Employee Dependent Fee Waiver Program

DEPENDENT FEE WAIVER PROGRAM Q&A

WHAT IS THE DEPENDENT FEE WAIVER PROGRAM?

Eligible employees may transfer a partial fee waiver benefit to a spouse, dependent child, or, in some cases, to a certified domestic partner.

WHO MAY TRANSFER THEIR FEE WAIVER BENEFIT AND HOW IS ELIGIBILITY DETERMINED?

CSU Fee Waiver eligibility criteria for represented and non-represented employee categories is summarized in the table below:

*FERP employees are considered tenured faculty and are eligible for fee waiver only during the semesters/quarters when they are actively employed.

**C99 and E99 employees only attain permanent status in part-time positions as a result of completing a probationary period in a full-time position and, subsequently, reducing their time base.

Note: Please check CBAs for provisions concerning the appointment of part-time, permanent employees.

Unit Limitation

Each eligible employee may transfer a maximum of two (2) courses or six (6) units, whichever is greater, to their dependent, spouse, or where permitted their domestic partner, per term.

WHICH FEES ARE REDUCED OR WAIVED?

The program allows for a reduction of tuition fees based on statutory restrictions, CSU policy, or collective bargaining agreements. For a summary of fees and calculations, go to our Dependent Fee Waiver Tuition Amounts site. For full information about how fees are calculated, please go to the calculation site for your bargaining unit:


TO WHOM MAY THE BENEFIT BE TRANSFERRED?

*Requires employee to have a declaration of Domestic Partnership on file with the California Secretary of State. The form is available from Human Resources.

**A dependent child is defined as:

• Your child or stepchild who has never been married;
• A child living with you in a parent-child relationship who is economically dependent upon you (in accordance with IRS guidelines), and has never been married. Requires completion of the affidavit of Eligibility for Economically Dependent Children, Form HR 133e.
• Your child or stepchild who is incapable of self-support due to a disability that existed prior to age 23. Requires completion of the Disabled Dependent Benefit Form HR 133d.

ARE THERE CONDITIONS WHICH APPLY TO PARTICIPATION IN THE DEPENDENT FEE WAIVER PROGRAM?
Yes, there are a number of conditions. Please take time to review the Dependent Fee Waiver Guidelines, which explain how the conditions may effect your transfer of the fee waiver benefit.

IS THE DEPENDENT FEE WAIVER BENEFIT TAXED?
Under current IRS regulations, the dependent fee waiver benefit is not taxable for undergraduate dependent children or spouse coursework. The benefit is taxable for graduate dependent children, spouse, and undergraduate and graduate domestic partner coursework. This taxation is against the employee who transfers the benefit and occurs via withdrawal on their check warrant. Please review Technical Letter – HR/Benefits 2006-05 for complete information regarding these regulations.

MAY I TRANSFER THE BENEFIT IF MY SPOUSE/DOMESTIC PARTNER/DEPENDENT CHILD IS ATTENDING ANOTHER CSU OTHER THAN CAL POLY?
Yes, an eligible employee's spouse, domestic partner, or dependent child may use the transferred benefit at any other CSU campus.

HOW DO I APPLY TO USE DEPENDENT FEE WAIVER?
Please go to the How to Apply instructions.

IS THERE SOMEONE TO WHOM I MAY SPEAK IN PERSON IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DEPENDENT FEE WAIVER PROGRAM?
If you wish to speak to someone regarding the Dependent Fee Waiver Program, please contact Lisa Hensley, Human Resources Analyst, at (805) 756-7246 or you may e-mail her at lhensley@calpoly.edu.

Human Resources Department
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
(805) 756-2236 humanresources@calpoly.edu