20) to increase allowable gift card values from up to 100 to up to 200 and to explicitly permit gift card purchases as awards to students for financial aid when funded through grants. The revisions also clarify that W-9 forms are not required for students, that gift cards tied to cost of attendance should be reported on the student’s account for IRS purposes, and that students should not be required to provide an SSN to receive a gift card. This creates a more flexible mechanism for using federal, state, or private grant funds to support students through gift card-based incentives or emergency aid.Vendors managing grant-funded student support programs, financial aid technology, or disbursement services may see increased demand for tools to track, deliver, and report these student gift card awards in compliance with the updated policy.

Policy explicitly allows student gift cards when funded through grants, signaling ongoing and future use of Title IV or other education grants for such supports.