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Educational Assistance Program (EAP) and Professional Development Assistance Program (PDAP)

All college employees are encouraged to engage in continuous learning and professional development. To support this, the College offers a variety of programs and services, including financial assistance, for professional development activities and related travel.

The information below outlines the Educational Assistance Program (EAP) for full-time faculty, staff, and administrators, and the Professional Development Assistance Program (PDAP) for eligible bargaining part-time faculty. Please scroll below to view helpful Training, Resources, and Key Information. 

All professional development and EAP/PDAP-related travel expenses must be pre-approved in accordance with College Policy 35001, Compensation Programs (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader.-Link opens in new window.) . All non-EAP/PDAP travel expenses (i.e., for regular college business) must be submitted through department budgets with supervisor approval.

Understanding and Accessing Your EAP and PDAP Benefits: Remember the 3 Ps

To help guide employees' learning and ability to correctly access EAP and PDAP benefits, please use the Plan, Prepare, Process Framework:

PLAN
  • Confirm your eligibility
  • Learn about the program's benefits and rules
  • Understand the difference between entitlement and eligibility
  • Discuss your professional development goals with your supervisor and how EAP and PDAP can support your growth
  • Engage with resources to learn the process to request funds
PREPARE
  • Register for webinars and conferences, enroll in courses, sign up for memberships, etc. that contribute to your professional development
  • Collect and organize your invoices and/or receipts
  • Complete your Acknowledgement Form(s) (required) and/or Travel Cover Sheet(s) (optional)
  • Review resources to make sure you know how to correctly process your request(s)
PROCESS
  • Process your request(s) based on what you are doing and how you wish to pay – have the College pay on your behalf or pay yourself and be reimbursed
  • Remember, EAP Travel and Wellness expenses are always reimbursement only
  • Remember, all PDAP requests, including Wellness expenses, are always reimbursement only
Supervisor Training
EAP Training, Resources, and Key Information
Note: Wellness expenses do not require an Acknowledgement Form or Cover Sheet and should always be processed separately from other eligible EAP expenses.

Click the dropdown to view EAP allocation for FY24.

Travel: $1,375
EAP: $3,120
Travel budget: $193,850
EAP budget: $481,522

Travel $1,250
EAP: $2,800
Travel budget: $50,000
EAP budget: $400,000

Travel: $1,250
EAP: $2,500
Travel budget: $141,650
EAP budget: $803,798

Tuition Benefits for Credit Courses
Bargaining and nonbargaining full-time staff, chairs, full-time faculty, and administrators enrolled in graduate or undergraduate coursework beyond the associate degree level are permitted to exceed the maximum EAP benefit noted above.

The additional allowance is the amount equal to the University of Maryland College Park rate for in-state tuition and fees for graduate or undergraduate coursework for each credit, up to a maximum of 12 credits.

The benefit for regular part-time staff working at least 20 hours per week is pro-rated.

Click the dropdown to view EAP utilization as of November 23, 2023.

EAP FY24 Utilization to-date: 41%
EAP FY24 Travel Utilization to-date: 23%

EAP FY24 Utilization to-date: 25%
EAP FY24 Travel Utilization to-date: 18%

EAP FY24 Utilization to-date: 34%
EAP FY24 Travel Utilization to-date: 29%

 

Employees can receive up to $5,250 in tax-free tuition benefits for 2023. Employees who receive more than the applicable IRS limit for educational benefits during the calendar year must pay taxes on the amount over the applicable limit.

HRSTM will track EAP tuition payments on a quarterly basis and add the amounts above the IRS to your taxable wages for deduction over the next two (2) pay dates following the end of the quarter. This way, the taxable income is properly included on an ongoing basis in the employee’s pay, and will also be captured accurately in the annual tax statement (Form W-2, box 1). We will also send regular reminders about this requirement and communicate directly with employees that have taxable tuition each quarter.

For more information, please visit the IRS’s Tax Benefits for Education: Information Centernew window.

Taxable Reimbursement/

Payment Type

Schedule for Reporting

Pay Date Schedule for Deductions

EAP Tuition over $5,250

Quarterly through the last day of the month – March, June, September, and November*
The two (2) immediate pay dates following the quarterly report - April, July, October, and December*

*Requests for tuition payments should be made no later than November 30 of each year to allow employees two (2) full pay periods to pay any applicable tax liability by December 31 for amounts over the $5,250 maximum.

However, if an employee must submit an eligible tuition request on or after December 1, he or she understands that they may only have one (1) pay period to pay the taxes, due to the timing of the payment and/or other end of year HR and payroll processing schedules.

EAP benefits used for eligible wellness expenses up to $35 per month are always taxable and will be processed on a quarterly basis. Any wellness prizes/incentives are also taxable and will be added to applicable taxable wellness reimbursements.

Taxable Reimbursement/

Payment Type

Schedule for Reporting

Pay Date Schedule for Deductions

Recurring EAP Wellness

Reimbursement 

Quarterly through the last day of the month – March, June, September, and December**
The immediate pay date following the monthly report

Wellness Prizes/Incentives (e.g., holiday, dinners, gift cards, etc.)

Ad hoc, added to report manually
The immediate pay date following the monthly report; added to any regular EAP Wellness taxable reimbursement

**Request for EAP Wellness reimbursements should be made no later than December 15 of each calendar year to ensure employees can pay any applicable tax liability by December 31.

However, if an employee must submit an eligible EAP Wellness request on or after December 15, he or she understands that it will not be processed until the following calendar year and included in the next quarterly report for taxation.

We are here to help! Please email EAPRequests@montgomerycollege.edu or HRSTM@montgomerycollege.edu for questions about your EAP request. We recommend emailing us BEFORE you submit your request if you are unsure about expense eligibility.

Use videos, job aids, and resources on this page BEFORE you attempt to process your request in Workday.

Requests are processed in the order they are received. If you have already successfully submitted your request in Workday, please do not email us to check on the status unless it has been more than five (5) business days.

Please refer to the list of EAP FAQs (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader.-Link opens in new window.) for additional guidance.

We update these on a regular basis. Please email EAPRequests@montgomerycollege.edu if you have questions that should be added to this list.

PDAP Training, Resources, and Key Information

Note: Wellness expenses do not require an Acknowledgement Form or Cover Sheet and should always be processed separately from other eligible PDAP expenses.

Click the dropdown to view PDAP allocation for FY24.

PDAP per employee max: $1,250
PDAP budget: $54,000


Click the dropdown to view PDAP utilization as of November 23, 2023.

PDAP FY24 Utilization to-date: 18%

PDAP benefits used for eligible wellness expenses up to $35 per month are always taxable and will be processed on a quarterly basis. Any wellness prizes/incentives are also taxable and will be added to applicable taxable wellness reimbursements.

Taxable Reimbursement/Payment Type

Schedule for Reporting

Pay Date Schedule for Deductions


Recurring EAP Wellness Reimbursement

Quarterly through the last day of the month – March, June, September, and December**
The immediate pay date following the monthly report

Wellness Prizes/Incentives (e.g., holiday, dinners, gift cards, etc.) 

Ad hoc, added to report manually
The immediate pay date following the monthly report added to any regular PDAP Wellness taxable reimbursement
**Request for PDAP Wellness reimbursements should be made no later than December 15 of each calendar year to ensure employees can pay any applicable tax liability by December 31.

However, if an employee must submit an eligible PDAP Wellness request on or after December 15, he or she understands that it will not be processed until the following calendar year and included in the next quarterly report for taxation.

We are here to help! Please email PDAPRequests@montgomerycollege.edu or HRSTM@montgomerycollege.edu for questions about your PDAP request. We recommend emailing us BEFORE you submit your request if you are unsure about expense eligibility.

Use videos, job aids, and resources on this page BEFORE you attempt to process your request in Workday.

Requests are processed in the order they are received. If you have already successfully submitted your request in Workday, please do not email us to check on the status unless it has been more than five (5) business days

Please refer to the list of PDAP FAQs (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader.-Link opens in new window.) for additional guidance.

We update these on a regular basis. Please email PDAPRequests@montgomerycollege.edu if you have questions that should be added to this list.