Selection for Verification

Verification is the process of checking the data you reported on the FAFSA against actual Federal income tax return transcripts and statements documenting household size, number in college and untaxed income. The Federal processor selects student FAFSA results for verification.  Students are notified in the cover letter of their Student Aid Report (SAR) that they have been selected for review and an asterisk is placed next to the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number on the front page of the SAR. 

If you are selected for review, realize this is a common process. Its goal is to maintain an accurate and fair need analysis. Respond promptly to your school's request for a Verification Worksheet and other data. Failure to provide data will result in delays, and possible cancellation of Federal aid.

Verifications are handled by college student financial aid offices; don't send documentation to the Federal processor. If errors are found, the financial aid officer will make necessary corrections with an electronic process that only takes a few days. You will receive a new SAR Information Acknowledgement from the Central Processor so you know what corrections were made. Corrections could affect financial aid estimates that were sent to you earlier. If your awards change significantly, the Financial Aid Office will send you a revised Award Letter.

New for the 2013-14 school year, the Federal processor may select students for one of the five verification categories:

• Standard Verification Group

• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Verification Group

• Child Support Verification Group

• Custom Verification Group

• Aggregate Verification Group

While most students selected will fall into the Standard Verification Group, some may be chosen for one of the other four groups.  The Financial Aid office will send a Verification Worksheet for your appropriate verification group to you at your permanent address.  It is extremely important that you submit the information that is requested in your verification worksheet.

Requesting A Tax Return Transcript

Federal verification guidelines do not consider copies of a Federal Tax Return as sufficient documentation of income for verification purposes.  Therefore, students and parents who are selected to verify income and did not use the IRS Data Retrieval process while completing their FAFSA will need to submit copies of an IRS Tax Return Transcript.

On The Web-Go to www.IRS.gov and click on the “Order a Return or Account Transcript” link.

By Phone-Call 1-800-908-9946

In Person-Most IRS local offices can issue you a tax transcript on the spot.  To find an office is your area, go to http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-Your-Local-IRS-Office-1 and select your state.

• The following information is needed to request a transcript—Social Security Number, date of birth, and the address on file with the IRS (normally this will be the address used when the 2012 tax return was filed).
• It takes up to 2 weeks for IRS income information to be available for electronic IRS tax return filers, and up to 8-12 weeks for paper IRS tax return filers.
• Be sure to request the “IRS Tax Return Transcript” and not the “IRS Tax Account Transcript”.
• We strongly recommend that you have the transcript sent to you and then you submit a copy to our office, and keep a copy for your own records.
• Be sure to submit all pages of the transcript.
• For more assistance in obtaining a transcript, either go to your local IRS office, or call 1-800-829-1040 to speak with an IRS representative.

IRS Data Retrieval Tool

For individuals who used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool in FAFSA on the Web to retrieve and transfer unchanged 2012 IRS income information into the student’s FAFSA, either on the initial FAFSA or when making corrections to the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office will use this information instead of a tax transcript.  Please note, in some instances, a transcript may still be needed. 

If you have not yet used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, but will use it to transfer 2012 IRS income information into the student’s FAFSA instead of requesting a Tax Return Transcript, please notify the Financial Aid Office once the FAFSA has been successfully updated with the IRS data.

We have experienced a high volume of students and parents who believe they have used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA, but the FAFSA results received by the school do not indicate a successful transfer.  Therefore, we strongly recommend that you request an IRS Tax Return Transcript for Verification purposes.  Submitting a transcript with your Verification Worksheet may decrease your processing time.

IRS Tax Extensions

If you or your parent has been granted an extension of time for completing a 2012 Tax Return and you do not expect the return to be filed in time for the completion of your verification, please contact the Financial Aid office for additional information.