Work-Study: Employers

Meeting Requirements

• Must be a non-profit entity.
• The job cannot displace a regular employee, involve sectarian instruction or religious worship, partisan or non-partisan political activity.
• Work-study is a federal financial aid award given to students upon request, as long as s/he shows financial aid need. Work-study pays for 75 percent and the employer pays the remaining 25 percent of the student's earnings and 100 percent of the student's benefits.
• Federal (including NIH) based funds cannot be used to pay for the non-federal (employer's) share unless the terms of the federal fund specifically permits the funds to be used for cost sharing/matching.
• The number of hours a student can work while enrolled is generally capped at 40 hours per pay period (every 2 weeks). This is set to ensure that work hours do not interfere with academics.
• The workweek starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday. A student cannot work more than eight hours/day or on holidays.
• Must keep track of the student's time records and earnings to prevent the student from working more than their maximum allowable gross earnings.
• Exempt employees, such as Graduate Student Resercher (GSR) positions, cannot be held simultaneously with Federal Work study non-exempt position.

Hiring Procedure

• Hiring Process for On-Campus Employers

  Before the interview process, please make sure student is eligible for federal work-study funds:

  1. Make sure the student has been awarded Federal Work Study during the period of time you would like to have the student work.
  2. Complete the On-Campus Federal Work-Study Agreement and Job Description forms. Chartstring or Chart of Account must include the following fields:
     • Fund | Dept ID | Project | Function* | Sub - *Function code 62 cannot be used for on-campus position. 
  3. Have the student complete the employment paperwork. Financial Services Office has worked with HR and has been able to obtain an HR waiver of fees for all students hired through the work study program. Do not go through the normal UCSF hiring procedures with your department's HR representative. The student should complete the employment paperwork with your department to avoid being charged for the HR service fee. The completed employment paperwork should be forwarded to the Student Financial Services Office for payroll input. Contact Elliot Yau to have the employment forms sent to your department.
  4. Financial Services Office must review the work-study forms and set up a record for the student you are hiring prior to the employment start date. Please allow one-two weeks prior to a student's start date for processing. We will confirm the student's employment start date once the paperwork is reviewed.
  5. Once the student begins working, biweekly time records are due according to the Time Record Deadline Schedule.  Please contact Elliot Yau for payroll related questions as it pertains to student work-study employees.
• Hiring Process for Off-Campus Employers

  Set-Up as an Off-Campus Employer

  The following is a list of the primary forms needed before a UCSF student can begin working with you:

  1. A current Work Study Contract between UCSF and your organization
  2. Proof of your non-profit status
  3. Certificate of Insurance

  It can take two-four weeks to obtain the appropriate signatures and forms, so please factor this into your expected "start" date for employment.

  Hiring of Students

  Once you are set up as an Off-Campus Employer, complete the following steps to hire each student employee.

  1. Complete the Off-Campus Federal Work-Study Agreement and Job Description forms. This will include verifying the student's work study funding award either with the student OR the Student Financial Services Office (SFAO). Submit originals of both forms to SFAO.
  2. The student must complete UCSF employment papers with the financial services office. Although the student is working at an off campus site, his/her paycheck comes from UCSF. (The agency is billed for its share of their salary and payroll assessments.) The student must complete UCSF employment forms before they begin working. Have the student contact SFAO about completing the employment forms.
  3. If the student has already worked for your agency before as a work study student, they may already have employment papers on file. In this case, have the student contact SFAO to verify their UCSF employment records are up-to-date.
  4. Once all the paperwork is received, SFAO will confirm the student's employment start date when the paperwork is reviewed. Please allow one-two weeks prior to a student's start date for processing.
  5. Once the student begins working, biweekly time records are due according to the Time Record Deadline Schedule. Faxed or scanned copies of time records are acceptable on the deadline. Each biweekly pay period, submit the following:

  • Time Record
  • Certification of Hours Worked Form

  Work-Study Off-Campus Employment Policy

  Work performed off-campus must be in the public interest. Work in the public interest is defined as work performed for the welfare of the nation or community, rather than work performed for a particular interest or group. Work is not “in the public interest” if:

  • it primarily benefits the members of an organization that has membership limits, such as a credit union, a fraternal or religious order, or a cooperative
  • it involves any partisan or nonpartisan political activity or is associated with a faction in an election for public or party office
  • it is for an elected official unless the official is responsible for the regular administration of federal, state, or local government
  • it is work as a political aide for any elected official
  • it takes into account a student’s political support or party affiliation in hiring him or her
  • it involves lobbying on the federal, state, or local level

Still Have Questions?

Contact our work-study coordinator, Elliot Yau or call (415) 476-4181