SoFi

If you’re working and want to continue school but aren’t sure how to fund it, your employer may offer assistance.
It’s called tuition reimbursement, and it’s how many companies help employees pay for continuing their education. Tuition reimbursement programs are growing in popularity as companies work to attract and retain employees.

What is tuition reimbursement? It’s when companies such as Starbucks, Amazon, Target, and more offer programs to help employees pay for a portion of their educational costs. These programs vary by company. Some may only cover course costs if the path of education is related to your job. Others may require employees to remain with the company for a certain period of time after completing their degree.

If you’re wondering, how does tuition reimbursement work?, read on to learn the tuition reimbursement meaning and to find out the requirements involved.

What Is Tuition Reimbursement?

Tuition reimbursement, or tuition assistance, is an arrangement where an employer pays for part or all of an employee’s continuing education whether undergraduate degrees or graduate school.

How does tuition reimbursement work? Your employment contract may lay out the terms of the tuition reimbursement: how much of your tuition your company will cover, what courses qualify, any minimum GPA requirements, and the minimum time period of employment.

Tuition reimbursement is often offered as an employee benefit on top of a salary package, along with other benefits like health insurance, a 401(k), or transportation expenses.

This is different from student loan repayment assistance, when your company provides some amount of money toward student loans you already have.

Not every company offers tuition reimbursement, but many large ones do provide reimbursement or financial support for continuing education. Some companies may stipulate that courses must relate to your current work.

Recommended: What Are College Tuition Payment Plans and How Do They Work?

Why Companies Offer Tuition Reimbursement

Tuition reimbursement is a perk that helps a company attract and retain employees, while also benefiting the company itself, since the courses you take may provide skills or knowledge you can put into practice at work.

Some companies are upping their educational benefits as a way to stay competitive. They may offer a range of benefits to their employees like refinancing student loans and student loan contributions.

Not sure if your employer offers tuition reimbursement? Check with your HR representative to see what options are available.

Tuition Reimbursement Requirements

The specifics of each company’s tuition reimbursement policy are likely laid out in an employment contract, but it’s common for a company to offer a tuition reimbursement only in accordance with certain eligibility requirements.

You’ll probably have to sign up and pay for the courses yourself first, so you’ll want to budget appropriately. In most cases you’ll need to pay for your courses out of pocket and then provide proof of completion and your grades in order to be reimbursed.

Program requirements

Your employer may limit its reimbursement program to certain institutions. For example, they may provide a list of accredited institutions you can choose from. Or they require that you attend a four-year program.

Coursework Requirements

Your company may reimburse you only for classes pertaining to your current job description.

Other times, companies will approve courses focused on moving you into a management role or on gaining skills you can put toward other future roles or assignments. For example, if you work in project management for a large corporation and are interested in learning how to use data visualization, you might be able to take community college courses in data production and visual graphics.

After understanding what courses qualify for tuition reimbursement, you could then look over the other requirements. For example, there may be minimum GPA or attendance requirements.

Timeframe Requirements

Sometimes a company will also require you to continue working with them for a set amount of time, since they’ve invested in your education and don’t want you to take those new skills to a competitor.

Tuition Reimbursement And the FAFSA®

An employer’s tuition reimbursement program doesn’t preclude you from filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In most scenarios, an employer is unlikely to cover 100% of tuition costs, and you may still qualify for aid in the form of federal loans and grants.

That said, you will be asked to note how much you are reimbursed for, which may have an effect on how much financial aid you’re offered.

Is Tuition Reimbursement Taxable?

While you should always consult with a licensed tax professional regarding the current tax law, and in no way should any of this information be considered tax advice, the IRS’ website currently states that employers can deduct the cost of tuition reimbursement (up to $5,250 annually). It’s a business expense for them. The IRS website also states that the first $5,250 of tuition reimbursement isn’t considered taxable income for employees. However, anything above that counts as part of your taxable wages and salary. Again, talking to a tax professional is always recommended.

The IRS does have some requirements on tax-free educational assistance benefits — which are not necessarily the same requirements your employer has.

Typically, for the IRS to consider tuition assistance as tax-free, it should be used to pay for tuition, fees, textbooks, supplies, or equipment.

And typically, it can’t be used for meals, lodging, transportation, or any equipment you keep after the course. It’s also not applicable to sports, games, or hobbies — unless they’re a degree requirement or you can prove they’re related to your employer’s business.

Again, consult with an accountant or tax attorney to get the complete picture.

What Are Other Options to Lower Education Costs?

The average cost of attending a four-year public college as an in-state student during the 2022-23 school year was $10,950, and that price tag only goes up for private schools and out-of-state students.

Federal Student Aid

For those who do not qualify for employer offered tuition reimbursement, there are other options that could be worth considering. As mentioned above, students can fill out FAFSA® annually. This allows them to apply for all types of federal student aid, including scholarships and grants, work-study, and federal student loans.

Private Student Loans

Beyond that, some may consider private student loans.

While one of the basics of student loans is that they offer students the opportunity to finance their education, private student loans don’t always have the same borrower protections, like income-driven repayment plans, that are afforded to federal student loans. For this reason, they are most often considered only after all other options.

Recommended: Private Student Loans Guide

Refinancing Existing Student Loans

If you already have student loans, when it comes time to repay you could consider refinancing to a lower interest rate. One of the advantages of refinancing student loans is that it could help you reduce the amount of money paid in interest over the total life of the loan; refinancing at a lower monthly payment could help with budgeting in the short term. However, lowering monthly payments is frequently the result of extending the loan term, which will result in increased cost over the life of the loan.

It’s important to know that there are various federal student loan repayment options and borrower protections (such as deferment or forbearance options). Refinancing federal loans eliminates them from these programs.

The Takeaway

Employers who offer tuition reimbursement programs will cover a portion of tuition costs if the employee meets specific program eligibility requirements. These requirements vary by company, but may include things like maintaining a minimum GPA, doing certain coursework, and stipulations around the length of employment.

Refinancing is another method that might help you lower your education costs. If you’re looking to refinance your student loans now, prequalifying online with SoFi takes just two minutes. SoFi offers student loan refinancing with low fixed and variable rates, flexible terms, and no fees.

Learn more about refinancing your student loans with SoFi.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

This article is not intended to be legal advice. Please consult an attorney for advice.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.

Net income (NI), or net earnings, is the amount of money a company has left after subtracting operating expenses from revenue. Retained earnings goes a step further, subtracting dividend payouts to shareholders.

Companies have several different types of earnings, each of which provide different information about their revenues and insight into their financial health. On a company’s balance sheet — which is a key piece of information in evaluating a company’s stock value — it will report details about its expenses and earnings, including retained earnings and net income.

What Is Net Income?

Net income (NI) is an indication of how profitable a company is. It is a basic calculation showing the difference between its earnings and expenses, which can include labor, marketing, depreciation, interest, taxes, operational expenses, and the cost of making products.

How to Calculate Net Income

The net income formula below can be used to calculate the net income of a company:

Net Income = Revenue – Expenses

For example, if a company makes $50,000 in revenue during an accounting period and has $30,000 in expenses, their net income is $20,000.

Understanding Net Income

Net income is often referred to as the bottom line, since it appears on the bottom line of a company’s balance sheet and is the basic calculation of a company’s profit.

NI is used when calculating earnings per share, and is one of the key figures investors use when evaluating companies. When people talk about a company being in the red or in the black, they are referring to whether the company has a positive or negative net income.

It’s important to note that net income can be manipulated through the hiding of expenses and other means. It can be hard to figure out if this is happening, but investors might want to be wary of this and look into what numbers are being used in the net income calculation, and a good time to do so may be around a company’s earnings call.


💡 Quick Tip: How do you decide if a certain trading platform or app is right for you? Ideally, the investment platform you choose offers the features that you need for your investment goals or strategy, e.g., an easy-to-use interface, data analysis, educational tools.

What Are Retained Earnings?

Retained earnings (RE) may also be referred to as unappropriated profit, uncovered loss, member capital, earnings surplus, or accumulated earnings.

Profitable companies try to strike a balance between reinvesting in their business and paying out dividends to please shareholders. After a company completes dividend payouts, they retain the amount of earnings that are left, and may decide to reinvest them into the business to continue to grow, pay off loans, or pay additional dividends.

It’s useful to understand RE when looking into companies to invest in, because they show whether a company is profitable or if all of their earnings are going towards dividends. If a company’s retained earnings are positive, this means they have money available to invest and put towards growth.

On the other hand, if a company has negative retained earnings, it means they are in debt, which is generally not a good sign.

How to Calculate Retained Earnings

Use the following formula to calculate the retained earnings of a company:

Retained earnings = Beginning retained earnings + Net income or loss – Dividends paid (cash and stock)

All of this information is available on a company’s balance sheet. In order to find beginning retained earnings one will need to look at the previous period’s balance sheet.

For example, if a company starts with $8,000 in retained earnings from the previous accounting period, these are the beginning retained earnings for the calculation. If the company makes $5,000 in net income and pays out $2,000 in dividends to shareholders, the calculation would be:

$8,000 + $5,000 – $2,000 = $11,000 in retained earnings for this accounting period. Since retained earnings carry over into each new accounting period, profitable companies generally have increasing retained earnings over time, unless they decide to spend them.

Understanding Retained Earnings

The calculated retained earnings show a company’s profit after they have paid out dividends to shareholders. If the calculation shows positive retained earnings, this means the company was profitable during the specified period of time. If the retained earnings are negative, this means the company has more debt than earnings.

Companies can use this figure to help decide how much to pay out in dividends and how much they have available to reinvest.

Although negative RI isn’t ideal, investors should consider the company’s individual circumstances when evaluating the results of the calculation. There are some instances in which negative retained earnings are fairly normal and not necessarily a reason to avoid investing.

How To Assess Retained Earnings

When assessing the retained earnings of a company, the following factors should be taken into account:

•   The company’s age. If a company is only a few years old, it may be normal for it to have low or even negative retained earnings, since it must make capital investments in order to build the business before it has made many sales. Older companies tend to have higher retained earnings. If a company has been around for many years and has low or negative retained earnings, this may indicate that the company is in financial trouble.

•   The company’s dividend policy. Some companies don’t pay out any dividends, while others regularly pay out high dividends. This will affect their retained earnings. In general, publicly-held companies tend to pay out more dividends than privately-held companies.

•   The period of time used in the calculation. Some companies are more profitable at certain times of year, such as retail businesses. If one looks at retained earnings during the holiday season or other popular times for retail, the company may save up their profits from those times in order to get through slower times. For this reason, the same company might show different retained earnings depending on what time period is used in the calculation.

•   The company’s profitability. More profitable companies tend to have higher retained earnings.

What’s the Difference Between Retained Earnings and Net Income?

Although retained earnings and net income are related, they are not the same.

Similarities

Both metrics help investors understand a company’s profitability, which is a chief similarity. They’re both calculated in similar ways, too, though obviously, calculating retained earnings requires some extra steps. Net income also has a direct impact on retained earnings.

Differences

There are differences to keep in mind. For one, you may not find retained earnings on a company’s income statement, and calculating retained earnings will differ from company to company as not all firms pay out the same dividends.

Note, too, that while net income helps with understanding profit, retained earnings help with understanding both profit and growth over time.

Example of Retained Earnings vs Net Income Differences

At times, a company may have negative retained earnings but positive net income — providing a good example of the difference between the two. This is what is known as an accumulated deficit. Or the opposite may occur. For example, if a company earned $60,000 in revenue and they have $40,000 in expenses, their net income is $20,000. If they then pay out $10,000 in dividends to shareholders, the retained earnings calculation would be:

$0 + $20,000 – $10,000 = $10,000 in retained earnings

If a company has a healthy net income and retained earnings, this may be a good time for them to reinvest some of their money into growing the business. In some cases, retained earnings and net income may be the same — as when a company doesn’t pay out dividends and has no retained earnings carried over from the previous period.


💡 Quick Tip: How to manage potential risk factors in a self directed investment account? Doing your research and employing strategies like dollar-cost averaging and diversification may help mitigate financial risk when trading stocks.

Why Do Retained Earnings and Net Income Matter?

Investors are often interested in retained earnings and net income because they help show the long-term financial health of a company. Figures such as revenue and expenses vary with each accounting period, and they don’t give as accurate a picture of debt and opportunity for growth.

Understanding how much profit a company really has after dividend payouts and expenses can better help investors assess the risk and opportunity involved with investing in a company. Since RI carry over into each new accounting period, they show how much a company has saved, earned, and spent over time. (Another calculation used for evaluating a company’s profitability and debt is the debt-to-equity ratio, which is a measure of how much debt it takes for a company to run its business.)

Retained earnings are also useful for companies to help determine how to spend their money. If retained earnings and/or net income are low, it might be best for the company to save their money rather than reinvesting it or paying out dividends. If the numbers are high, they can consider spending it.

The Takeaway

Net income and retained earnings are two useful calculations that can help investors assess a company’s health, and that can help a company decide what to do with their earnings. They’re a key part of a company’s overall financial picture.

The big difference between the two figures is that while net income looks at revenue minus operating expenses, retained earnings further deducts dividend payouts from NI. Both can help form an overall view of the profitability and risk of a company.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

FAQ

Should retained earnings be higher than net income?

No, because retained earnings are derived from net income. Net income is a larger number, and retained earnings are calculated from net income.

Does retained earnings mean net income?

No, the two are similar metrics, but not the same. Net income is a company’s revenue minus expenses, and retained earnings incorporate expenses and dividends paid out.

How does net income flow to retained earnings?

Broadly speaking, retained earnings are the remainder of net income after the amount of dividends paid out to shareholders has been factored into the equation.

SoFi Invest®