Your Employer Can Help Pay for Your Degree

At least half of all American workers get some sort of educational benefit from their jobs. Most employers will pay only for courses that they consider to be work related. But quite a few employers (covering at least 15 percent of American workers) will pay for almost any course. Here's how to maximize your chances of getting your employer to help pay your tuition:

Check out the details of your employers' educational benefits before you sign up for a course. Make sure your course qualifies. And find out if there are any grade requirements. Some employers won't reimburse for low grades.

If your employer doesn't have a formal employment benefit, write up a request. To encourage employers to help their workers, the federal tax code now allows employers to pay as much as $5,250 a year in tuition for work-related courses. It's fairly easy for almost any employer to set up an Employer Assistance Program—it takes as little as a one-page document. Best of all, the student doesn't have to pay taxes on that money.

More on the many education benefit options available from the Journal of Accountancy.