Who is eligible?
- School-term classified employees whose regular annual salary is less than $62,400. This includes classified civil service employees (eg, custodial, student nutrition services) and paraeducators. Administrators, Certificated staff members and year-round classified staff members are ineligible to participate.
- As-needed and temp employees are eligible provided they work at least 75% of the school year.
- Employees must have been employed with the district for at least one year at the time they elect to participate.
How much can I withhold?
Employees may withhold up to 10% of their regular salary.
When will my deductions begin?
Deductions typically begin on the 2nd biweekly paycheck of the new school year and are taken against 21 total school term paychecks.
When will I receive my CSESAP money?
You will receive your withheld funds and the matched funds in the summer of the year you participated. For example, if you participate in the 2024-25 CSESAP, you will be paid in the summer of 2025. You will receive the full amount in either 1 or 2 payments, depending on which option you select upon enrollment.
How much will my deductions be matched?
The CDE typically notifies school districts of the percentage to match in May of each year for the following year. Below are the matched amounts for previous school years and estimates for current or upcoming school years.
- 2025-26: Available in May 2025
- 2024-25: 64% (estimate per CDE eff 5/1/24, subject to change)
- 2023-24: 100%
- 2022-23: 100%
- 2021-22: 100%
- 2020-21: 99%
When determining the 10% contribution amount, what income should I consider?
The 10% contribution amount should be considered against your regular earnings. When calculating 10%, do not include earnings from bonuses, stipends or other additional pay.
Will I be able to change the contribution amount mid-year?
You will only be able to withdraw your election to participate or decrease your withholdings up to 30 days after the new school year has begun.
Will I be notified when my application is approved or denied?
You will receive an email in August with a summary of your elections for the new school year.
Will SFUSD be participating in this program again?
The district has participated in the program beginning with the 2020-21 and will participate for the 2025-26 school year.
How do I apply?
The enrollment period for the 2025-26 school year will begin on January 15, 2025 through March 1, 2025. You must complete the online enrollment application by 5:00PM on March 1, 2025. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. You must reapply every year if you wish to continue in the program. Please visit the SFUSD Employee Intranet for a link to the application on or after January 15, 2025.
Who do I contact if I have further questions?
Please contact the Salary Office by submitting a ticket (https://eis.sfusd.edu).
For additional FAQs you can view the California Department of Education (CDE) website: California Department of Education FAQs
Are the matching funds considered wages for tax purposes, and if so, will LEAs and participating classified employees be responsible for payroll and other applicable taxes on the matching funds?
Yes. The state matching funds are considered compensation for purposes of payroll and other applicable taxes. However, EC Section 45500(o) specifies that these funds shall not be considered compensation for purposes of determining retirement benefits for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System or the California State Teachers’ Retirement System.
It was noticed that there are taxes coming out on the CSESAP payout but the deduction is occurring post tax, so it seems as though the employee is taxed twice. The payout is taxing only the CDE Match portion. So the employee is taxed as paid and then the deduction comes out post tax and is paid back to them at the payout period with no taxes since they were already taxed. The CDE match is applied / paid during the payout and since the employee has not been taxed on that portion yet, that portion is taxed during the payout. This is from the CDE regarding taxes for the employee on the CDE Match portion.