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Verification

Your application may be  selected for review in a process called “verification.” In this process, we will be comparing information you and/or your parent(s) provided on the FAFSA to ensure its accuracy. If you have been selected for verification, you may be wondering why and what you should do next. Most importantly, don’t be upset because you were selected for verification. This process is required by the federal government, and we often identify errors that actually result in an increase to your eligibility for federal aid.

What is Verification?

Federal regulations require colleges/schools to check the accuracy of the information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This process is referred to as "verification". If selected, the verification process must be completed before financial aid can be awarded or disbursed. Please do not submit any documentation unless requested by our office.

Important changes for 2012-13

Changes to federal financial aid regulations mean significant changes to the verification process in 2012-13. If you have been selected for verification before, you should read the instructions below carefully since the processs for submitting documentation has some critical differences that could delay the awarding of financial aid.

Why is my file being verified?

Files are selected for verification for a number of reasons including:

  • You did not use (or are not eligible to use) the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing the FAFSA.
  • You used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool but changed some of the data on the FAFSA.
  • You were selected randomly by the Federal Government
  • The submitted FAFSA application has estimated, incomplete or contradictory data.
  • You have requested reconsideration of your FAFSA based on significant recent changes to your financial situation.

What do I need to do now?

If you have been selected for verification, we will require you to provide certain documentation as soon as possible. Check MyPack to determine what information might be required including:

  • W-2's
  • the verification worksheet, signed by both parent and student
  • a Federal  Tax Transcript from the IRS for both student and parent (if both filed taxes)
    OR confirmation that you completed the IRS Data Retrieval when completing the FAFSA
  • other information regarding citizenship, marital status, income verification, household size, etc.

Please check your MyPack Portal account often to determine what information might be missing. To allow our staff time to review information efficiently, please avoid calling to confirm receipt of faxes or other information. When documents are received in our office, we will update MyPack within 2-3 days. Verifications are typically processed within 15 business days of the date that all required documentation is received. A few students may be required to submit a tax transcript after completing IRS Data Retrieval, but most students will need to complete one or the other.

Tax Transcript or IRS Data Retrieval?

We highly recommend you use the IRS Data Retrieval option on the FAFSA if you are eligible. Obtaining a Federal Tax Transcript from the IRS can cause significant delays. Instructions for obtaining a tax return transcript are below.

Federal guidelines allow us to substitute the IRS Data Retrieval process for a tax transcript in many cases. Data Retrieval will simplify the verification process by reducing the number of documents you need to submit to our office and will speed the verification of your FAFSA. However, students who use the IRS Data Retrieval and subsequently make changes to the data on the FAFSA must still submit a tax transcript. If you use the IRS Data Retrieval, you should not change any of the data which is pulled from the IRS and input on your aid application.

Certain situations may require a tax transcript even after using the Data Retrieval Tool.

Using IRS Data Retrieval

If you were selected for verification, your first step should be to log back into your FAFSA and use the IRS Data Retrieval option if you are eligible. Then you should submit your verification worksheet and any other items which we have requested from you. If you are not eligible or choose not to use data retrieval, then you will be required to submit a Tax Transcript.

If you did not use the IRS Data Retrieval tool when completing the FAFSA, we encourage you to do so now to speed the verification process:

  • Log into www.fafsa.gov
  • Select Make FAFSA Corrections and navigate to the financial data section
  • Follow the instructions to determine if you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval

IRS data is available approximately 2 weeks after filing your taxes electronically and approximately 8 weeks after filing a paper tax return. For more information and tutorials on the IRS Data Retrieval process, please visit our IRS Data Retrieval page.

What if there are discrepancies between my original FAFSA and the verification documents?

You may be asked to provide additional forms or documentation. You will receive an email from the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, and you should check your  MyPack Portal account frequently for notification of additional items that may be needed. After all required documents have been received and compared to your FAFSA, we will make any corrections necessary.

Because verification must be completed before financial aid can be awarded or disbursed to you, it is vital to send accurate and complete information as quickly as possible.

How do I obtain a tax transcript from the IRS?

Do not have transcripts sent directly to our office - they must be sent to you. When you receive the tax transcript, please include the student’s ID# and name before sending to our office. There are a number of ways to obtain a copy of your Federal Tax Transcript from the IRS, but there may be significant delays involved so please plan ahead:

Option 1 - Online request at www.irs.gov

  • On the main page under Tools, Click “Order a Return or Account Transcript”
  • Click “Tax Return Transcript” in Section 1
  • Click “Order a Transcript”
  • Provide the tax filer’s SSN, DOB, street address, and ZIP Code (these must exactly match the data provided on your tax return).
  • Click “Continue”
  • In the “Type of Transcript” field, select “Return Transcript” and appropriate year requested in the “Tax Year” field.
  • If successfully linked, tax filers can expect a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript to be mailed to the specified address within 5-10 days. Once received, please send it to our office.

Option 2 - Telephone Request

  • Automated attendant – 1-800-908-9946
  • Live person (not recommended) – 1-800-829-1040 – be prepared for significant hold times. You may be able to request that the transcript be faxed to you rather than be mailed.

Option 3 - Paper Request

  • IRS Form 4506T – MUST BE USED IF YOU MOVED SINCE FILING YOUR TAXES
  • Available for download at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506t.pdf?portlet=103
  • We are unable to serve as a third party recipient of your Tax Transcript because we cannot match your records without an NC State student ID number. Please have the IRS send the transcript directly to you so that you may include the student's name and student ID number before forwarding it to our office.

Option 4 - Visit your local IRS Office