CMU MSCF background check

[mumuyang]

Hi guys, I started my background check on May 1st, and was just notified by Re Vera that a salary discrepancy was found. I am currently working as a research assistant in the graduate school. My adviser pays my tuition, fees and monthly assistantship. So I just summed them up as my salary when I was filling the employment history section of the application form. Re Vera service tell me that the HR of my school only reported the monthly assistantship (because the school use payroll to pay this assistantship), and they ask me to explain this discrepancy.
So I got 2 questions:
1. How to calculate my salary?
2. Is this discrepancy a severe one?
This is an academic job, so I actually don't have a job offer. Please give me some suggestions, thanks very much!

 

[Keith Tan]

1. Your salary is the earnings on which you pay tax. An allowance is not salary, fyi.
2. If you are guilty of evading taxes, then yes. Otherwise, send them all documents as proof and explain. I'm sure these are lying around somewhere.

You don't want to be found guilty of tax evasion even before you start working in the financial world. otherwise this is a very serious risk matter.

 

[mumuyang]

1. Your salary is the earnings on which you pay tax. An allowance is not salary, fyi.
2. If you are guilty of evading taxes, then yes. Otherwise, send them all documents as proof and explain. I'm sure these are lying around somewhere.

You don't want to be found guilty of tax evasion even before you start working in the financial world. otherwise this is a very serious risk matter.

Thank you very much Keith. I only pay tax on the monthly assistantship. Then it turns out I made it wrong when I calculating my salary. I should have googled the definition of salary before I typing the number. I did not think too much when I was filling the employment history, because I don't have any professional working experience.

 

[CasanovaJ]

CMU asked how much money you make? wtf?... how is that even any of their business?

 

[Finance Applicant]

Maybe he/she is international and CMU needs some form of financial proof ?

 

[mhy]

AFAIK CMU does this for every applicant, regardless of citizenship. They run a full background check.