Guidance for Departmental Administrators

Introduction

The employee welfare loan scheme is available to provide loans of £250 to £1000 to employees of the Academic University[1]. For further details about the scheme, including eligibility, Departmental Administrators should refer to the Employee Welfare Loan Scheme page.

Application Information for Departmental Administrators

• Applicants should complete the application form and should then send to Departmental Administrator (or Departmental Administrator equivalent in Non-School Institutions) for the DA to check details and endorse.
• Departmental Administrators will be asked to verify personal details (personal reference number, name, address, contact phone number) and employment eligibility requirements (employment history and length of contract) and should countersign the application form to indicate that they have done so. Where it is not possible to physically sign the application, an electronic signature will suffice.
• Departmental Administrators do NOT need to confirm Financial details with the applicant (i.e. bank account details nor whether there are other loans outstanding within the University) as this will be undertaken by Finance Division.
• Departmental Administrators should email completed application forms to the Loan Administrator at employeewelfareloan@admin.cam.ac.uk.
• Applicants and Departmental Administrators should be aware of the critical timings (see below) of the application process.
• If the loan application is agreed, the loan will be given a unique Loan number, which will be added to the Loan agreement by the Loan Administrator. The Loan agreement will then be completed and signed by the Loan Administrator with delegated authority from the Director of Finance and this will be returned to the applicant. The applicant should then sign the loan agreement.
• This can be done in either of two ways:
  • the applicant should print, sign and scan the loan agreement and then email back to the loan administrator. 
  • If it is not possible to print and scan the loan agreement, the applicant should indicate their acceptance of the loan agreement terms and conditions in the cover email, with the loan agreement attached. The loan administrator will provide the wording to confirm acceptance.
• On receipt of the loan agreement signed by the applicant, the Loan Administrator will confirm the loan approval, the loan payment date and the first repayment date to the applicant, with a copy to the Departmental Administrator for reference.
• If Departmental Administrators become aware that the applicant is leaving the University before their expected contract end date, the repayment of the loan will be triggered by the timely completion of the Leavers Process. Wherever possible, Departmental Administrators are also asked to notify the Loan Administrator on the above email address.
• It is very important that the Departmental Leavers process is followed in a timely manner, where Departmental delays have impeded the recovery of outstanding loans from employees final salary payments, Departments will be liable for those payments.

Timings

• Post approval and the return of the signed loan agreement to the Loan administrator, the University will use reasonable endeavours to pay loans via BACS on the following Monday (within normal application capacity). Payments will only be made through the bank account into which the applicant’s salary is paid.