education loan) used for higher education. For most taxpayers, MAGI is the adjusted gross income as figured on their federal income tax return before subtracting any deduction for student loan interest. This deduction can reduce the amount of your income subject to tax by up to $2,500. Only you and/or a tax professional can determine which strategy makes the most sense for your circumstances.
Anything else I should know about payments? If there is an error in processing your payment, you may not be notified by the Trust. You should visit your MyAmeriCorps page every few days to check if your payment has gone through. If it doesn t go through after a week or two, contact the Trust to figure out what went wrong.
What if I want to transfer my award? To transfer an award, an individual must: have earned the education award by successfully completing an approved term of national service in an AmeriCorps State or National Program; have been at least 55 years of age before beginning the term of service for which the award was earned; have begun this term of service on or after October 1, 2009; complete the required forms--either online or paper forms--to authorize the transfer, which includes providing information and certifying eligibility to make the transfer; and make the transfer before the award s seven-year expiration date. The legislation does not authorize the transfer of an award that was earned for completing an AmeriCorps VISTA or an AmeriCorps NCCC term of service.
To whom can the award be transferred? A recipient of a transferred award must: be the child, step-child, foster-child, grandchild, or step-grandchild of the individual who earned the award and is eligible to transfer the award; and be a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien. Additional rules for the recipient of a transferred award include: The recipient cannot have already earned or received the aggregate value of two full time education awards. For an explanation of the aggregate value of education awards received , go to this web page: Amount, Eligibility, and Limitations of Education Awards. A recipient of an award must be registered in the online system My AmeriCorps in order to complete the transfer process and access the award. The recipient must have an email address to register to use My AmeriCorps. The recipient can accept the full amount that is transferred, a portion of that amount, or decline the transfer.
AmeriCorps exclusions for the FAFSA Many schools will require you to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (commonly known as FAFSA) if you use your education award, even if you do not intend to apply for financial aid. The FAFSA can be completed online. If you are required to complete this form, complete it early and correctly. A section of the form asks about your income reported to the IRS from the previous year. If you used your education award in the previous year, had interest payments made by AmeriCorps, or received a living allowance, be sure to include those amounts on the line where it asks for AmeriCorps benefits (awards, living allowances and interest payments). This can give you a lower adjusted gross income and help you receive a better financial aid package.
Log into MyAmeriCorps here: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/login.do FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON YOUR MYAMERICORPS ACCOUNT AND ED AWARD, CALL THE NATIONAL SERVICE HOTLINE AT 1-800-942-2677
