Employee Authorization Form (EAF)
The Employee Authorization Form (EAF) is the only official confirmation of a student’s eligibility to work in the FWS program. The FWS program will not fund wages that are paid without a valid EAF. Departments that have students work without a valid EAF will be responsible for 100% of the wages earned by the student.
All FWS employers must be issued a valid EAF before the student may begin working in the FWS program.
Departments must request the EAF online. The EAF is not issued to the student. Employers should keep a copy of the EAF for their records.
Departments must notify the FWS Coordinator of any updates to the information supplied on the EAF Request.
EAF Criteria
The EAF is authorized and valid only for the specific criteria as stated on the EAF:
- Student Name and ID
- Award Amount
- Authorized Award Period
- Supervising Department
- Payroll Distribution Organization ID and Account Number
EAF Activation
The EAF must be activated within the first 30 days of the authorized award period. The EAF is activated when the student’s wages properly charge the FWS accounts for work performed during the first 30 days of the authorized award period.
The EAF becomes inactive if the student stops earning FWS wages for a period of four consecutive pay periods after work has begun.
If the EAF is not activated, or becomes inactive, it is no longer valid and a new EAF must be requested. There are various factors that impact whether or not a new EAF will be issued.
EAF Expiration
At the end of the authorized award period the EAF is no longer valid. A EAF is not automatically renewed and must be requested for each new award year.
The authorized award period may be extended if the student’s enrollment plans have changed for the current award year. The student will be sent instructions on extending the authorized award period for Summer term. The student must contact the FWS Coordinator to determine if an extension may be approved for terms other than Summer. A revised EAF with the extended authorized award period will be issued by the FWS Coordinator. A new EAF request is not required for extensions.
The EAF may also become invalid or expire under a variety of conditions that may occur before the end of the authorized award period. Should this occur, the FWS Coordinator will make every effort to send an e-mail notice to the student, supervisor, and payroll reporter. The most common reasons for EAF expiration are:
- The ePAF instructions are not followed
- The student does not receive a FWS paycheck for work performed within the first 30 days of the authorized award period
- A FWS paycheck is not recorded for a period of 4 consecutive pay periods
- The student fails to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
- The student’s enrollment drops to below half-time
- The student graduates or ceases to be enrolled
- The student is required to submit additional information to document continued eligibility for the FWS program