Childcare Expenses Reimbursement
The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) is excited to share that there is funding available, provided to the University of Arizona by the Department of Economic Security (ADES), to provide eligible students reimbursement of up to $1,500 per month, for childcare expenses incurred during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions below for additional information. If you find your question is not included, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Unfortunately, no, not at this time.
Additional funding resources to consider:
- Review information about the Child Care Choice Program offered through the University of Arizona's Life & Work Connections.
- Submit the 2022-2023 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you have not done so already. The sooner this is done the better but the final deadline to submit the 2022-2023 FAFSA is June 30, 2023.
The maximum amount that can be reimbursed is $1,500 per month or up to that month's child care expenses, whichever is less.
Example 1 - if your monthly child care expense is $1,600, OSFA can reimburse up to $1,500.
Example 2 - if your monthly child care expense is $800, OSFA can reimburse up to $800.
Yes, you may still be eligible to receive additional reimbursement for the expenses not already reimbursed through the Arizona's Child Care Choice Program, up to the $1,500 per month. In addition, if you receive childcare assistance through the Arizona Department of Economic Security, (ADES), the reimbursement amount will take this into account. Please see question below regarding ADES childcare assistance.
Yes, you may still be eligible to receive this additional reimbursement. You must first certify that you have expended all of that assistance. OSFA will confirm this with you when processing your Cost of Attendance Appeal. The maximum reimbursement OSFA can award is up to $1,500 per month but will take into account all support you receive already for those expenses.
No, the incurred expenses do not need to be paid first in order for you to receive a reimbursement. OSFA only needs to see the incurred/billed expenses for the eligible months (August 2022-December 2022 for Fall 2022 and January 2023-May 2023 for Spring 2023), not your payment status.
You will need to provide copies of your billing statements from your Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES) approved child care provider. This must include the timeframe for when the charges were incurred (month and year), the amount billed and your name must be clearly visible on the billing statement so we can ensure the expenses belong to you, the student, for your children and/or dependents. Reimbursements cannot be made for child care expenses that cannot be clearly documented or confirmed by our office. Projected expenses are not acceptable forms of documentation.
The final deadline to submit all documentation for Fall 2022 reimbursement is Friday November 18th in order for OSFA to review and process reimbursement requests by the last day of fall classes. Do not delay, late submission will result in you not being considered for reimbursement. There are no exceptions to this deadline.
The deadline for Spring 2023 will be provided at a later date.
This funding is for the current, 2022-2023 academic year. However, each semester's expenses are reviewed separately.
- Fall 2022 - The qualifying months include August 2022 through December 2023.
- Spring 2023 - The qualifying months will include January 2023 through May 2023.
Your appeal and documentation will be reviewed by OSFA to determine if your incurred child care expenses can be reimbursed and for what amount. Please watch your official Catmail account for an update from OSFA which will contain additional details regarding approved reimbursements including when to expect to see the reimbursement be added to your financial aid summary.
Yes. Students who met certain initial eligibility criteria were emailed and invited to submit additional documentation for the reimbursement but OSFA still needs to confirm final eligibility once documentation is submitted. If OSFA is unable to reimburse any child care expenses, OSFA will notify you via an email to your official Catmail account.
Any reimbursements made are considered financial assistance and therefore will need to be added to your financial aid offer, coordinated with your other financial aid received and released to your Bursar student account.
The Bursar's office will automatically ensure any balances (past due or current) are paid first and then release any remaining refunds to you. This means that if you have a balance on your Bursar student account, your reimbursement will be used to pay that balance first before any refunds are sent to you.
Learn more about financial aid refunds and how to sign up for Direct Deposit (web refund).