Housing Subsidy

[twoteachers]

When a teacher is given a housing subsidy, how is that usually done? Our contract gives us an amount for us and our kids per month. Is that in our paycheck usually? Or paid directly to our landlord? If you don't use all of it, do you just keep the rest to save? How has this worked for you in the past?

[wrldtrvlr123]

I have seen it/heard of it done many different ways. Only your school will know for sure how they do it. If it is paid directly to you (and sometimes when it is paid to the landlord), you generally will get to keep the difference, if any.

[Overhere]

Definitely done differently depending on the school. At my present school it is deposited into our local account only after we supply the receipt from the previous month. At a previous school we were given the cash every 6 months and at yet another school it was deposited in our account with no receipt necessary. In the first and second case we saved money on our rent and could use it as we saw fit.

[shadowjack]

At my present school you must submit the rental contract and money is placed in your account up to a specified amount every few months.

At my last school housing was provided, as it was at another school I was at. I've also had a flat housing allowance that you could use as you saw fit.

It varies, as you can see :-)

[PsyGuy]

You generally see the following systems (though this doesnt preclude other systems):

0) The higher tier the school the more likely your housing allowance is "fixed" meaning regardless of how much you actually pay (more or less) you get a fixed/set amount, if there is surplus you generally keep it. At lower tier schools the housing allowance is a maximum but you only get what you actually spend. If your housing allowance is 700 and your rent + allowable utilities (as reported by your property owner/agent) is only 650, you only get 650, the remaining 50 is lost. An IS may require receipts, copies of rental agreements, etc.

1) Salary Disbursement: Your housing allowance (and your local travel allowance, and any other allowances) are added as a line item on your pay slip. You either pick it up with your pay packet (envelope O cash) or its deposited in your local bank account.

2) Allowance Reimbursement: This is a separate disbursement day from your salary disbursement. Your salary will be paid regularly on a monthly basis, but your allowances are either paid on a different day or not regularly. You IS may pay allowances every other month or every 3 months, or alternate middle of the month end of the month. Usually you get all your allowances on the same day.

3) Direct Payment: The IS pays the bills directly, usually found in school controlled housing. You never see anything unless there is something unusual.

4) Managed Payment: You get an invoice/bill from the school on a certain date each month before your salary disbursement. It lists your rent, utilities, services and then deducts whatever the appropriate allowance there is. Whatever the balance is you either pay directly or you sign an acknowledgment to have it deducted from your salary disbursement.
This one if my preferred method, since it allows one (usually) to have different services like distilled water delivery, internet, mobile or other services sent/dropped off to the IS, you supply/authorize the payment, and then the IS staff handles the individual payments to the various providers.

[whoamI?]

My school let me choose:

1)monthly stipend of set dollars (or in my case, ren ming bi)

2) a certain amount if I chose to live with roommates (the school would put us in a 9000-10 000rmb a month flat)

3) or a single apartment allowance, which was the same as the monthly stipend.

I chose the stipend, but as you can see, every case is different!

Good luck