Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below are answers to commonly asked questions around G5. Please refer to the G5 help for more detailed information around system functionality.


General Information

What is G5?

G5 is the Department of Education's grants management system designed to achieve the following objectives:

  • Enhance and increase program performance monitoring
  • Improve communications with system users
  • Fast-track grant award processing
  • Link dollars to results
  • Promote technical and financial stewardship
  • What information does a grant award number provide?

    A grant award number is always formatted so that certain information is provided. For example, P031B201234 shows the following:

  • P = Principal Office designator (P denotes Federal Student Aid or the Office of Postsecondary Education)
  • 031 = Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numeric suffix of the program
  • B = Alphabetic sub-program identifier
  • 20 = Last two digits of the funding fiscal year
  • 1234 = Unique identifier
  • User ID and Password

    How do I obtain a User ID and Password to access G5?

    If you are an external user of G5 (your email address does not end in @ed.gov), click on the "not registered? Sign Up" link under the login section and follow the prompts to create an account.
    If you are a U.S. Department of Education employee, you must register a new account a different way. Call 202-401-6238 for guidance on how to register for a new account if your email address ends in @ed.gov.

    What is my G5 user ID and Password?

    Your G5 user ID will be the email address you entered two times during registration process.

    How do I make changes to my G5 profile such as email address, last name, adding additional payee UEI numbers, etc.?

    If you need to change your email address, update your last name, update your UEI number, reactivate your account or add additional payee UEI numbers to your already existing registration please click here to complete the request form to do so.
    Please make sure all fields are completed correctly. Completed forms must bear the required signatures and be notarized - or, in lieu of notarization, contain a seal or stamp from the grantee organization, or be accompanied by a letter on letterhead from the Senior Officer who signs the authorization section of the form. The form should be scanned or filled out electronically and emailed to obssed@servicenowservices.com.

    How do I add additional UEI numbers to my servicer pick list?

    If you need to add additional UEI numbers to your servicer picklist please click here to complete the request form. Once the form is complete you may email it to obssed@servicenowservices.com.

    Automated Emails

    Why am I not getting the automated emails from G5?

    Please be advised that some email programs automatically filter G5 emails directly to the SPAM folder. If you do not happen to see emails from G5 regarding your account or payment request information in your Inbox, please check your SPAM or Junk Mail folder.

    I registered for an account but I have not received the account activation email. I can not activate my account.

    Please call the G5 Hotline at 1-888-336-8930. Someone can assist with resending you the account activation email.

    Contacts

    Who should I contact for additional questions or concerns regarding financial procedures and the EDCAPS/G5 system?

    Contact the G5 Hotline at 1-888-336-8930 (TTY Telephone: 1-800-877-8339). Grantees can also send questions and concerns via Email to: obssed@servicenowservices.com.

    Upload Payment Request Option

    How do I use the upload payment request feature?

    The upload payment request feature can be used if making multiple payments against multiple awards associated with the same UEI number. Information and instructions on how to use the upload feature can be located by going to Main Menu, Help Online Training, G5 Payments for External Users, Payment Request, and finally Create Payment Requests.

    Banking

    Domestic

    To establish a bank account for G5, you must complete either the

  • Original SF1199A (65 KB, Adobe PDF format), Direct Deposit Form or the Fedwire Form, containing signature of both the payee and bank officials
  • Copy of the Grant Award Document or Participation to Participate Agreement (PPA)
  • Cover letter written on payee's official letterhead requesting the new bank account or any changes to the bank account information. The cover letter must contain the payee UEI number, email address (if available) for the person to receive automated notification and original signature and phone number of the person requesting the bank information
  • International Banking

  • Original International Banking Form, containing signature of both the payee and bank officials
  • Copy of the Grant Award Document or Participation to Participate Agreement (PPA)
  • Cover letter written on payee's official letterhead requesting the new bank account or any changes to the bank account information.The cover letter must contain the payee UEI number, email address (if available) for the person to receive automated notification and original signature and phone number of the person requesting the bank information.
  • Refunds

    How do I return funds to the U.S. Department of Education?

    The Department of Education requests that refunds be sent electronically via Fedwire or as an ACH initiated through the G5 system.

    To return funds in G5:

    • To send a refund through G5, a refund bank account must have been set up first by a Payee user at the institution under "Refund Bank Account Maintenance."
    • The person with the “Payee” role in G5 goes to Payments> Refunds> Refund Creation and click on the "Refunds" tab.

    To return funds via Fedwire:

    • Institutions using an international bank account must send refunds via Fedwire. International Fedwire instructions can be found by going to Payments> Refunds> Refund Creation and clicking on the "International Refunds" tab.
    • Institutions using a domestic bank account may also choose to send a refund via Fedwire if they wish. Instructions for sending a domestic Fedwire can be found here: G5_fedwire_instructions
    • When sending a Fedwire, make sure that the wire contains details of where the funds should be applied, such as a specific grant award number if going to a grant award, or audit number for an audit finding.

    If your institution is unable to use an electronic method to submit a refund, the Department may accept a check. However, please be aware that this method will delay the application of your refund. To send a check, make it payable to the U.S. Department of Education and send it to the address below. Make sure that the check or an accompanying letter contains details of where the funds should be applied, such as to a specific grant award number or for an audit finding. Write out the complete grant award number or audit number to which the funds should be applied. We recommend sending the check via a courier service that creates a tracking number.

    US Department of Education
    Office of Finance and Operations
    Accounts Receivable and Bank Management Division
    400 Maryland Ave SW
    2nd Floor
    Washington DC 20202

  • If you have additional questions about sending a check, email the Department of Education Accounts Receivable Group at ocfoaccountsreceivable@ed.gov.
  • NOTE: If you are returning interest earned on a Department of Education grant award, those funds must be sent to the Department of Health and Human Services. See the FAQ titled “Returning interest earned on Department of Education grant awards.”

    Returning interest earned on Department of Education grant awards

    How do I return interest earned on Department of Education grants?

    Interest earned on Federal grant awards, such as Department of Education awards, must be sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This can be done via Automated Clearing House (ACH) Direct Deposit, Fedwire, or check. Please follow the below instructions for the method used when returning interest earned on Department of Education grants.

    NOTE: For non-interest refunds, please refer to the G5 refunds guidance or call the G5 Hotline at 888-336-8930.

    When returning interest via ACH, Fedwire, or check, the following information be included somewhere on the transaction:

    • Grant Award Number
    • The name of the awarding agency (such as “U.S. Department of Education”)
    • The reason for the return (such as "Interest for Department of Education Grant.")
    • The transaction or check must be payable to “the Department of Health and Human Services”

    ACH (preferred method)
    U.S. Department of Education grantees are generally located and operate domestically and return funds domestically. Below is PSC ACH account information for interest funds returned domestically. For international ACH interest funds returned, account information is available at: Returning Funds/Interest

    • PSC ACH Routing Number is: 051036706
    • PSC DFI Accounting Number: 303000
    • Bank Name: Credit Gateway - ACH Receiver
    • Location: St. Paul, MN

    FEDWIRE
    Service charges may be incurred from a grantee’s financial institution when a Fedwire to return funds is initiated. For FedWire returns of interest, Fedwire account information is as follows: • Fedwire Routing Number: 021030004
    • Agency Location Code (ALC): 75010501
    • Bank Name: Federal Reserve Bank
    • Treas NYC/Funds Transfer Division
    • Location: New York, NY

    CHECK
    Interest may be returned by check using only the U.S. Postal Service; however, returning funds via check may take 4-6 weeks for processing before a check payment may be applied to the appropriate PMS account.

    Interest returns by check are to be mailed to:
    • HHS Program Support Center
    • PO Box 979132
    • St. Louis, MO 63197

    Questions about this notice may be directed to the Education Program Contact found in Box 3 of the Grant Award Notification issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Electronically signed Grant Award Notification (GAN)

    What do I do when I receive an electronically signed Grant Award Notification (GAN)?

    To view the electronically signed GAN, log into G5 and look under the "Grant Maintenance tab>Award Document." A PDF of the GAN will be shown. If you have not already registered in G5, you will need to register before you can view the GAN. To register, follow these steps:

    • Click on the "Not Registered? Sign Up" link on the left of the G5 Homepage.
    • Enter all requested information and click on "Continue," then "Submit." Bear in mind that the name and email address entered on the registration page by key parties must match the information G5 has on file for those individuals. This information can be found on the most recent GAN or the project application. After submitting the information, an Account Activation email will be sent to the user with additional instructions.
    • Open the email and click on the "Activate My Account" link to complete the account activation process.
    • Once the account has been activated, the user will be directed to log in to G5. Once the user has logged in to G5, the "Edit Profile" page is displayed. The user should scroll down to the "Available Types" field.
    • Project directors and state directors must select the "Project Director" role from the list of "Available Types."
    • Certifying officials and authorizing officials do not select any role from the list of "Available Types".

    I received an email saying that I may access an electronically signed Grant Award Notification (GAN). What is it?

    The U.S. Department of Education program officers usually sign Grant Award Notifications (GANs) electronically. A GAN is the official document stating the amount and conditions of an award or identifying administrative changes regarding the grant award (such as the inserting the name of a new project director or the reassignment of a grant to a new program officer).
    Each time an electronically signed GAN is processed, an email will be automatically sent to grant recipients directing them to log into G5 to view and/or print the GAN. The people receiving this email will be: the ED Program Contact, the Project Director (for discretionary grants), the Certifying Official (for discretionary grants), the State Director (for formula grants) and the Authorizing Official (for formula grants). Only electronically signed GANs can be viewed in G5 and only by the Project Director and Certifying Official listed on the award. The names and email addresses of those individuals listed on the award must match exactly the names and email addresses on their G5 accounts for the GAN to appear.

    Where the electronic signature appears on my GAN, it also has the words, "Validity Unknown." What does this mean?

    The "Validity Unknown" message appears when the Adobe Reader software on the computer you are using to view the GAN is not yet configured to accept electronic signatures from the Department of Education. You will need to follow these steps below to allow Adobe Reader to accept electronic signatures. You should only have to do this once. The steps may vary for newer versions of the software.

    • Open Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat
    • Go to the "Edit" menu
    • Select "Preferences"
    • Select "Security"
    • Click on "Advanced Preferences"
    • Select the "Windows Integration" tab
    • Ensure all checkboxes are checked

    • o"Enable searching the Windows Certificate Store for certificates other than yours"
      o"Trust ALL root certificates in the Windows Certificate Store for the following operations:"Validating Signatures" and "Validating Certified Documents"