Institutions Should Take These Steps Now to Meet HEERF Posting and Quarterly Reporting Requirements

The release of new closeout guidance for recipients of any Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) awards has many grantees looking closely at their public postings to ensure they are prepared to comply with closeout requirements. If your institution received a HEERF award, taking these steps now can help ensure you are prepared for a potential audit.

Institutions should link the completed quarterly reporting forms on their primary website no later than 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter. Each report must be separately maintained in a digital PDF document be named in the following manner: [8- digit OPEID]_[Survey Name]_[Quarter/Year]_[Date of Release]. As reporting forms have changed several times over the past few years, it is important to ensure to correct form was completed each quarter.

For each reporting period prior to Q2 2022, institutions are required to post required student information for each of the three rounds of funding including:

• An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• Total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received.
• Total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students as of the date of submission.
• Estimated total number of students at the institution that are eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• Total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under the program.
• Method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under the program.
• Instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

The required information must appear in a format and location that is easily accessible to the public and be posted no later than 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter.

For additional information on public posting requirements over time, please see the following links.

For information about HEERF grant compliance, contact us. We are here to help.

Authored by Afton Gillard, CPA.

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