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Documentation Requirement Guidelines in

Support of your Grant Application

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In order to correctly assess your application, and if we cannot, automatically, through our

links with other government departments, obtain the information required to confirm details

on your application form, you may, in certain instances, be asked to provide documentation

in support of your grant application.

This document offers a guide to the documentation which may be requested from you and

the type of documentation which is acceptable to SUSI to confirm your application details.

When supplying your documentation you should make sure that;

Your application (W) number is included with all documentation. All documentation requested is posted together whenever possible You send your documents to us as soon as possible. You are given a deadline date

on the request letter, but if you are experiencing a delay in sourcing a document please contact the SUSI helpdesk and inform them of this.

You ensure the declaration form enclosed in the request letter is signed by all relevant parties and returned. Incomplete declaration forms will not be accepted and this could slow down your application process.

The documents requested from you will depend on your application details. As soon as you send in your documents, your application will be reviewed in order of receipt. At this stage, if the documentation provided is not sufficient or new information arises, you may be requested to send in some additional documentation.

We only require photocopies of original documents. Any documents provided in a language other than English will require a verified

translated copy.

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Section A: Applicants Personal Details A5-8: Birth Details If requested please supply a photocopy of your birth certificate. If you were born in Ireland

the long version birth certificate is required.

A13: Final Course acceptance Form

Please provide your Final Couse Acceptance Form (FCA) to inform SUSI of the course on

which you have accepted a college place.

CAO Applicants If you have selected your course through the CAO system and chose the option to share your course/college choice details with SUSI then you do not need to fill out the FCA form as SUSI can get your final course details directly on your behalf.

Completing your FCA Form (applicants other than CAO)

This should be done on line by logging into your SUSI Account and clicking the FCA link. Complete the on line FCA form. You will need the following information to hand to complete your final course acceptance form (FCA)

The unique username and password for your SUSI account. Your Course code and full title of course The full name of the college you will attend Your W application number (this will be on all correspondence you receive from

SUSI)

A14a-c: Evidence of Independent Residency If you have applied as an Independent Mature Student, you must be able to provide

documentation to confirm that you were independent and ordinarily resident at an address.

The required documentation must be from both;

the year prior to entry/re-entry to an approved further/higher education course and must be from no later than October of that year, and

the year of entry/re-entry to an approved further/higher education course.

Example 1: First point of entry/re-entry into further/higher education in 2015/2016:

Documents from 2014 and dated no later than October 2014 and documents dated from

current year 2015.

Example 2: First point of entry/re-entry into further/higher education in 2013/2014:

Documents from 2012 and dated no later than October 2012 and documents dated from the

actual year you entered your course. (i.e. in this example, the year 2013).

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Note: You, the applicant must be 23 or over on January 1st of the year of your first point of

entry/re-entry into further or higher education to be classed as an Independent Mature

Student.

The following are examples of the types of documents which will be required from you as

evidence of independent residency.

A letter confirming that this address is registered with the PRTB(Private Residential

Tenancies Board)

A Local Authority Lease Agreement, for example, under the Rental Accommodation

Scheme, (RAS).

A letter confirming the receipt and period of rent or mortgage supplement

Official documentation posted to you at this address and relating to your residence

there, for example, a letter from the Department of Social Protection confirming Rent

Allowance. (we do not accept bank statements alone for this purpose).

Utility Bill in your own name. If the utility bills in the household are in your spouse's

name, please provide your marriage certificate with the utility bill. Examples of Utility

bills are;

(1) landline telephone (we do not accept mobile telephone bills);

(2) fixed broadband;

(3) gas;

(4) electricity;

(5) cable /satellite television bill.

A19: VTOS (Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme) Statement

If you are in receipt of a VTOS payment you will be required to download the SUSI VTOS

Statement form at www.susi.ie and request the Education and Training Board who made the

payment to complete and stamp it.

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Section B:

Applicant’s Nationality, Immigration Status and Residency Details B2 Evidence of Nationality

If requested you will need to provide one or more of the following as evidence of

nationality:

An Irish birth certificate (copy of long form birth cert., if you were born on the island of

Ireland);

A copy of your passport

A national identity card issued by an EU Member State.

A certificate of naturalization.

A foreign births registration certificate.

B3 (a) Evidence of Family Reunification with Refugee Status

You will need to provide all of the following:

Department of Justice and Equality letter(s) sent to you confirming details of your

immigration status in Ireland;

Department of Justice and Equality letter(s) confirming the leave to remain of the

person who applied for family re-unification on your behalf;

A copy of current Garda National Immigration Bureau card (GNIB) I Certificate of

Registration Card;

A copy of your passport or travel documents.

B3 (a) Evidence of Official Refugee Status

Department of Justice and Equality letter(s) sent to you confirming details of your

immigration status in Ireland;

A copy of current Garda National Immigration Bureau card (GNIB) I Certificate of

Registration Card;

A copy of your passport or travel documents.

B3 (b-f) Evidence of Immigration Status

You will need to provide the letter from the Department of Justice and Equality showing your current immigration status in Ireland.

B3 (b-f) Garda National Immigration Bureau Card

You will need to provide a copy of your current Garda National Immigration Bureau card.

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B3 (c) Evidence of Permission to remain as the Family Member of a European Union, EEA or Swiss Citizen under the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2006 and 2008 and EU Directive (EU Treaty Rights provisions)

You will need to provide all of the following:

A letter from the Department of Justice and Law Reform confirming your immigration status in Ireland;

A copy of your Birth Certificate;

A copy of your Garda National Immigration Bureau card (GNIB) I Certificate of Registration Card;

A copy of your passport.

B4/B5 Evidence of Residence in Ireland, the EU, EEA or Switzerland for 3 of the last 5

years.

You may be asked for evidence of residency in Ireland, the EU, EEA or Switzerland for 3 of

the preceding 5 years. The following documents may be used by you as evidence of

residence.

Evidence that you sat the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate exams in Ireland;

or equivalent school exams in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. This must have been in

the last five years;

A letter from a school principal in Ireland, the EU, EEA or Switzerland confirming your

attendance at a school. This must have been in the past five years;

Social Welfare Statements or equivalents from the EU, EEA or Switzerland dated for

the last five years;

Utility Bills;

Registration with the Private Residential Tenancies Board or equivalent from the

EU,EEA or Switzerland;

P60’s

Bank Statements with activity in the country of residence.

Please note, in relation to the above documentation, in the case of utility bills, P60s or

equivalent EU, EEA or Swiss tax statements or bank statements, you will need to supply a

minimum of one document per year of residence showing three twelve month periods

of residence (36 months in total).

Evidence of your residence in Ireland can only be accepted in respect of periods of lawful

presence in Ireland and the documents that you provide should be in respect of such

periods. Periods of unlawful presence cannot be considered.

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Section C:

Academic History and Other Sources of Financial Assistance

C4 Evidence of your Previous Education

If you have attended but not completed any course, or you have completed a course and

hold a qualification you must provide one of the following for each course.

Documents accepted as evidence of previous education are as follows;

If you are currently attending a course we need a letter from the college/institution

confirming what years you have completed so far and what year you are entering /

attending at present.

If you have completed a course in the past and gained a qualification you may be

asked to provide a copy of the award you received

If you previously attended a course and did not complete it, you need to supply a

letter from the college / institution to confirm the start date and the date you withdrew

from the course.

C7 Details of other Financial Assistance

If you have applied or have been offered funding from another awarding or funding body

then you must provide us with a letter from them with the following information ;

The details of the awarding body

A detailed breakdown of the award that you may receive (for maintenance, fees etc.)

If you have applied for funding from another source and were not successful you must

provide us with documentary evidence of this.

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Section D: Evidence of Estrangement

If, on your SUSI Grant Application Form you have declared yourself estranged from your parents then you must provide evidence of estrangement.

You will need to supply the following documentation as evidence of estrangement;

Letters and/or reports from Gardaí, i.e. incident reports detailing specific domestic disturbances;

Letters and/or reports from Social Worker or Health Service Executive detailing any care placements, i.e. Foster Care, After Care;

Court Order, E.g. Barring Order.

Note: A letter from the Gardaí stating that you are estranged from your parents is not sufficient unless supported by one of the documents listed above.

D5: Evidence of Separation If requested to do so, you must supply evidence of separation. The following documents are

accepted as evidence of separation.

A Separation Agreement

A Divorce Decree

A Decree of Dissolution for a civil partnership

Evidence from the Department of Social Protection confirming receipt of Deserted

Wife’s Allowance or a One Parent Family Payment

If there is no legal agreement a letter from your solicitor confirming separation and

where applicable that legal proceedings are pending.

Proof of living separately, i.e. Separate Utility Bills for both parties. Utility Bills must;

o Show separate addresses

o Cover the same billing period or part thereof.

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Section E Details of Dependent Children/Relevant Person E1a Dependent Children Birth Certificates

If requested you must provide birth certificates for all dependent children in your household.

(If your children were born on the island of Ireland, then the long form birth certificate is

required).

E1b Dependent Children 16 years of age and over in Full-Time Education

If requested you must supply a letter from school or institution (stamped and signed) stating

that they will attend in 2014

E1c Dependent Children Medically Certified as Permanently Unfit for Work

If requested you must provide a letter from a GP (doctor) or relevant medical body stating

that the dependent child (16 years or over) is medically certified as permanently unfit for

work.

E2 Dependent Children/Relevant Person in an approved Further / Higher Education

Institution.

You must provide a letter from the college or institution stating that the dependent child or

relevant person is attending Further or Higher Education for the current academic year.

You will not be able to provide this evidence until the dependent children/ relevant

persons have registered, re-registered, for the new academic year. College letters

must state that the dependent child or relevant person is registered for the coming

academic year (2015/2016). Letters stating provisionally registered or expected to

register for the coming year are not acceptable.

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Section F Reckonable Income F1: Documentary evidence for Income from Employment SUSI may receive data from the Revenue Commissioners to assist in the evaluation and processing of your grant application. After the provisional assessment of your application you may be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o P60 for each employment which you held at the end of the 2014 tax year which you get from your employer(s);

o P45 if you ceased employment in 2014; o P21 Balancing Statement, or self-assessment statement, for 2014 which you can get

on-line at www.revenue.ie or by contacting your local Revenue office; o Payslips for the applicant’s earnings from holiday employment outside of term time in

2014. If you cannot provide payslips you can download the “Statement of Holiday Earnings” form from www.susi.ie, have your employer complete it ,and return this form to SUSI. ( Deduction allowed for holiday earnings is 2 weeks Easter, 12 weeks in Summer during June, July and August only and 2 weeks at Christmas)

o In relation to CE Scheme income, you must provide us with a P60 from the employer and download and have the employer complete the “Income from Designated Programmes Form” from www.susi.ie which details the following:

o the name of the person receiving the payment; o the amount received in 2014; o if the payment included a Qualified Adult Allowance and if so, the amount; o if the payment included a Child Dependent Increase and if so, for how many

children and the amount for each child; o the date the payments started; o the date the payments stopped (if applicable).

Income earned in a previous tax year:

o A letter from the employer stating that income earned in 2013 was not paid until 2014 but was included in the P60 for 2014;

o A letter from the employer stating that income earned in 2014 was not paid in 2014, but has been carried forward for payment in 2015.

Non-recurring overtime payments: In order to establish if a deduction can be made to your reckonable income on the basis of non-recurring overtime payments, you will be required to provide the following documentation:

o Total gross income earned from employment from tax years 2014 and 2013 (i.e. we will require P60’s for both of these years)

o Breakdown of amount(s), if any, earned from overtime in 2014;

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o Confirmation if overtime earned in 2014 is recurring or non-recurring; o If overtime is non-recurring, confirmation that the overtime will not recur in the current

tax year, and confirmation of the date that overtime was removed/ceased;

Where SUSI has made this deduction for non-recurring overtime, you will be re-assessed in the following academic year.

Foreign income We will require relevant documents for the tax year, 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 i.e. the equivalent of P60 P45 or P21. If you have income arising in the UK, you will need to send us a UK P60 for 5 April 2014 and 5 April 2015, to cover the tax year 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014. If you have income from any other country, you will need to provide us with the relevant tax document(s) from the country in which you are/were employed. F2: Documentary evidence for Social Welfare payments Please note: In the majority of cases SUSI will not require a Social Welfare Statement from applicants as we have a direct information feed with the Department of Social Protection. There is no need for you to request such Statements from your local Social Welfare office unless requested to do so by SUSI. If after the provisional assessment of your application you are asked to send SUSI a Social Welfare Statement it should contain the following:

o The name of the person getting the payment; o The type of payment; o The amount received in 2014; o If the payment included a Qualified Adult Allowance and if so, the amount; o If the payment included a Child Dependent Increase and if so, for how many children

and the amount for each child; o The date the payments started; and o The date the payments stopped (if applicable).

If you are in receipt of a social welfare payment from outside Ireland, you must send SUSI the above details from the relevant authority.

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F3: Documentary evidence for payments from other government departments You may be asked to provide SUSI with the following documents as evidence of payments received from other government departments. These may include payments from;

The HSE, FAS, Solas, Local Authorities, Pobal, Teagasc, Failte Ireland, Youthreach, Other

A statement from each government department or state agency with the following information will be required:

o The name of the person getting the payment; o The type of payment; o The amount the person received in 2014; o The date the payments started; o The date the payments stopped, (if applicable).

F4/F5: Documentary evidence for F4(Self Employment Income) and F5 (Rental Income) If you have declared yourself, your parents/legal guardians, spouse, civil partner or co-habitant to be self-employed or to have income from rental of land or property you will be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence: We recommend early filing of your tax returns. This does not bring forward the date for payment of your final tax liability. The earlier you submit the accounts to revenue, the sooner we will be able to process your grant application. If you wait until the last filing date, this may cause delays in the processing and payment of any grant you may be eligible for.

o Copy of accounts (that is, trading profit and loss account, capital account and balance sheet, for each business for the year ending in 2014. Please note, that the Form 11 or extracts from your Return of Income do not satisfy this accounts requirement.

o Adjusted Profit Computation for income tax for the 2014 tax year; o If the accounts contain a wage or remuneration expense, you must give SUSI the

detailed breakdown mentioned above under wages and remuneration adjustment. o A breakdown of bank interest and charges(if applicable) o If it applies to you, a current letter from the Revenue Commissioners exempting you

from filing tax returns or equivalent from another state. o If it applies to you, a notice of Cessation of Trading from the Revenue

Commissioners. o If your rental property is in receivership or with NAMA we require documentary

evidence of this o All pages of the Self-Assessment Statement for 2014 or its foreign equivalent. Even if

your Notice of Assessment states an income of ”0”, we still need to verify this with a set of accounts for the relevant period.

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F6: Documentary evidence for proprietary directorships and shareholdings If you have declared yourself, your parents/legal guardians, spouse, civil partner or co-habitant to be directors of a company you will be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence.

A statement from the company of which you are director or in which you have a shareholding, outlining the following:

o The registered name of the company; o The registered number of the company; o The percentage of voting rights that you control.

As part of the verification process, we may ask for copies of the audited accounts of these companies, along with a P60 if you are in receipt of a salary from this company. F7: Documentary evidence for income from pensions other than State Pensions Should you be in receipt of a pension other than a state pension you may be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o A letter from your employer(s) or the body/bodies administering your pension; o P60(s) confirming the gross amount you received in 2014; or o P21 PAYE Balancing Statement or Notice of Assessment for 2014.

F8: Documentary evidence for income from savings, deposit accounts and investments If you have declared any income from savings, deposit accounts or investments you may be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o Statements of the interest/dividends paid from the financial institution or other provider, for example, bank, building society, post office or credit union, covering the period 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2014;

o P21 PAYE Balancing Statement or Notice of Assessment for 2014.

F9: Documentary evidence for income from maintenance arrangements You may be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence of income from maintenance arrangements:

o Maintenance agreement stating the amount of maintenance you receive each month; o If there is no legal agreement in place, evidence must be provided such as bank

statements detailing the payments for 2014; o Evidence of any bills, mortgages, rent, tuition or any other such payments made as

part of the maintenance arrangement.

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F10: Details of Lump Sum Payments from Retirement or Redundancy

If you have declared that you or your parent(s)/legal guardian(s), spouse, civil partner or co-habitant retired or were made redundant you may be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

Retirement A letter from employer or the body administering pension stating;

o Your date of retirement o The gross amount of your lump sum o The number of years of pensionable service or the number of years of

contributions; o Your gross annual pension; o Your P45, if applicable.

Redundancy

A letter from your former employer stating; o The date employment ceased or became redundant; o The gross amount of lump sum received; o The number of year’s service with former employer.

F11: Documentary evidence for the disposal of assets or rights

If you have declared a disposal of assets or rights you will be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o A completed Disposal of Assets and Rights Table showing the profit or loss on the disposal of the asset or right. This may be completed when filling out the grant application form or down loaded from www.susi.ie , completed and returned to SUSI if requested.

o A Capital Gains Tax Computation for 2014.

F11: Documentary evidence for realisation of a life assurance policy You will be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence of realisation of a life insurance policy if declared on your application:

A letter from the financial institution stating: o The amount received on realisation; o The Irish tax deducted; o The amount(s) paid in premium(s); o The date the first premium was paid.

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F12: Documentary evidence for gifts or inheritances If you have declared a gift or inheritance you will be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o a completed “Gifts and Inheritances Table” which, if required, you can download from www.susi.ie;

o a letter from the executor/donor; and o Capital Acquisitions Tax Return, if applicable.

F13: Documentary evidence for income from other sources not mentioned above If you or your parents/legal guardians have declared income from other sources you may be asked to send SUSI evidence from the appropriate person or body showing:

o the gross income or gross amount received in 2014; o the source of the income; o a full description of the income;

F13: Income from Woodlands If you received income from woodlands in 2014, you must complete the Woodlands Table which, will appear at the bottom of your application form. If not, you can download the form on www.susi.ie. F14: Documentary evidence for Legally Enforceable Maintenance Payments If you have declared that you make Legally Enforced Maintenance Payments you will be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o A copy of the separation or divorce agreement; o P21 PAYE Balancing Statement or Self -Assessment Statement for 2014.

We may also ask for supporting documentation for the actual payments, e.g. bank statements.

F15: Documentary evidence for pension contributions towards retirement

If you have declare don your application that you or your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) made pension contributions towards retirement you may be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o A letter from the financial institution or agency that provides the retirement product outlining the contributions made directly by you in 2014;

o P21 PAYE Balancing Statement or Self -Assessment Statement for 2014.

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F16: Documentary evidence for retirement If you have declared on you application that you or your parent(s)/legal guardian(s), spouse, civil partner or co-habitant retired you may be asked to send SUSI the following documents as evidence:

o A letter from your employer or the body administering your pension stating; o Your date of retirement; o The gross amount of your lump sum; o The number of years of pensionable service or the number of years of

contributions; o Your gross annual pension; o Your P45, if applicable.

F16: Letter from your employer confirming your current annual salary (2015) Please download and ask your employer to complete the “Confirmation of Current Salary Form” from www.susi.ie and return this form to SUSI F16: Letter from your employer confirming that no overtime will be paid after May 2016 You may be asked to provide a letter from your employer confirming that no overtime will be paid until after May 2016

F16: Notice of Cessation of Trading 2015

If you have ceased trading you may be asked for a Notice of Cessation of Trading from the Revenue Commissioners.

F16: Notice of Redundancy 2015

If you have been made redundant in 2015, you may be asked for a letter from your employer stating;

o The date you ceased employment or became redundant; o The gross amount of your lump sum; o The number of year’s service with your employer; o P45 issued to you from your employer;

F16: P45 2015

If you have been made redundant in 2015 you may be asked for a P45.

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F16: Statement of Mortgage or Rent Supplement

If you are in receipt of a Mortgage or Rent Supplement Payment you may be asked to provide a statement from the Department of Social Protection detailing;

o The start date of payment and the total amount received to date; o The weekly amount received and the total in 2015.

Z1: Evidence of Legal Guardianship

If you have indicated on your application that you have a legal guardian then you will be asked to provide

o The official court order confirming who is your legal guardian

Z2-Z6: Death Certificates (if applicable)

We may, in certain circumstance request the death certificate for the deceased person.

Z7: Declaration Form

Please sign (all parties to the application must sign this declaration) and return the Declaration Form which you received from SUSI. If you have to provide other documentation in support of your application, please ensure it is returned with this form.

Z8: Deed Poll

If you have changed your name please provide a copy of your Deed Poll from the Courts in order to verify your change of name.

Z9: Marriage Certificate

You may, in certain instances, be required to provide a copy of your or your parent(s)’ marriage certificate.

Z10: Bank Details

Your bank details are required receive payment of any grant award. To provide your bank details please log onto your on line application through www.susi.ie with your existing username and password and enter your bank details.

Z11: Verification of Personal Details

If SUSI has not be able to successfully match your Date of Birth and PPS Number with the details obtained by our external sources we would ask that you please contact SUSI Support in order to verify that you have submitted the correct Date of Birth and PPS Number on your Application Form.

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Z12: Date of Birth Error for person on your Application Form

If there is an error on the Date of Birth of a person party to your application (i.e. listed on your application form), SUSI will be unable to process your application in full so will request that if;

the information you supplied is incorrect, that you fill out the correct information in the section provided on the letter you received from us and return it to SUSI.

the information you supplied is correct that you refer to the Department of Social Protection website (www.welfare.ie) for instructions on how to update PPSN and date of birth details on their records and once updated, fill in the updated details in the section provided on the letter you received from us and return it to SUSI.