Individual Banking Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who should use the Individual Banking module in Research.gov?

Certain individuals such as postdoctoral fellowship recipients, honorary award recipients, invitational travelers, and Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) program staff who receive payments from NSF directly to their individual bank account by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

  • If you meet the criteria for this NSF payment process, you were notified via automated email of the steps that must be completed in Research.gov to initiate NSF payments. The automated email was sent from the “NSF Individual Banking” email address (btdfm005@nsf.gov) with “ACTION REQUIRED: Steps to Initiate NSF Payments” in the subject line.
  • Banking information provided in Research.gov is secure and will be used by NSF to make EFT payments to you and only as authorized by law.
  • You should not enter banking information in Research.gov if you are an individual who does not have a U.S. bank account, you are a reviewer, or you are a panelist. Organizations utilize NSF’s Award Cash Management $ervice (ACM$) for award payments and post-award financial processes

How do I register for an NSF account (NSF ID)?

In order to enter banking information in Research.gov, you must have an NSF account (NSF ID). For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Register for an NSF Account section of the Account Management guide. Please see page 4 of the Individual Banking how-to guide for specific guidance related to individual banking.

The email address associated with my NSF account is not the same as the one where I received the automated email regarding NSF payments. What should I do?

It is critical that your NSF account is associated with the email address in the "To" line of the automated email sent to you. If your existing NSF account in Research.gov has a primary email address that differs from the email address in the "To" line of the automated email, please update the primary email address in your NSF account to the one in the "To" line of the automated email. Refer to the View and Edit My NSF Account Profile section of the Account Management guide for step-by-step instructions to view your NSF account primary email address and to update it if needed. Please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM Eastern Time; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov for assistance if you would like to maintain your primary email address in Research.gov.

I have received an email saying I have been identified to receive NSF payments to my bank account. What do I do now?

Follow the steps in the Individual Banking how-to guide to enter your banking information in Research.gov.

What do I do if I delete the automated Individual Banking email sent to me regarding steps to initiate NSF payments?

Please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM Eastern Time; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov for assistance if you cannot access the automated Individual Banking email NSF sent to you.

Why do I need to enter my Social Security Number?

In accordance with the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Chapter I, submission of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) will only be requested where it is necessary for business purposes (e.g., financial reimbursement). An SSN is solicited under the NSF Act of 1950, as amended.

PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on this form is required under the authority of 31 U.S.C. 3332 and 31 C.F.R. 210. This information will be used by the NSF and the Treasury Department to make payment by electronic means to the financial institution account of an individual, vendor, or contractor. The information requested may be disclosed to the Department of the Treasury for the purpose of issuing a payment directly to the financial account of the payee, and to report income paid in accordance with reporting requirements; to financial institutions for the purpose of direct deposit; to government contractors or experts as necessary to complete assigned work; and to another Federal agency, court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Failure to provide full and complete information may delay or prevent the receipt of payment. See the full text of Privacy Act System of Records Notice NSF-65 at https://www.nsf.gov/privacy/. 

NSF’s collection of proposal and award information is approved under the Paperwork Reduction Act (OMB No. 3145-0058).  The total paperwork burden for each proposal submitted is estimated to be an average of 120 hours.  The public reporting burden for this particular collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:  Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314.

What do I do if I received an error when I entered my SSN?

If you receive an error when entering your SSN, please contact the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-1532 (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM Eastern Time; Monday – Friday except federal holidays) or via rgov@nsf.gov. These methods should only be used to contact the NSF Help Desk with inquiries or for assistance and must not be used to transmit banking information or any personally identifiable information such as your SSN to NSF.

If I have an international address, will I still be able to receive my payments?

Individuals can have an international address, but they must have a valid SSN and U.S. bank account to enter banking information in Research.gov.

I have an international bank account, where should I enter my banking information?

You must have a U.S. bank account to enter banking information in Research.gov. If you do not have a U.S. bank account, please send an email to itrkinqry@nsf.gov with "Individual Banking" in the subject line to discuss your situation.

Where does a reviewer or panelist enter banking information?

If you are a reviewer or panelist, please follow guidance issued by NSF Program staff with regard to providing banking information to NSF.

How does an organization enter its banking information?

Organizations registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) enter and manage banking data in the organization's SAM profile. NSF receives the organization's banking information directly from SAM.gov. For more information, please visit https://sam.gov/.

If I am an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignee, how do I update my address information?

When using the Individual Banking module in Research.gov, all users are asked to also enter address information as part of the form.  However, when an IPA user enters any address updates along with their banking information, NSF systems will only receive the updated banking information from this form, not any address updates.  IPAs must continue to work with their Administrative Officer and Human Resource Business Partner to update their address in the IPA Connector system. Please inform your Administrative Officer and HR representative of any address updates entered in the Individual Banking module in Research.gov so that they can be added to IPA Connector.