News and Events Details

News and Events

Paper check refunds are only accepted in exceptional circumstances

In accordance with Executive Order 14247, Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account, the U.S. Department of Education is phasing out the acceptance of paper checks for the return of grant funds and other payments to the Department.

Effective October 1, 2026, the Accounts Receivable and Bank Management Division (ARBMD), Office of Financial Management (OFM), Office of Finance and Operations (OFO), will no longer routinely accept paper checks for refunds or other payments.

Paper checks may be accepted only in exceptional circumstances when an electronic payment method is not feasible.

If you are unable to use an electronic payment method or believe exceptional circumstances apply, please contact:

Mamitiana Rajaona
Email: mamitiana.rajaona@ed.gov

Available Electronic Payment Methods

  • G5 Refund (Preferred): Return funds through G5 after establishing a refund bank account under Refund Bank Account Maintenance.
  • Fedwire: Return funds electronically using the Department’s Fedwire instructions available through G5.
  • Automated Clearing House (ACH): Return funds electronically using the ACH CCD+ format, which includes an addenda record for providing award-level payment information.

Guidance & Support

Detailed guidance on returning funds through G5 is available in the G5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Refunds.

^ Back to Top

Use Current FEDWIRE Form for Department of Education Payments

When submitting payments to the U.S. Department of Education, institutions must use the current FEDWIRE form. Recent reviews indicate that some institutions are still using outdated versions, resulting in the incorrect placement of the Agency Location Code (ALC). Please note that the Department of the Treasury may reject payments if the ALC is entered in the wrong field.
To prevent processing delays or rejections, please immediately download the most recent FEDWIRE form and destroy all older versions. If you need the updated form or require assistance, please contact the OBSS Help Desk at Toll-Free:1-888-336-8930 or Email:OBSSHelpDesk@ed.gov.

^ Back to Top

G5 Phishing Alert


ALERT: Users of the United States Department of Education's Grant Management System, G5, have been the target of a phishing campaign intended to steal login credentials to access grant award data and change payment instructions. If you receive any email that contains a link to G5, please do not click on the link. Instead, please type the G5 URL, www.g5.gov, directly into your internet browser to access the website.

^ Back to Top

Notice

Please see the attached notice regarding the temporary restraining order entered on Friday, January 31, 2025, in New York et al v. Trump, No. 25-cv-39-JJM-PAS (D.R.I.), ECF No. 50.

^ Back to Top

All users with internal roles must have PIV, ed.gov email address and ED laptop

Effective October 1, 2024, G5 will no longer support external contractors with internal roles unless they have the following:

  1. ed.gov email address
  2. ED issued PIV card
  3. ED issued GFE (government furnished laptop)

This change is being implemented because of updates in cybersecurity policies and practices, and due to ED’s GoToWork platform no longer supporting G5. We regret the inconvenience this causes, but in order to keep our platform secure it is necessary.

Contractors that are currently accessing G5 that do not meet these conditions can continue to work in G5 up until October 1st as long as they do not need support. If their access no longer functions due to technical issues related to hardware, network, or IDs we will not be able to help fix those issues. Either way, effective as of October 1, 2024 all access to G5 will be revoked if the above three conditions are not met.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Business Support Services Helpdesk at (202) 401-6238 or obssed@servicenowservices.com

^ Back to Top