The maximum amount of a full-time education award is equivalent to the maximum amount of the Pell Grant for the year for which the national service position was approved.  To determine the amount of each AmeriCorps education award, AmeriCorps will use the amount of the Pell Grant as of the first day of the Federal fiscal year (i.e., October 1st) in the fiscal year in which that national service position is approved.  "Approval" of national service positions is managed differently for VISTA and NCCC members than for AmeriCorps State and National members.

If you're currently a member, the easiest way to confirm the award amount for which you are eligible is to contact your program or project sponsor.  If you have alrady received an award, the amount will be in your online account in My AmeriCorps.

The dollar amount of an award that you receive can never change. But, since, by law, the amount of a full-time education award corresponds to the amount of a Pell grant for that fiscal year and the amount of the Pell grant may change, the amount of the education award may also change. However, the dollar amounts of awards that have been earned do not change.

You can ask your program or project sponsor for the amount of the education award for the position in which you are serving.

The “value” of an education award is distinct from the “amount” of an award.  The value of an education award refers to the service opportunity offered by a particular term of service, such as full-time, half-time, and summer terms of service. While the dollar amount of an education award for a particular term of service may change, the value of the award for that term is constant.  The value of a full-time award is always “1.0”; the value of a half-time term is always “.5”.

The value of every education award received is calculated by taking the actual amount of the education award received for the service and dividing it by the amount of a full-time award in the fiscal year in which the national service position was approved.

The value of an education award received = 

the amount of the award received ÷ the amount of a full-time award in the fiscal year in which

the national service position was approved

* * * * *

FOR EXAMPLE: An individual completed a half-time term of service in 2016 and received an education award of $2,887.50.  The amount of a full-time award in 2016 was $5,775.00.  The value of this award is determined by the amount received divided by the amount of a full time award in the fiscal year.  The value of the award in this example is: $5,775 ÷ $2,887.50, which equals .5 (or ½ using fractions).

* * * * *

Yes.  An individual may not receive more than the aggregate (or total) value of two (2.0) full time education awards. 

Yes.  The national service laws, as amended by the Serve America Act, do not differentiate between awards received prior to the effective date and those received after the Act’s effective date.  All awards, including those earned in the past, will have values attributed to them for the purpose of tracking the aggregate value of awards a person has received.  Thus, if an individual has received the value of two full-time education awards in the past, that person is not eligible to receive another award.

Yes.  An individual cannot receive more than the aggregate value of two full-time education awards regardless of in which of the three AmeriCorps programs the awards are earned.

Yes. A person who has received the value of two full-time education awards in VISTA, as well as in other AmeriCorps programs, may serve subsequent terms in VISTA up to the 5 one-year term limit for VISTA service.  For that service, the individual can receive cash stipends upon successful completion of each additional term. 

An individual can receive no more than the aggregate value of 2.0 full time education awards. A member may be eligible to receive a portion of an award amount for serving an additional term if receiving the full amount  would cause the person to exceed the value of 2.0. The following conditions apply:

• The award's dollar amount will be reduced (discounted), if necessary, to correspond to the remaining value of education awards the individual is eligible to receive.

• The member must agree to serve the entire term of service in order to receive the entire discounted amount. 

• If a member is only eligible to receive a discounted amount, that dollar amount is determined using this formula: 

          2.0 - [minus] the aggregate value of education awards the person previously received 

x [times]

the dollar amount of a full-time education award in the year the national service position was approved

* * * * *

AN EXAMPLE:  A member has received one half-time and one full-time education award.  The aggregate value of the two awards the person has received is 1.5. The member is eligible to receive up to the value of another .5 award upon successful completion of an entire term of service.

The maximum discounted dollar amount of the new education award this member can receive is calculated this way:  .5 multiplied by the dollar amount of a full-time award approved for that new term of service. 

In order to receive the entire discounted amount, the member must successfully complete the entire required term of service.

For a member who is eligible only for a discounted award and leaves service early, the same rules apply as they do for other pro-rated education award amounts.  The member:

• must have served at least 15% of the required term and
• must have left early for compelling personal reasons.

The pro-rated amount will be based upon the discounted award amount.

FOR EXAMPLE: a member enrolls in a term of service offering an award amount of $5645.00. But the member is only eligible to receive a discounted award amount of $2000.00 based on the value of the education awards the member has already received.  The member agrees to serving the entire term in order to receive the discounted amount.  If the member exits the term for compelling personal circumstances after having served 50% of the normal required term, the member will receive 50% of the $2,000.00, which is $1,000.00.

No.  A member may not receive both an education award and a post-service stipend for the same term of service.

That member may be eligible to enroll in additional terms.  Members who have met the “aggregate value of 2.0 education awards” and are ineligible to earn additional education awards may still be eligible to serve additional terms, as long as the member does not exceed the term limit for that type of AmeriCorps program.

That member can enroll in a term of service for an education award with a zero dollar value.  A zero value education award is an education award that has a monetery dollar amount of $0 and a corresponding value of 0.

Yes.  Members who served in approved national service positions for “zero-value” education awards are eligible for forbearance of their student loans and the payment of all or a portion of the interest that accrued on qualified student loans while the member was serving.  The same conditions and restrictions apply to zero-value education awards as apply to education awards that have monetary value.

The education award can be used in one, or a combination of, the following ways:

• To repay qualified student loans.

• To pay all or part of the current education expenses to attend eligible institutions of higher education (including certain vocational schools) and educational programs approved under the G.I. Bills.

Eligible institutions are institutions of higher education (including graduate and professional programs), as well as eligible vocational schools that currently participate in the Department of Education‘s Title IV student aid programs.

An institution is considered to be a “Title IV school”, if it has a Title IV Program Participation Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education making its students eligible for at least one of the federally-backed types of financial assistance (such as Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, National Direct Loans, and Federal Consolidated Loans).

Legislation enacted in 2009 expanded the use of the award to include enrolling in courses, programs of education, apprenticeships, and on job training programs that have been approved under the Montgomery and the Post 9/11 G.I. Bills. These are referred to as “G.I. Bill approved programs.” 

• If a G.I. Bill approved educational program is offered by a Title IV school, any individual with an education award can use the award for that program because the school meets the Title IV requirement.


• If a G.I. approved program is not offered by a Title IV educational institution, special rules apply. The next question explains which members can use their awards at these programs. 

To make sure that an institution is eligible, check with the financial aid office, business office, or veteran’s affairs office of the institution before making specific plans.

Veterans may use their education awards at programs of education, courses, apprenticeships, and on-job training programs that have been approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  Education awards can be used by non-veterans only during a narrow window which depends on when the member’s eligibility for an award was certified (approved) by authorized program staff.

Here are the special rules for using an award for programs of education, courses, apprenticeships, and on-job training that are approved under the G.I. Bill, where the institution offering the program is not a Title IV school.  These are referred to as GI-Only programs: 

• An education award certified on December 23, 2011, and later, can be used for GI-Only programs only if the member is a veteran.

• An education award certified between October 1, 2009, and December 22, 2011, can be used by both veterans and non-veterans for GI-Only programs.

• No education award that was certified prior to October 1, 2009, can be used for a GI-Only program, even if the member is a veteran.

Most postsecondary loans backed by the federal government are considered by law to be qualified for repayment with a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. This includes both subsidized and unsubsidized loans.  Also, loans that are made by state agencies, including state colleges and universities are considered qualified.

Qualified loans include:

- Stafford Loans  -  Primary Care Loans  -  William D. Ford Direct Loans 
- Perkins Loans  -  Federal Consolidated Loans  -  Nursing Student Loans
- Supplemental Loans for Students  -  Health Education Assistance Loans
- Loans issued to AmeriCorps members by state agencies, including state institutions of higher education

Educational expenses are considered “current” if they were incurred on or after the date the member began his or her term of AmeriCorps service.

Eligible educational expenses are based on:

• For a degree or certificate-granting program at a Title IV school: Each Title IV school’s Financial Aid Office can determine eligible expenses based on a student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) using standard U.S. Department of Education guidance. The COA may include tuition, books and supplies, transportation, room and board, and other expenses.
• For non-degree courses offered by Title IV schools (such as continuing and adult education courses): The appropriate administrative office that oversees the course—for example, a college's Business Office for Continuing Education—can determine eligible expenses.  These expenses are based on tuition and fees normally assessed a student for a course or program of study by the institution and can include costs for rental or purchase of any books or supplies required of all students in the same course of study.  See a more detailed discussion of special courses offered by Title IV schools on the web page Use Your Education Award under the section Pay Eductional Expenses.
• For G.I. Bill approved courses or programs:  The institution's approved Certifying Official for VA courses can determine eligible expenses based upon criteria developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

An AmeriCorps member may use the education award for up to seven years after his or her service completion date.

A Summer of Service member or a recipient of a transferred award can use the award for up to ten years from the original award earner’s service completion date.

In certain circumstances, the use period may be extended if the member was unavoidably prevented from using the award.  To be considered for an extension, a member must apply for an extension before the end of the use period.  See the section in these FAQs on Extensions for more information.

Members may be eligible for a temporary suspension of loan payments of their qualified student loans if they are enrolled into an approved term of national service. This temporary suspension is called “forbearance”. During a period of forbearance, the member will not have to make payments, although interest continues to accumulate on the loans.

If the loan was in forbearance, during the successfully completed term, AmeriCorps will pay all or a portion of the interest that accrued on the qualified student loan during the term of service. This payment amount is in addition to the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that you earned. 

Contact your loan holder to see if your student loan qualifies for forbearance.  If you are eligible for forbearance, it is approved by the holder of the loan, not by AmeriCorps or the National Service Trust. The Trust can only verify your service.

No. Federal law specifically addresses refunds made from education award payments for dropping a course, withdrawing from school, or failing to complete an enrollment for which the education award was used. When a school certifies a student’s eligibility for a payment, it agrees that any refund will be returned to AmeriCorps “consistent with the fair and equitable refund policies” required by the Higher Education Act.

Refunds for overpayments do not go to members. If the award has not expired, the refund will go back into the member’s account and will be available for future use.  If it has expired, it will be returned to the National Service Trust Fund.

By law, education award payments for current educational expenses must be made “in 2 or more installments”, none of which exceeds 50% of the amount of the payment.  The interval between installments may not be less than one half of the period of enrollment, except as necessary to permit the second installment to be paid at the beginning of the semester, quarter, or similar period of enrollment.

AmeriCorps makes two installments, one at the beginning of the enrollment period upon which the amount is based and the second at the middle of the enrollment period.  When the school approves the payment request, it indicates both the beginning date of the enrollment period and the midpoint date.  If the midpoint date has already passed when the Trust receives the approved payment request, the entire amount requested/approved is paid.

Payments are generally sent out by the U.S. Treasury every Friday. Exceptions are around holidays and the end of the year.

You should check the status of your request in My AmeriCorps.  Please refer to the following chart which explains specific comments in My AmeriCorps regarding the status of your request and refers you to the proper contacts.

Who to contact when you see this Status for a payment request in My AmeriCorps:                               

If the school or loan company denied the request, they are required to enter their reason. If the school or loan company has not yet acted upon the request, you should call them to inquire about the delay.

If a payment request has been made in My AmeriCorps and no action has been taken after 90 days and there is no indication that the delay is being worked upon by the Trust or the institution, the payment will be closed. The status of any payment requests in your account that are closed by the Trust will indicate the status “Closed by Trust’ and the reason for the cancellation.

You can contact the National Service Hotline at 1-800-942-2677. The Hotline is staffed by customer service representatives from 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Thursday. During high volume months---January, May, June, July, August, and September--the Hotline will be staffed on Fridays.

In order to transfer an award, the person who earned the award must:

• have been at least 55 years of age on the day the member commenced the term of service upon which the award is based;
• have begun the term on or after October 1, 2009;
• transfer the award before its expiration date;
• have earned the award in an approved AmeriCorps State or National Program; and
• ensure that AmeriCorps receives the transfer request prior to the date the award expires.

To learn more details about the rules and regulations governing Transferred Award, see the Transfer Your Award web page.

The recipient of a transferred award must:

• be the child (which includes step-child), grandchild (which includes step-grandchild), or foster child of the transferring member;

• be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the US;

• have been designated as the recipient; and

• complete the required process for accepting the transferred award.

No.  The legislation authorizing award transfers, limits transfers to approved AmeriCorps State and National or Silver Scholar positions.  AmeriCorps alumni with awards from NCCC and VISTA service are not able to transfer their awards.

No. A member who is eligible to transfer an award can only make a single transfer for that particular award.  The transferring individual can transfer all or a portion of the award one time to one designated recipient. But, for each award, there can be only one transfer to one individual.

If an eligible recipient rejects an offer of a transferred award in full, the transferring member may transfer the award to another eligible recipient (or to the same recipient who had rejected the offer earlier), if the award has not yet expired.  Once an actual transfer takes place, no additional transfers can be made from that award. 

No.  For each eligible award, there can be only one transfer to one eligible individual.  If you have more than one eligible award, for each award you may transfer all or part of it one time to one eligible recipient.

October 1, 2009 was the effective date of the provision in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that allowed awards to be transferred.  Prior to that time, transfers were not authorized.

No. An individual who is unable to use an education award as a result of being too young will not be considered to be “unavoidably prevented” from using the award.

While there is no minimum age for a designated recipient, a member wishing to transfer an award should transfer it to a recipient who can make use of it before it expires.

Eligible members are able to transfer their education awards using My AmeriCorps.  From a member’s Home Page, click on the “Create Transfer Request” option and follow the instructions.

No.  A transfer cannot be made using the payment process. Individuals who have earned education awards cannot make payments from their awards for anyone’s educational expenses or student loans other than their own.

The only way a member can have any portion of their education award transferred to another person is through the official award transfer process. The transfer must meet all of the conditions that apply to transfers.

A transfer begins with an offer being made by an eligible transferring individual to an eligible recipient using the Request for Transfer process.  The recipient must accept the offer for the transfer to be complete.  Once the transfer is complete, the recipient is able to use the transferred funds to make payments to qualified and eligible institutions.

Yes.  The education award is considered taxable income in the year it is used.  For example, if, in 2019 a person uses all or part of an education award for college, for qualified student loans, or both purposes, all payments made from the education award in 2019 should be included as taxable income for that year. AmeriCorps does not withhold taxes from the award.

By the end of January each year, AmeriCorps sends a 1099 MISC Form to all AmeriCorps members for whom payments have been made totaling $600.00 or more during the previous year. These include both payments from education awards and payments of interest that accrued while the person was serving.  The 1099 MISC Form reflects the total amount that AmeriCorps reports as taxable miscellaneous income to the IRS.

W-2s are used to report to the IRS that portion of the living allowance or stipend that is taxable.  Their purpose is not for reporting education award payment or reporting interest payments. 

The IRS Form 1099 MISC is used to report to the IRS the amounts of the education award and interest payments totaling $600 or more that were made during the tax year.

AmeriCorps cannot guarantee the prompt processing of payments when paper forms are used.  Payments requested by paper could take up to six months or more to process and they are less secure.

In order to minimize a delay in the processing of Segal AmeriCorps Education Award payments, individuals should request payments electronically using the on-line system, My AmeriCorps.  This is a fast, secure, and user-friendly method to request that a payment be made from your account to qualified schools and loan holders. It also provides an electronic record of payments requested and made and their current status.

It is easy to access your account in My AmeriCorps.  To register in My AmeriCorps or to log into your My AmeriCorps account, go to https://my.americorps.gov/mp/login.do.

Yes.  From your Home Page, click on My Education Award in the box on the left.  In the next screen, under Account Statement – Award Information, the “Award Value” of each education award received is listed in the table.

Also, when a program is enrolling an individual into a position, the enrollment screen will show the aggregate value of awards already earned.  A statement similar to this will appear on the screen that the program is using:         

This member has served 2 previous term of service, earning the value of “1.5”
full-time education awards out of a maximum possible two full-time awards (2.0).

AmeriCorps may grant an application for an extension under the following circumstances:

During an award's use period, the individual served a subsequent term of service in another approved national service position and that subsequent term of service fell within the use period of the previous award.

During an award’s use period the individual served in Peace Corps or the military or in a VISTA term where a stipend, and not an education award, was earned.

The individual was unavoidably prevented from using the education award during the award’s use period.  Examples of situations that may warrant an extension under this category include, but are not limited to:

• The individual’s serious illness or disability
• The death or serious illness or disability of someone in the individual’s immediate family (mother, father, spouse, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild)
• The destruction or inaccessibility of important service records maintained by the program
• Natural disasters, such as floods, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes

In addition to providing the reason for the extension,

• the award must have an unspent balance;
• the reason for the extension occurred during the use period of the subject education award;
• the award holder must apply for an extension in writing; the application must be submitted to AmeriCorps prior to the date the award expires;
• there was no previous extension of the award for any reason.  Generally, only one extension is allowed per award; and
• the individual must provide documentation to support the reason, unless it is for having served in another approved term of national service.  Documentation can include items such as death certificates and letters from doctors. 

For serving subsequent approved terms of national service, as well as Peace Corps, military, or VISTA/stipend service: the length of the extension will be equivalent to the time period of the subsequent service.

For being unavoidably prevented from using the award: the length of the extension will be one year.

Generally, AmeriCorps will not grant extensions to the use period that result in a total use period longer than 10 years.  However, subsequent terms of national service, VISTA service, military service and Peace Corps service are exceptions to this general rule.  (This 10-year limit does not apply to extensions for transferred awards.)

• The person was incarcerated as a result of a conviction of a criminal offense.
• The individual was employed, even if the position was with a non-profit community service organization.
• The individual had a busy 7-year period with many activities, didn’t get around to using the award, and is now ready to use it.
• The individual forgot to use the award or lost it.
• The individual claims that he or she did not receive the award expiration notice from AmeriCorps.
• The individual served another term or was seriously ill during a time that did not fall within the use period of the previous award.
• The application for an extension was not submitted to the National Service Trust until after the award’s expiration date.
• The birth of a child.
• The recipient of a transferred award requests an extension based upon the fact that he or she was too young to use the award. 
   

You are strongly encouraged to use the online system to request an extension.  Those requests are processed faster and there will be no dispute when the request was submitted by the member—a critical point in determining timely submission.  You can attach supporting documents to your online request and there will always be a record of the actions that were taken.

However, you may also mail, fax, or email a request to the Trust, along with supporting documents.  It must be submitted to the Trust prior to your award’s expiration date and there must be a record of the date it was submitted, such as a postmark.  Requests submitted through My AmeriCorps automatically track the submission date.