Educational Assistance Program (EAP) and Professional Development Assistance Program (PDAP)
The College encourages MC employees to pursue continuous learning and professional development. We offer various programs and financial assistance to support professional development activities and related travel.
Programs by employee type:
- Educational Assistance Program (EAP) – for full-time faculty, staff, and administrators
- Professional Development Assistance Program (PDAP) – for eligible bargaining part-time faculty
For additional Training, Resources, and Key Information, see below.
All professional development and EAP/PDAP-related travel expenses must be pre-approved
in accordance with College Policy 35001, Compensation Programs (PDF, 
) . All non-EAP/PDAP travel expenses (i.e., for regular college business) must be submitted
through department budgets with supervisor approval.
Process Improvements
The following changes will streamline EAP and PDAP processing. Updated job aids are available below, and new demo videos will be available soon.
Streamlined One-Step Process
- Direct payment requests and non-travel reimbursement requests now require only one step
- Direct payments: Use Supplier Invoice Request only (no longer requires Requisition + Receipt)
- Non-travel reimbursements: Use Expense Report only (no longer requires Spend Authorization + Expense Report)
- EAP/PDAP travel: Still requires Spend Authorization before travel, followed by Expense Report
Important: No new Requisitions or non-travel Spend Authorizations should be submitted in Workday after Monday, December 16.
Annual Acknowledgement Form
- Required once per fiscal year (instead of per request)
- Covers EAP/PDAP requests and eligible wellness expense reimbursements
- Ensures understanding of College policies, procedures, and consequences for non-completion
- Confirms tax liability for applicable benefits and wellness reimbursements
- Forms submitted since July 1, 2024 satisfy requirements through June 30, 2025
Read the December 11, 2024 memo (PDF, ) for additional details and reminders.
Understanding and Accessing Your EAP and PDAP Benefits: Remember the 3 Ps
To help employees learn and correctly access EAP and PDAP benefits, please use the Plan, Prepare, Process framework:
- 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
- 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)
- Complete your Annual Acknowledgement Form (required only once per fiscal year) and/or Travel Cover Sheet(s) (optional)
- Review resources to make sure you know how to correctly process your request(s), including approximately how long it will take to process payment
- 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
- Check your Workday inbox for any requests for missing or insufficient information; your request will be delayed until all required information is provided, so please read comments carefully and be responsive to keep the process moving
- Remember, EAP Travel and Wellness expenses are always reimbursement only and Cash Advances are not allowed
- Remember, all PDAP requests, including Wellness expenses, are always reimbursement only and Cash Advances are not allowed
) - Job Aid: Create a Supplier (PDF, )
- Demo Video: Create Suppliernew window (total time 3:32)
- Job Aid for EAP Direct Payments: Create Supplier Invoice Request (PDF, )
- Demo Video for EAP Direct Payments: Create Supplier Invoice Requestnew window (total time 16:01)
- Job Aid for EAP Reimbursements: Create Spend Authorization and/or Expense Reports (PDF, )
- Demo Video for EAP Non-Travel Reimbursement: Create Expense Reportnew window (total time 11:34)
- Demo Video for EAP Travel Reimbursements: Create Spend Authorization and Expense Reportnew window (total time 21:45)
- Job Aid for EAP Wellness Reimbursements: Create Expense Report (PDF, )
- Demo Video for EAP Wellness Reimbursement: Create Expense Reportnew window (total time 12:04)
- Supplier List for MD Colleges and Universities (PDF, )
- Where do I Submit my EAP? (Workday Workflow) (PDF, )
- Required Documentation (PDF, )
- Most Common Mistakes (PDF, )
- Taxable Income for Undergraduate and Graduate Tuition (PDF, )
- Tech Tips (PDF, )
- Travel Guidance (PDF, )
- Annual EAP Acknowledgment Form (PDF, ) (required once per fiscal year)
- MC Courses, Fees, and Books Form (PDF, )
- EAP Travel Cover Sheet for Facultynew window (Excel)
- EAP Travel Cover Sheet for Staffnew window (Excel)
- EAP Affidavit Form for Course Completion (PDF, ) (if event did not provide proof)
| Current FY Allocation with Utilization as of June 30, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time Faculty | Bargaining Staff | Non-Bargaining Staff | |
| EAP per Employee Max: | $3,120 | $2,800 | $2,800 |
| EAP FY26 Budget Max: | $453,522 | $400,000 | $803,798 |
| EAP Utilization: | $347,884 | $156,140 | $636,824 |
| 77% | 39% | 79% | |
| EAP Travel per Employee Max: | $1,800 | $1,250 | $1,250 |
| EAP Travel FY26 Budget Max: | $221,850 | $50,000 | $141,650 |
| EAP Travel Utilization: | $111,297 | $17,632 | $122,946 |
| 50% | 35% | 87% |
Tuition Benefits for Credit Courses
Bargaining and nonbargaining full-time staff, department 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.
Montgomery College will cover the cost per credit taken equal to the University of Maryland, College Park credit rate for in-state tuition and fees for undergraduate or graduate coursework, not to exceed 12 credits in a fiscal year.
For current UMD undergraduate and graduate Tuition and Fees, visit https://billpay.umd.edu/costsnew window.
| In-State Tuition,up to 12 Credit Hours | Mandatory Fees for 9+ Credits (flat rate) | Total FY EAP Tuition Limit/ Overall Max EAP FY26 Limit | 2025 Calendar Year Additional Taxable Income | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $5,245 | $900 | $6,145 | $895 |
| Graduate/Doctoral | $10,536 | $727 | $11,263 | $6,013 |
Employees can receive up to $5,250 in tax-free tuition benefits for 2025. 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. This applies to all employees regardless of position or salary.
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.
NOTICE: HRSTM and OBS do not recommend requesting tuition assistance through departmental
professional development funds to supplement tuition costs not covered by EAP benefits.
Tracking tuition benefits is required under IRS regulations, and we cannot track this
benefit when processed outside of the EAP Process.
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 $50 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, ) 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.
- Job Aid for PDAP Reimbursements: Create Spend Authorization and/or Expense Report (PDF, )
- Demo Video for PDAP Non-Travel Reimbursement: Create Expense Reportnew window (total time 15:37)
- Demo Video for PDAP Travel Reimbursement: Create Spend Authorization and Expense Reportnew window (total time 23:21)
-
Job Aid for PDAP Wellness Reimbursements: Create Expense Report (PDF,
) -
Demo Video for PDAP Wellness Reimbursement: Create Expense Reportnew window (total time 14:03)
- Where do I Submit my PDAP? (Workday Workflow) (PDF, )
- Required Documentation (PDF, )
- Most Common Mistakes (PDF, )
- Tech Tips (PDF, )
- Travel Guidance (PDF, )
- Annual PDAP Acknowledgement Form (PDF, ) (required once per fiscal year)
- PDAP Travel Cover Sheetnew window (Excel)
- PDAP Affidavit Form for Course Completion (PDF, ) (if event did not provide proof)
Note: Wellness expenses are now included in the annual Acknowledgement Form, which is required for all employees once per fiscal year. A cover sheet is not required for wellness expenses and they should always be processed separately from other eligible PDAP expenses.
| Current FY Allocation with Utilization as of June 30, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| PDAP per Employee Max: | $1,250 |
| PDAP FY26 Budget Max: | $54,000 |
| PDAP Utilization: | $27,448 |
| 51% |
PDAP benefits used for eligible wellness expenses up to $50 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, ) 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.
We've expanded our office hours to better accommodate your schedule.
Our dedicated HR Help Desk Team will be available to address your concerns and provide
personalized guidance. This is your chance to dive deeper into any lingering questions
or concerns you may have after exploring this extensive site and its resources. Please come prepared with your specific
question(s) to make the most of your scheduled time.
NEW: We are using Microsoft Bookings to schedule EAP Office Hours appointments. Please ensure that you are logged in to your MC Outlook account to reserve your appointment.
Reserve your 15-minute sessionnew window.
Join the Zoom Office Hours Waiting Roomnew window.