Employee Tuition Assistance: Reimbursement

Once your application has been approved and after you have completed the course, you have 90 days from your course completion date to submit your reimbursement through Duke@Work. The Duke@Work web portal will guide you through the steps for reimbursement. Your reimbursement request can be completed in 4 steps:

1. Once courses are completed, print and mail; scan and email; or hand deliver the online Reimbursement Form to your school; the school will return the form to you via your instructions/preferred method.
2. Scan your itemized bill/tuition statement; the itemized bill/tuition statement must clearly reflect the tuition cost, exclusive of fees, or the reimbursement will not be processed. Additionally, all grants and scholarships must be included on the itemized bill/tuition statement or the reimbursement will not be processed.
3. Demonstrate proof of successful completion of the course(s) with a grade of C or better (a "Pass" or "Satisfactory" designation if a grade is not provided) by submitting your unofficial transcript. Please note: screenshots of grades will no longer be accepted.
4. Submit your Reimbursement Form with an itemized bill/tuition statement and your unofficial transcript through the link "Request Reimbursement for my Tuition" on Duke@Work. Step-by-step instructions on how to request a tuition reimbursement payment for approved coursework are available there. If you need assistance using Duke@Work, please review the frequently asked questions.

Retention Agreement

Participants must agree to remain at Duke for two years following reimbursement of $2,500 or more. If you voluntarily terminate employment before completing two years of service after receiving your last tuition reimbursement from Duke, you must repay 50 percent of the total amount reimbursed over $2,500.

Requests for reimbursement must be submitted through Duke@Work within 90 days following successful completion of the course. All required documentation must be submitted within 90 days of course completion; otherwise, you risk forfeiting your reimbursement.

Employees are required to have direct deposit for reimbursement.

Please Note: Participants must be in an actively at work employment status with a work schedule of at least 30 hours per week at the time reimbursement is made. For this program, a leave of absence with pay is considered to be actively working.

Reimbursement Process

Within 90 days of your course end date:

• Submit the following documents through the “Request Reimbursement for my Tuition” link at Duke@Work:
  • Reimbursement Form completed by attending school or an itemized bill/tuition statement
  • Proof of grades (a downloaded grade report or screenshot from your school’s web portal will be sufficient)

  Note: If you receive an undesignated scholarship/grant, a receipt for textbooks is required with your submission for reimbursement on Duke@Work

  Within 2 weeks of your submission of all required items:

  • HR-Benefits reviews your submitted documentation, and approves payment in accordance with program provisions

  Reimbursement payment:

  • Once approved by HR-Benefits, tuition reimbursement payment is issued in your next available paycheck (refer to pay schedules)
  • You will receive a confirmation email with payment details, including the amount, paycheck date and taxability (if applicable)

  Taxability

  While the ETAP benefit is not considered taxable income for most eligible employees, any amount reimbursed which exceeds the program maximum in a calendar year ($5,250) will be taxable in accordance with IRS regulations. Taxability is determined based on the date that the reimbursed payment is issued; there may be instances where reimbursements are issued in a different tax year from which the courses were taken. Each taxable payment will be flat taxed at the supplemental tax rates effective for the calendar year that the payment is made. Consult a tax professional for more details. Please note IRS guidelines allow the individual to exclude up to $5,250 from taxable income per calendar year for tuition reimbursement programs such as this one. If you receive tuition assistance outside of this program, within Duke or external, please let HR-Benefits know so the amounts received under this program can have taxes withheld, as needed.