This information provides guidance to University of Illinois System units for making payments to students. The payment types below include detailed information and may consist of an introduction, reporting and regulatory requirements, processing instructions, and information for students.
For the corresponding University of Illinois System policies pertaining to these payment types, see Policies and Procedures Manual, 8.10 Process Educational Payments to Students.
University of Illinois System students may receive payment from the system for assistantships, awards, fellowships, grants, research support, scholarships, traineeships, travel, etc. The type, purpose, and primary beneficiary (student or University of Illinois System) of a payment determines how it is processed and whether it must be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and/or the student’s university Financial Aid Office.
If you are not sure which Payment Type should be used, please use the Payments to Students Selector Tool.
Select the Payment Type and to expand the information and learn more.
Assistantships or payments for teaching are considered compensation for services, and are paid by University Payroll and Benefits - refer to Payroll Transaction Processing for job aids and training materials.
For Nonresident Aliens, Assistantships are reported on either IRS Form 1042-S or Form W-2.
Some units have funds used to pay students for participating in recruitment, public service, STEM promotion, or other activities that involve participant support costs. Though not related to employment services, these payments are taxable income to the recipient. The Banner account code used to pay participant costs is generally 149110. Policy reference: 8.6.12 Participant Support Costs.
Participant Support Costs paid to U.S. citizen and resident alien students are reported by University Payables (UPAY) to the IRS and the recipient on Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income. Participant Support Costs paid to non-resident aliens are reported by University Payroll and Benefits (UPB) to the IRS on Form 1042-S, Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding.
A Social Security Number (SSN) is required for IRS Form 1099-MISC reporting. Therefore, payment of Participant Support Costs will be suspended if no valid SSN record exists in Banner. Before submitting payment requests, units are strongly encouraged to check Banner form SPAIDEN for asterisks in the SSN field and to instruct recipients whose SSN field is blank to present documentation of their SSN to their Registrar’s Office.
U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Resident Aliens for tax purposes (Resident Aliens):
Payments designated as Participation Support Costs are processed via Emburse Enterprise using the Participant Cost account code, including a comprehensive description with supporting documentation. When paying participant travel, use Participant Cost Other account code or non-employee travel, as directed by the funding source.
Nonresident Aliens – Please refer to Non-Wage Payments for processing information, job aids and training materials.
When making payments from gift funds (4M or 2G fund type) or university endowment income funds (4J fund type), units must be aware that the language used in donor fund agreements has varied over time. This can make interpretation of the language and restrictions as they apply to student payments difficult.
The University of Illinois Foundation (UIF) has final authority in determining how UIF governing documents are interpreted. University Counsel has final authority in determining how estate gifts to the University of Illinois System are interpreted based on governing documents, such as donor will or trust.
Once UIF or University Counsel has determined the true intent of the governing document(s), UIF’s or University Counsel’s interpretation must be enforced based on the definitions provided within each payment type listed on this webpage, not necessarily as worded in the governing document(s). For example, an older governing document may use the term “award”, whereas the true intent as determined by the UIF or University Counsel is a scholarship. Payments from this fund must therefore be processed as scholarships, not as awards.
Since non-matriculated students are not yet enrolled in a degree program, the University of Illinois System has no U.S. Department of Education (ED) Title IV financial aid and no IRS Form 1098-T reporting requirements for these payments to non-matriculated students. Therefore, these payments are either:
Recipients of student prizes or awards are typically selected through a contest, drawing, or competition. Students may also be selected in recognition of charitable, scientific, educational, artistic, literary, or civic achievements.
Restrictions are typically not imposed on how a student can use prizes or awards. Thus, student prizes and awards are not restricted to educational purposes.
If the funding source of the student prize or award is a gift or endowment income fund, then the donor may set the criteria for recipient selection but may not select the actual recipient(s).
It is important to distinguish student prizes and awards from other types of payments to ensure proper financial statement reporting and compliance with the applicable Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reporting and withholding rules. Common examples of payments that are not student prizes and awards include:
Prizes and awards are reported to the IRS and the recipient on Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, by University Payables (UPAY). A SSN is required for IRS Form 1099-MISC reporting. Therefore, payment of prizes and awards will be suspended if no valid SSN record exists in Banner. Before submitting prize and award requests, units are strongly encouraged to check Banner form SPAIDEN for asterisks in the SSN field and to instruct recipients whose SSN field is blank to present documentation of their SSN to their Registrar’s Office.
Note: the IRS imposes different tax requirements for Nonresident Alien recipients of prizes and awards; for details please visit Non-Wage Payments (login required)
Prizes and awards are reported to the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) and considered a resource when determining the student's financial aid eligibility. Therefore, these payments may have an impact on the type and amount of financial aid the student is eligible to receive.
OSFA will make the necessary adjustments to the student’s financial aid upon notification of the payments. These adjustments may create or increase a balance due on the student’s university account. Students are encouraged to view their Financial Aid Award letter and their billing statement periodically throughout the semester.
The University of Illinois System's reporting responsibility with respect to Federal Student Aid (FSA) and any other financial assistance received by students is outlined in the FSA Administrative & Related Requirements (Chapter 3), specifically pages 2-33, "Coordinating Official".
U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Resident Aliens for tax purposes (Resident Aliens)
Prizes and awards paid to U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Resident Alien students are disbursed to the student's university account and will be applied to any outstanding charges on the student’s account unless the student or unit emails aroperations@uillinois.edu to request the prize or award be refunded to the student.
Please refer to Non-Wage Payments (login required) for job aids and training materials.
To ensure compliance with fund accounting and financial reporting requirements and any other applicable guidelines (such as donor intent), student prizes and awards should typically be recorded to Banner using:
In addition, if the student prize or award is recorded to a Banner gift or endowment income fund, then it must comply with the donor’s intent.
For gift cards or gift certificates presented to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and resident aliens equal to or greater than $200, the notification must be emailed to University Payables and the recipient’s campus Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA).
For gift cards or gift certificates presented to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and resident aliens less than $200, the notification must be emailed to the recipient’s campus Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA).
For security purposes, this information is sent using the Protected Email Attachment Application (PEAR) system. The PEAR email must include the dollar value, along with the student's name, UIN, address, and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). If unfamiliar with PEAR, consult the AITS PEAR Resource Page. Send the email to UPAY as well as the appropriate Financial Aid email listed below:
For additional information, see Tax Implications for Payments.
Gift cards or gift certificates presented to nonresident alien students are taxable, regardless of the amount. Therefore, whenever possible, process gifts to nonresident aliens as a prize or award using the Foreign National Payment e-Form, not as a gift card. If a gift card must be presented, report the gift amount on the Foreign National Payment e-Form together with the required documents for tax reporting purposes, especially the W-8BEN. Please refer to Non-Wage Payments (login required) for additional information.
When offering a prize or award to a student, units are strongly encouraged to provide the following information to the recipient:
Please see sample email template to send students who are U.S. Citizens or Resident Aliens for tax purposes, when offering them a prize or award.
Please see sample email template to send students who are nonesident aliens for tax purposes, when offering them a prize or award.
Many units have funds that may be used to pay student research and travel expenses. Before paying a student’s research and travel expenses, the unit must determine and document whether and why the student or the University of Illinois System is primary beneficiary of the payment.
When the U of I System and the student seem to derive equal benefit, units are strongly encouraged to designate the student as primary beneficiary.
Fellowships, scholarships, or grants paid directly to students for research experience programs are processed as fellowships as the student is the primary beneficiary. See Scholarships, Fellowships and Educational Assistance Grants for information on how to process. Example programs include:
Payments made on behalf of students for travel, research, and related expenses who participate in these programs are processed through Emburse Enterprise as the U of I System is primary beneficiary of travel and research related payments.
For fellowship payments to research experience/opportunity participants who are enrolled in the U of I System during the semester in which payment is made, the program code should roll up to NACUBO function 1788 (“Fellowships”).
For fellowship payments to research experience/opportunity participants who are not enrolled in the U of I System during the semester in which payment is made, the program code should roll up to either NACUBO function 1100 (“Research”) when participants are engaged in official U of I System research activity, or to NACUBO function 1000 (“Instruction”) when participants are engaged in simulated research activity.
UIUC – When paying UIUC students directly for participating in programs such as Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP), Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF), Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute (SPI), Research Experience and Mentoring (REM), Undergraduate Research and Mentoring, etc.):
When paying U.S. Citizen and Resident Alien students for research and travel expenses that primarily benefit the student, these payments must be paid as a scholarship, fellowship or grant (see Scholarships, Fellowships and Educational Assistance Grants). The only exceptions to this rule are:
Payments for these exceptions are submitted through Emburse Enterprise, iBuy, or University Payroll and Benefits (UPB) for student worker wages.
When paying U.S. Citizen and Resident Alien students for research and travel expenses that primarily benefit the student, units must be aware of the following requirements:
When paying Nonresident Alien students for research and travel expenses that primarily benefit the student, please refer to Non-Wage Payments (login required) for job aids and training materials.
When paying students for research and travel expenses that primarily benefit the U of I System, payments must be processed via Emburse Enterprise including a clear and comprehensive description with supporting documentation of the U of I System business purpose and benefit. Research and travel payments that primarily benefit the U of I System are not reportable to the IRS as taxable income. All U of I System policies and procedures apply to these payments, including the requirement that payment or reimbursement requests be entered in Emburse Enterprise within 60 days of the date the expenditure was incurred, to avoid being reported to the IRS as taxable income. The unit is responsible for documenting why the U of I System is primary beneficiary, and retaining this documentation for audit purposes.
As defined in IRS Publication 970 Tax Benefits for Education, scholarships, fellowships, educational assistance, and research grants are amounts paid to, or for the benefit of a student (whether an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student) at an educational institution to aid in the pursuit of their studies or related research. These payments typically support educational needs, such as tuition, fees, room, board, supplies, and travel where the primary purpose of the payment is to benefit the student’s education, academic development, or research. No past, present or future services that further the University of Illinois System’s mission are expected from the student in return for these payments, nor are students expected to repay the System for these scholarships, fellowships, educational assistance, and research grants.
Scholarships, fellowships and educational assistance grants designated for qualified expenses (i.e., tuition and mandatory fees, books, or supplies) are not taxable income to the recipient. However, scholarship, fellowship and grant payments for unqualified expenses (e.g., room, board, travel, research, non-mandatory fees, books or supplies) are taxable income to the recipient. It is the student’s responsibility to determine and report to the IRS taxable scholarships, fellowships and/or grants received.
Scholarship and grant recipients may be undergraduate, graduate or professional program students; fellowships are typically paid to graduate students, though there are exceptions (e.g., see Research Experience/Opportunity funds in the Research and Travel Payments section). If the scholarship, fellowship or educational assistance grant is funded by a gift, the donor may set the criteria for recipient selection but may not select the actual recipient(s).
All scholarships, fellowships and grants paid to U.S. Citizen and Resident Alien students are reported to the IRS and the recipient on Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement, by University Bursar. A Social Security Number (SSN) is required for IRS Form 1098-T reporting. See IRS Publication 970 Tax Benefits For Education for additional information regarding taxability of these payments.
Scholarships, fellowships and grants paid to Nonresident Alien students are not reported on Form 1098-T unless the student requests University Bursar to do so. However, with the exception of qualified scholarships, qualified fellowships, and W-2 reportable wages, all payments to Nonresident Alien students are reported to the IRS and the recipient on Form 1042-S, Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding, by University Payroll and Benefits (UPB). Withholding may be required on these payments. For additional information, see Payments to Foreign Nationals.
All scholarships, fellowships and grants are reported to the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) and considered a resource when determining the student's financial aid eligibility. Therefore, these payments may have an impact on the type and amount of financial aid the student is eligible to receive.
OSFA will make the necessary adjustments to the student’s financial aid upon notification of the payments. These adjustments may create or increase a balance due on the student’s university account. Students are encouraged to view their Financial Aid Award letter and their billing statement periodically throughout the semester.
The university’s reporting responsibility with respect to Federal Student Aid (FSA) and any other financial assistance received by students is outlined in the FSA Administrative & Related Requirements (Chapter 3), specifically page 2-33, "Coordinating Official".
Please refer to Non-Wage Payments (login required) for job aids and training materials.
When offering a scholarship, fellowship or grant to a student, units are strongly encouraged to provide the following information to the recipient:
Please see sample email template to send to students who are U.S. Citizens or Resident Aliens for tax purposes, when offering them a scholarship, fellowship or grant.
Please see sample email template to send to students who are nonresident aliens for tax purposes, when offering them a scholarship, fellowship or grant.
Purchasing tangible items for students (e.g., laptops, computers, iPads, tablets, research equipment, etc.) with value of $200 or more is not allowed due to the complex tax, property accounting, and financial aid implications that may occur. Units that wish to use available resources to provide funding for the student to purchase tangible items over $200 must do so in the form of a Prize and Award or Scholarship paid directly to the student account. Refer to the corresponding section on this page for instructions on how to process these payments.
Purchasing tangible items for students (e.g., laptops, computers, iPads, tablets, research equipment, etc.) with a value of less than $200 is allowable up to unit discretion. To ensure proper classification for financial and tax reporting purposes, these types of purchases need to be classified as either a Prize and Award (181700 expense account code, 1789 NACUBO function) or a Scholarship (181100 expense account code, 1787 NACUBO function).
All tuition and fee waivers paid to students who are not University of Illinois employees are processed through the Financial Aid Office. For payment of tuition and fee waivers to University of Illinois employees, see Tuition and Fees: Waivers, Departmental Payments, and Reimbursements.
For information about the taxability of tuition and fees waivers, please go to Tuition and Fee Waivers.
Please refer to Non-Wage Payments (login required) for job aids and training materials.
For general questions about payments to students, please email uipaymentcompliance@uillinois.edu.
For questions about a particular type of payment, please consult the Who to Ask page.