FAFSA Verification Process

The FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the federal financial aid form that students complete online to apply for federal grants and loans.

If your FAFSA is selected for verification by the Department of Education you are required to provide documentation to us that verifies information you have entered on your FAFSA. 

Required Documentation

If your FAFSA is selected, you must complete a Verification Worksheet. In addition, if you (and your parent(s) if you are a dependent student), have filed federal taxes, you will need to use the FAFSA IRS Data Retrieval Tool or submit a signed federal tax return. Alternatively, you may request and submit a Tax Transcript from the IRS. If a federal tax return was not filed a signed non-tax filer must be submitted. Please check Financial Aid Online to determine if you are required to complete verification requirements. If you are, you may download the required Verification Worksheet directly from your Financial Aid Online portal or by selecting the appropriate link, below. If your FAFSA was selected for verification be sure to complete the verification requirements as soon as possible so the determination of your eligibility for financial aid or the disbursement of your federal aid is not delayed. Please check Financial Aid Online periodically as your requirements may change.

Verification of Non-filing: Parents of dependent students or independent students who do not file a tax return must request a Verification of Non-filing letter from the IRS.

As noted above, not all students are selected for verification. Please sign in to Financial Aid Online to see if a Verification worksheet is required from you and if so, which worksheet you need to complete. 

• Verification Worksheet (Dependent): 2022-2023
• Verification Worksheet (Independent): 2022-2023

IRS Data Retrieval Tool

Students and parents should use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for more accurate and efficient processing. If you did not chose the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when you initially filed your 2021-22 FAFSA please do the following:

1. Log into your FAFSA account to “Correct info"
2. In the Financial Information section of the FAFSA, click “Link to IRS’”
3. At the IRS site, fill out the form and click on “Transfer my tax information into the FAFSA”

In some circumstances the IRS Data Retrieval Tool cannot be used.

IRS Tax Transcript Request Process

Tax filers selected for verification in the 2021-22 academic year who are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval must request a Tax Return Transcript (NOT an Account Transcript) of their 2019 tax return from the IRS. This may be done in one of three ways:
         1. Request one online from the IRS website
         2. Call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946 and follow the prompts 
         3. File IRS Form 4506-T or IRS Form 4506T-EZ

Non-tax filers: Parents of dependent students or independent students who did not file a tax return must request a Verification of Non-filing letter from the IRS and submit it to our office.

Note on Timing: Electronic filing-an IRS Tax Return Transcript may be requested within 2-3 weeks after the tax return has been accepted by the IRS. Paper filing- may take up to 8 weeks after the paper tax return was filed. 

Identity Theft Information: If you have been a victim of identity theft, you cannot obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript until the issue has been resolved by the IRS. Since resolution can take a significant amount of time, please provide a copy of the Transcript Database View (TRDBV) tax transcript to our office. You may obtain a copy of the TRDBV from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-4490.

Your Financial Aid Package after Verification

We are required to resolve any discrepancies found during verification.  As a result, the amount and type of your financial aid can change after verification is completed.