Online Student Loan Application

Transcription

1 Online Student Loan Application Need Help - Spousal Instructions Spousal Instructions - Table of Contents Spouse Demographics Spouse Expense... 2 Spouse Income Spouse Pre-Study/Study Period Information saskatchewan.ca/studentloans Page 1

2 Spouse Demographics All references to spouse refer to legal or common-law spouse/partner. Completion of this section of the application does not mean the spouse is co-signing for your student loan. You are responsible for repayable student loans issued as a result of this application. If you wish to have your spouse contact the Student Service Centre and/or the National Student Loan Service Center about your application please submit the Consent to Release Information Form. Make sure your spouse reviews the information you have entered. Your spouse is responsible for reading and signing the declarations. You will print this information when you are finished entering your application and are required to submit the signed declaration to the Student Service Centre if this is your first application. If your spouse does not have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) you may submit a paper application. Applications are available at saskatchewan.ca/studentloans. Your spouse s graduation date or last day attending high school is required to determine the appropriate RRSP exemption. If he/she did not graduate from high school or secondary school, indicate the date last attended. Spouse Expense Only the expenses listed on this screen will be used in the assessment. If your spouse does not have any of the expenses listed, press next to proceed to the next screen. Government student loan payments of up to $500 per month are considered expenses for the spouse throughout the pre-study and study periods. Alimony and child support payments for children who do not live with you and your spouse full-time are also considered expenses throughout the pre-study and study periods. Do not claim more than the dependant monthly living allowance. As with the income information, you must enter the total amounts for the pre-study and study periods. For example, if your spouse pays child support payments of $100 per month for one child who does not live with you full-time and your pre-study period is four months, you would enter $400 in the pre-study period column. If your spouse expects to continue to pay these monthly payments throughout the eight month study period, you would enter $800 in the study period column. Do not include amounts normally spent to support children who are living with you full-time. If you, or your spouse, have or will incur other exceptional expenses, including government student loan payments of more than $500 per month during the pre-study or study period, submit a letter along with receipts explaining the expense to the Student Service Centre. Remember to advise the Student Service Centre immediately if any of the expenses are different from the amount you declare on this application. saskatchewan.ca/studentloans Page 2

3 Spouse Income Your spouse must declare the income they are making during the applicants pre-study and study period. List your spouse s income on the Spouse Pre-Study Income page and Spouse Study Income page. If your spouse has no income to claim during either of these periods, remember to check the appropriate boxes. Your spouse is expected to work and contribute to your education. Information about expected contributions can be found in the Student Loan Handbook in the How Assistance is Calculated section or by pressing the link About Student Loans. The minimum spousal contribution may be waived or reduced if your spouse is unable to find employment or unable to work for medical reasons. Supporting documentation Job Search form or Attending Physician s Statement will be required to verify the situation. If you are submitting a Job Search form for the pre-study period, you must submit no earlier than the start of the study period. Job Search forms for the study period can be submitted a month after the start date. List your spouse s employer information for both the pre-study and study period. If your spouse has more than one employer, enter information about each employer. If your pre-study period is four months you must list the total gross income that your spouse received before deductions for that four month period. If your pre-study period is only two months or another period of time, list your spouse s total gross income for that period only. Remember to include your spouse s financial assets in the Applicant Assets section. In reporting income, estimate to the best of your ability. If the actual income is different you must advise the Student Service Centre immediately. The income to be reported is income before any deductions, and must be the total income for your entire pre-study and/or study period. For example, if you estimate that your spouse will earn income of $1,600 per month before deductions for full-time employment during the four months of your pre-study period, enter $6,400. If you are reporting income from self-employment, rental income or room and board income, report gross income minus operating expenses. Rental property income is not the amount you pay for rent, it is the income you receive from a tenant. For married students, where both are full-time students applying for assistance, employment and self employment income during the study period does not have to be declared in the spousal section of the application during the time that both students are in study. If you are reporting RESP income, declare the amount you will actually receive for this study period including the beneficiary portion as well as any additional funds the RESP subscriber provides to you for your studies this year. You must also report Employment Insurance (EI) benefits and other income from Employment and Social Development Canada. Report all funds your spouse expects to receive specifically for his/her own education under Other Educational Funding and Training Allowances. This includes monetary gifts and training allowances not already declared elsewhere in this application. saskatchewan.ca/studentloans Page 3

4 Report as Other Income gratuities, tips, insurance payments, inheritances and any income from other sources not already declared elsewhere in this application. If your spouse is a sponsored permanent resident, include support from their sponsor. Do not include any of the following as income: Saskatchewan Child Benefit National Child Benefit Skills Training Benefit Income tax refunds Property tax credits GST credit SGI Rebates Any tax credits Utility rebates Student loans from private lenders Saskatchewan Rental Housing Supplement Saskatchewan Employment Supplement Residential School Compensation Payment Payment of land claim of an Indian Band Hepatitis C Compensation Payment Provincial Training Allowance Universal Child Care Benefit Workforce Development Fund Benefits/bursaries received from the Student Service Centre Personal education credit from Residential School Settlement Agreements If your spouse is receiving Skills Training Benefits for his/her own education you are not required to declare this income. However, if he/she is receiving an allowance for child care, you should not declare child care as an expense. If your spouse is receiving Provincial Training Allowance for his/her own education, you are not required to declare this income, it will automatically be included in your student loan assessment. Remember to advise the Student Service Centre immediately if any of the income is different from the amount you enter on this application. If your spouse is planning on working during your pre-study or study period but has not yet secured employment you may indicate an estimated amount of study period or pre-study period earnings and indicate in the employer information that the employer is unknown. You must advise the Student Service Centre immediately when your spouse does obtain employment to provide the employer information and to update the income. saskatchewan.ca/studentloans Page 4

5 Confirmation of Income Amounts You may be asked to confirm your spouse s as well as your own actual pre-study period earnings and/ or any projected study period income. Keep copies of all the documents related to your/your spouse s earnings, including income tax returns, pay stubs, letters from employers, receipts, etc. A reassessment of your application will be done when this information is confirmed. Previous Year s Income Eligibility for the student grants is based on previous year s income as reported to Canada Revenue Agency. Processing of the application may be delayed if income tax returns were not filed with Canada Revenue Agency. Your spouse s income from the previous tax year will be obtained directly from Canada Revenue Agency. If your spouse did not file an income tax return, indicate the total of all income received in that year from all sources. This includes child benefits, Social Assistance, Employment Insurance, disability and pension benefits, investment income, dividends, employment income, Workers Compensation, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development funding, child support, maintenance, training allowances, etc. Spouse Pre-Study/Study Period Information If you indicate your spouse is unable to work for medical reasons, you must submit medical documentation indicating the reason and exact dates he/she is unable to work. If you do not submit this documentation, your spouse will be assigned the minimum contribution based on earning minimum wage from full-time employment. The Attending Physician s Statement is available online. If your spouse is attending full-time studies and applying for student loans or Provincial Training Allowance (PTA), remember to check the appropriate box and indicate the program start and end dates. saskatchewan.ca/studentloans Page 5