Financial Aid > Federal Programs >Verification

Verification Process

Verification is a review process in which the Office of Financial Aid determines the accuracy of the information provided on the student's financial aid application. During the verification process the student and parent (if applicable) will be required to submit documentation for the amounts listed (or not listed) on the financial aid application. Such documentation may include signed copies of the most recent Federal income tax return for you, your spouse (if any) and your parents (if you are a dependent student), proof of citizenship, proof of registration with Selective Service, and copies of Social Security benefit statements and W-2 and 1099 forms, among other things.

Financial aid applications are randomly selected by the Federal processor for verification, with most schools verifying at least 1/3 of all applications. If there is an asterisk next to the EFC figure on your Student Aid Report (SAR), your SAR has been selected for verification. Schools may select additional students for verification if they suspect fraud. Some schools undergo 100% verification.

If any discrepancies are uncovered during verification, the Office of Financial Aid may require additional information to clear up the discrepancies. If you refuse to submit the required documentation, your financial aid package will be cancelled and no aid awarded.

Data Items to be Verified
Items that generally must be verified by comparing the data items on the Student Aid Report (SAR) with identical data items on the IRS tax return and other primary documentation are any of the following data elements that were used in the computation of the student's EFC:

	Household size,
	Number enrolled in college,
	U.S. Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for base year,
	U.S. income tax paid for base year, and
	Certain untaxed income and benefits received in base year:
	Child support if the school has reason to believe it was received. Untaxed payments to IRA and/or Keogh plans. Foreign income exclusion. Earned income credit. Interest on tax-free bonds. Other untaxed income included on the U.S. income tax return. Social Security benefits.

Except for Social Security and child support, the required items of untaxed income can be verified using the tax return or alternative tax documents. Third party documentation of receipt of Social Security benefits is only required if the institution has reason to believe that benefits were received and not reported. Otherwise the institution may accept the social security amounts listed on a properly signed and completed Verification Worksheet. Likewise, a completed Verification Worksheet is sufficient to verify child support received.

Non-filers should check off that they did not file a tax return and report the amounts and sources of all untaxed income on a signed Verification Worksheet.

Signature Requirements
Verification documents, other than copies of tax returns, require the signature of the student and (if the student is dependent) at least one of the student's parents without regard to which parent's income was used in calculating the student's EFC. Adjusted Gross income, income earned from work and U.S. taxes paid are verified using a copy of a tax return signed by the filer (or at least one of the filers of a joint return), by the preparer of the return, or officially stamped with the name and address of the preparer of the return. Faxed or photocopied signatures on verification documents are acceptable assuming that they are legible.

Reconciliation
When all necessary verification documents have been obtained from the student, they should be compared with the information originally reported on the application. If verification shows that all the student's information is correct, and there is no conflicting information, aid for which the student is eligible may be awarded and disbursed.

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