When To Use “Financial Account” in Bear Tracks

In the final post from our series on the new Bear Tracks, we explore the “Financial Account” function. Read on and find out exactly when you’ll need to be using it and why.

Financial Account

Account Balance

If you have an outstanding balance (ie. if you owe the university money) the amount is displayed here. You’ll see how much you owe, by semester, in Canadian dollars.

Make a Payment

You can make tuition payments here. You can also find information on how to pay depending on which financial institution you are making the payment from.

• Note: If you have an outstanding balance or fine from Parking Services, the University Health Centre, or Residence Services, you must make payments at those locations — this section is only for payments toward tuition and fees.

Charges Due

This is where you can find what you owe for future terms and a breakdown of what exactly you are being charged for.

Payment History

This is your detailed financial payment history. Here you can see all of your payments made for the applicable year, along with any waivers that have been processed (e.g. SU Health and/or Dental plan). You can sort the results by ‘Date Posted’, ‘Description’, ‘Business Unit’, and ‘Amount’.

Fee Assessment

You can select any current, or previously completed term (Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter) and see your entire fee assessment for that timeframe. It’s a great way to break down exactly how much you are paying for each service.

Student Payment Receipt

Select any term you have attended (Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer), and print your payment receipt for that term. International students can print a detailed receipt for visa purposes by selecting the ‘View Visa Receipt’ button on this page. Why print a receipt? These receipts would be your proof of payment, if that was ever necessary. You might also need a receipt(s) for scholarship or award applications. Or maybe you are eligible to have some of these costs reimbursed and would provide these receipts to have that processed.

Direct Deposit Refund

Provide your bank account information here. In the event that you are to receive a refund for excess tuition fees or from scholarship funding (you sometimes pay your tuition in full before receiving a scholarship that would have been used to cover the cost of tuition), the refund will get deposited directly into your bank account.

If no banking information is included here and you expect to receive a refund, you’ll need to email student.payment@ualberta.ca. You’ll be issued a cheque instead.

Awards and Financial Support

From here you can Apply for Awards. Additionally, a panel will populate if you have received any awards and/or financial support.

Tax Forms

Print your T4A, T2202, and U-Pass receipts here. This is most relevant during tax season. The most commonly used one here is the T2202 Tax form which is your University credit. If you are employed by the University, you can find your T4A tax slip here too.

Payment Options and Deadlines

Here, you are linked to:

• Tuition Payment Options: Information on the different methods of paying your tuition.
• Residence Payment Options: Information on how to make payments for your on-campus living accommodations.
• Emergency Loan Payment Option: If you are in need of an emergency student loan or have fallen on hard financial times, this page will explain your options and the qualifications.
• Dates and Deadlines: All of the academic deadlines as well as financial deadlines can be found here.

Author bios: This article was written by Nathaniel Haile and edited by Joanna Manchur. Nathaniel is BA student pursuing a double major in Political Science and Economics with a double minor in International Studies and Philosophy and is currently on an AWE placement working for the Faculty of Arts as the Student Recruitment, Engagement & Communications Intern. Joanna is the Student Engagement & Communications Specialist for UAlberta Faculty of Arts, and proud Arts grad — ’02 BA Hons.