Verification

2013-2014 FAFSA Information to be Verified

The following is a list of documents and information that the Financial Aid office may request for applicants who complete a FAFSA for the 2013-2014 award year and are selected by the Department of Education for verification. Information is to be verified for the applicant and, if appropriate, his or her parent(s) or spouse.

Information to be verified (the required information may differ from student to student. The school will inform the student which specific information must be verified):

Adjusted Gross Income (tax filers only)
Income Tax Paid (tax filers only)
Untaxed Income - Only the following untaxed income if reported on the 2013-2014 FAFSA (tax filers only):

Untaxed IRA distributions
Untaxed pensions
Education credits
IRA deductions

Number of Household Members
Number of Household Members enrolled at least half-time at an eligible post-secondary institution
Food Stamps - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - If receipt is indicated on the 2013-2014 FAFSA
Child Support Paid - If reported on the 2013-2014 FAFSA
High School Completion Status
Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose
W2 form
Statement of Non-Filing (non tax filers only)

IRS Data Retrieval Process

Applicants selected for verification who retrieve and transfer their income tax return information using the IRS Data Retrieval Process - either when initially completing the FAFSA using FAFSA on the Web (FOTW) or through the corrections process of FOTW - will be considered to have verified the FAFSA IRS information (AGI, taxes paid, and any of the applicable untaxed income items). However, if changes were made to the transferred information or if the institution has reason to believe that the information transferred is inaccurate, the applicant must provide other acceptable documentation.

IRS Tax Return Transcript Required

Under certain conditions, some applicants who were selected for verification will need to submit to their institution an IRS Tax Return Transcript of 2012 tax year information for the applicant, his or her spouse, and his or her parents, as applicable. These conditions are as follows:

When the applicant (or parent) did not use the IRS Data Retrieval Process - either at initial FAFSA filing or though the FOTW correction process.
When information included on the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Process was subsequently changed.
When a married independent applicant and spouse filed separate tax returns.
When the parents of a dependent student filed separate tax returns.
When an applicant or applicant’s parent had a change in marital status after the end of the tax year on December 31, 2012.
When the applicant, or parent or spouse, as applicable, filed an amended tax return.

Using the IRS Data Retrieval Process, either when initially completing a FAFSA or by using the corrections functionality of FOTW, provides you with the fastest, easiest, and most secure solution for meeting verification requirements.

NOTE: We strongly recommend that when you do the FAFSA that you upload your tax information through the IRS Data Retrieval Process. Once you have done this do not make any manual changes without consulting your financial aid office.

IRS Tax Return Transcript Request Process
Tax filers can request a transcript, free of charge, of their 2012 tax return from the IRS in one of three ways.

Online Request

Available on the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov
In the Online Services section of the homepage click “Order a Tax Return or Account Transcript”
Click “Order a Transcript”
Enter the tax filer’s Social Security Number, date of birth, street address, and zip or postal code. Use the address currently on file with the IRS. Generally this will be the address that was listed on the latest tax return filed. However, if an address change has been completed through the US Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
Click “Continue”
In the Type of Transcript field, select “Return Transcript” and in the Tax Year field, select “2012”.
If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address included in their online request, within 5 to 10 days from the time the on-line request was successfully transmitted to the IRS.
IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested online cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.

Telephone Request

Available from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-9946
Tax filers must follow prompts to enter their social security number and the numbers in their street address. Generally this will be numbers of the street address that was listed on the latest tax return filed. However, if an address change has been completed through the US Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
Select “Option 2” to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript and then enter “2012”.
If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address that was used in their telephone request, within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives the request.

IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested by telephone cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.

Paper Request Form – IRS Form 4506T-EZ

IRS Form 4506T-EZ should be used instead of IRS Form 4506-T because it is sufficient to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript.
Download at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506tez.pdf
Complete lines 1 – 4, following the instructions on page 2 of the form. Note that line 3 should be the most current address as filed with the IRS. It is the address where the IRS Tax Return Transcript will be sent. If the address has recently changed, include the address listed on the latest tax return filed on Line 4. However, if an address change has been completed through the US Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
Line 5 provides tax filers with the option to have their IRS Tax Return Transcript mailed directly to a third party by the IRS.
Institutions are responsible for notifying aid applicants whether to list the institution as the third party to receive the Transcript or not. Some institutions may have difficulty matching a parent’s incoming IRS Tax Return Transcript to the aid applicant, as the two names may be different.
On line 6, enter “2012” to receive IRS tax information for the 2012 tax year that is required for the 2013-2014 FAFSA.
The tax filers (or spouse if requesting information from a joint tax return) must sign and date the form and enter their telephone number. Only one signature is required to request a transcript for a joint return.

• Mail or fax the completed IRS Form 4506T-EZ to the appropriate address (or FAX number) provided on page 2 of Form 4506T-EZ.

Tax filers can expect to receive their transcript within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives and processes their signed request. NOTE: Processing form 4506T-EZ means verifying/validating the information provided on the form. If any information does not match the IRS records, the IRS will notify the tax filer that it was not able to provide the transcript.

NOTE: The IRS will only issue you one copy of your Tax Return Transcripts so you may want to make a copy for yourself.