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.