Direct Deposit

There are two different ways of signing up for direct deposit at UCI. All students are recommended to sign up for direct deposit from their ZOT Account to receive disbursements and refunds electronically. Students who are employees should also consider signing up for direct deposit of their paycheck using the University of California's payroll system, UCPath.

• ZOT Account – for all students
  To receive payments from your ZOT Account (including refunds and financial aid disbursements), access DEFT by clicking the “Electronic Refunds” link in the navigation sidebar. Financial aid recipients are required to select a delivery option prior to disbursement with mail becoming the default option when no selection is made.
  
  Choose “Electronic Fund Transfer” for direct deposits to your bank account, or “Paper Check” for postal mail delivery. Complete the requested information carefully. DEFT does not verify your banking information with your bank before attempting a direct deposit. You will receive a message confirming your choice at your UCI e-mail address.
   
• UCPath Online – for student employees
  To receive payments from the Payroll system, students with work-study funding and graduate students with employment appointments (e.g., teaching and research assistantships) must use UCPath Online. For more information, see the direct deposit information on the Payroll Office website.

Student Information Updates

IT IS CRITICAL that you keep your student contact information current to transact and communicate with the university. Only you know about changes to your personal situation, such as moving to a new apartment or switching banks. Therefore you are responsible for providing up-to-date information to the campus, in a prompt and accurate manner.

• DEFT Mailing Address for Paper Check Distribution
  If you selected “Paper Check” in DEFT, your funds are mailed to either your Local Address or Permanent Address depending on what you chose in DEFT. You can switch between Local and Permanent at any time by signing into DEFT, choosing the alternate address type and then clicking on the Submit button. 
  
  If you need to update/change your Local or Permanet Address (ex. you moved) that needs to be done via the UCI Registrar's office. If you are a current student, you may update your contact information including local/residential address and permanent address by logging into Student Access. After you have made the update in Student Access, the changes will be sent to DEFT. Be sure to sign into your ZOT Account, click on Electronic Refunds, and check the DEFT Paper Check Disbursement Screen to confirm that the correct address is listed and chosen.
  
  
• Banking Information
  If you selected “Electronic Fund Transfer” in DEFT, your funds are deposited directly to your bank account using the routing number, account type, and account number you provided. If you close that account, login to DEFT and enter new banking information to correspond with your current bank.
  
  
• Legal Name and Matching SSN/ITIN
  The university uses your legal name and matching Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for identification. For example, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships needs your name and SSN to associate your FAFSA with your UCI student records.

The university also is required to report your legal name and matching SSN/ITIN on IRS Form 1098-T (Tuition Statement). By law, you are required to have the correct information on file with UCI. See How do I update my 1098-T information? for instructions on updating (adding/changing/correcting) your name and SSN/ITIN.

In addition to keeping your student information current, be sure to manage your UCI email account. Check regularly for new email, and sort and file messages promptly to clear your inbox. University offices conduct official business via email only, and you don't want to miss a deadline or lose information due to a full mail box.