IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR 2023 TAXES:  

Effective 1/1/2023, under Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC, Subtitle A, Chapter 1, Subchapter B, Part III, Section 127), tuition reimbursement amounts over $5,250 in a calendar year are subject to tax. Tuition reimbursement above $5,250 in any calendar year will be paid as a taxable event with the appropriate taxes withheld and will be reported in Box 1 of your W-2 as part of your wages as required under Section 127 of the IRS Code. 

IMPORTANT GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

All permanent AACPS employees are eligible for a tuition reimbursement benefit for coursework taken while employed with AACPS. Eligibility for reimbursement is based on the assigned bargaining Unit of the employee and the negotiated agreements for those Units. For specific Information on Programs and Procedures for Tuition Reimbursement by Unit see the links on the left and below.

Tuition Reimbursement

DEADLINES AND PAY DATES

To receive tuition reimbursement, the employee must submit the following items to the Office of Human Resources/Tuition Reimbursement before reimbursement may be made.  We will accept the request form and account statement, (the pre-approval form if required by your Unit) via email, inter-office mail, regular mail, or fax. If you are submitting an electronic transcript, to be considered "official", it must come directly from the college to our dedicated email address of hrcot@aacps.org

1. Request for Reimbursement for College Credits form (view your Unit link for important information)

2. A copy of the college/university account statement showing your name, the college name, the dates and name of course work taken, how much you were billed for tuition and it must show the payment as completed

3. Pre-approval form if required by your Unit

4. An official transcript showing the completed course and grade earned (copies not accepted)

a. If submitting a hard-copy, paper original,

i. Have it sent to your home address

ii. Open it and check for accuracy

iii. Retain a copy for your files

iv. Submit along with the request form & account summary to HR/Tuition Reimbursement

b. If submitting an electronic transcript,

i. E-transcripts must be sent directly from the college/university to hrcot@aacps.org.  Provide this email to your college/university.  

ii. Once you have ordered/requested the e-transcript from the college to be sent to hrcot@aacps.org, please submit the remaining paperwork to your tuition reimbursement technician (we will accept paperwork via email). 

     Anastasia Perillo aperillo@aacps.org (A-K) 

     Laurie Hanley lhanley@aacps.org (L-Z)

Courses must be JOB-RELATED. Courses that are submitted for reimbursement but which are deemed as not JOB-RELATED will not be reimbursed. If you have questions on whether a course may be JOB-RELATED, follow the guidelines below:

• Units I and II contact your Certification Specialist
• Units III and IV contact Lesley Bright  
• Units V and VI contact your supervisor 

In addition, please read the complete information sheet for your Unit using the links provided in the upper left corner of this page.

Employees must be current, permanent employees of AACPS when the course is taken AND on the date payment is made.

Reimbursement overpayments – employees who receive reimbursement for more classes in a reimbursement year than they are eligible for, will be required to reimburse AACPS for the overage.

Common instances of overpayment:

• An employee receives tuition reimbursement through HR and takes partnership courses at the same time.
• Unit 1 staff in a Masters in Critical Shortage Area program who do not complete the program or do not complete the post-graduate 4-year service requirement before separating from AACPS.

Reimbursement Year

Tuition reimbursement is based on when the course is taken, not when the request is submitted. Semester/calendar dates are entered in HR’s system based on how they are listed on the official transcript.

• For semester-based programs – A reimbursement year begins with the fall semester and ends with the following summer semester. Reimbursement is applied to the semester in which courses are taken as noted on the official transcript.
• For calendar-based programs – A reimbursement year begins September 1st and ends August 31st.
  • If the official transcript has a beginning and ending date, the tuition reimbursement is based on the ending date.
  • If the official transcript has only one date, the reimbursement is based on that date.
• For official transcripts that show both semester and dates - refer to the semester-based program.