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Verification Information

FAFSA Verification Process 

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education selects a number of FAFSA applications for a process known as verification. If you are selected, please note that this decision is made by the Department of Education—not ¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç (¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç). However, you are still required to complete the verification process by submitting the appropriate documentation to ¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç’s Student Financial Services (SFS) office.

What Verification Involves 

If selected, you may be required to verify information such as:

  • Income and taxes paid
  • Household size 
  • Tax Return if IRS Transfer is not completed
  • Tax Returns for each contributor depending on tax filing status 
  • Non Filer form, if taxes not filed
  • Child support paid or SNAP (food assistance) benefits received
  • High school completion status and identity

¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç will notify you if you have been selected for verification after your FAFSA has been filed.

To facilitate the verification process, ¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç partners with Inceptia’s Verification Gateway, a secure third-party platform approved by the Department of Education. In some cases, students may be contacted directly by ¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç’s SFS office, particularly if selected for institutional or custom/aggregate verification.

Documentation and Deadlines 

  • Returning ¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç students (undergraduate, accelerated undergraduate, or graduate): All requested documents and tax information must be submitted before financial aid can be awarded.
  • New ¹ú²ú¾çÂé¶¹¾ç students: Required documents must be submitted before any financial aid can be disbursed.
  • If verification is not completed by the first day of classes or another specified deadline, federal, state, and institutional need-based aid may be canceled.

Submitting Tax Information

Before submitting tax documents, you must have already filed your federal taxes. IRS data typically becomes available:

  • 2 weeks after electronic filing
  • 8 weeks after mailing a paper return
  • If taxes are owed, information may not be accessible until after May

Failure to submit tax documents in a timely manner may delay the processing of your financial aid.