Verification is a process in which information on a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is reviewed by a school for accuracy and completeness. Each year, the Federal U.S. Department of Education selects certain applicants for verification. The verification process requires the Financial Aid Office to confirm the data supplied by the student and/or parent(s). Although the College cannot determine who will be selected for verification each year, students should anticipate selection. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, immediately submit all requested documentation to our office for review. Failure to provide required documentation by stated deadlines may negatively impact your financial aid award package.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How will I know if I am selected for verification?
Your Student Aid Report (SAR) will indicate whether or not your file has been selected for verification. The SAR is typically accessed via a link sent to you by the U.S. Department of Education after you file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are selected for verification, there will be an asterisk* next to your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) figure on your SAR. You will also receive notification via your student email from the Financial Aid Office alerting you to check your ‘To Do List’ on our Student Information System to determine what documentation you will be required to submit before your financial aid application is fully processed.
Should I send documentation even if my application has not been selected for verification?
Students should not send any financial documentation unless requested to do so. GCC only verifies the FAFSA information of selected students or in special cases when inconsistent information is found. However, the Financial Aid Office must review all information in its possession, even for students not selected for verification. Sending in information that is not required could result in unnecessary delays in the disbursement of your financial aid. If you need to make corrections to your FAFSA, you may do so by logging into your online application.
Why was I selected for verification?
Many students selected for verification are chosen randomly. However, you are more likely to be selected for verification if the data you provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was inconsistent, if the FAFSA you submitted was incomplete, or if your FAFSA contained estimated information.
If I am selected for verification, what do I need to do?
If your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was selected, participation in the verification process is mandatory and must occur before need-based Federal and State student financial aid will be awarded and/or disbursed. Students must submit the required documentation to verify the information on the FAFSA. Students may log into their MyGCC account, Student Center, To Do List to review any outstanding requirements.
Please note that during the process of verification, new or additional information may be required in order to clarify inconsistencies. The Financial Aid Office will contact you via your student email if additional clarification is needed. It is important to respond to any information requests immediately.
The fastest and most convenient way to verify income information is to load your tax information directly from the IRS to your FAFSA: Login to your FAFSA and take the steps necessary to use the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). If you choose not to use the IRS DRT option, then you must submit a copy of your Federal IRS Tax Return Transcript, a tax return from Puerto Rico, or a foreign income tax return to the Financial Aid Office for review and evaluation of your eligibility for federal student aid.
To obtain a copy of your Federal IRS Tax Return Transcript:
- Request it online at Get Transcript ONLINE OR
- Complete and mail the paper request Form 4506T to the IRS.
If you are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool via your FAFSA or obtain a copy of your Federal Tax Return Transcript from the IRS, you may submit a SIGNED copy of the income tax return (1040) that was submitted to the IRS or other tax authorities.
Verification will be completed when all required information is received by the GCC Financial Aid Office. Your financial aid will not show as anticipated or be disbursed until all submitted documentation has been verified by the GCC Financial Aid Office, and the U.S. Department of Education has received and accepted any changes to the original FAFSA data.
What is the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) and why should I use it?
IRS Data Retrieval is an option within the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This function may be used to import income and tax information already within the Federal Internal Revenue Service database directly into the FAFSA. Students and parents may elect to use IRS Data Retrieval when initially filing a FAFSA. They also may file the FAFSA with estimated data, later utilizing IRS Data Retrieval to update the FAFSA after their Federal tax returns have been processed.
If a student/parent changes information on the FAFSA after using the IRS Data Retrieval, this information will not be acceptable for the purposes of official verification and an official IRS Tax Return Transcript or use of IRS Data Retrieval without subsequent edits will be required.
Use of the IRS DRT is optional, but recommended as it eliminates the possibility of errors on certain data elements. It is a secure way to populate or update FAFSA information in the most efficient manner possible. Use of IRS Data Retrieval may mitigate processing delays which impact receipt of financial aid packages in a timely manner.
What is an IRS Tax Return Transcript? Is this the same as a copy of a tax return?
An IRS Tax Return Transcript is NOT the same as a copy of the 1040 Federal income tax return. Federal aid regulations prohibit the use of a copy of a signed tax return as part of the verification process, with a few, rare exceptions. If you cannot use the IRS Data Retrieval function within the FAFSA, and must supply income and tax information for verification, you can obtain a free Federal Tax Return Transcript directly from the IRS by online request, by calling 1-800-908-9946, or by completing and mailing Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, selecting the “Return Transcript” option. Note that the IRS will quickly supply filers with an online PDF version of tax return transcripts for previously-processed returns so long as filers are able to answer security questions correctly.
Learn more about IRS tax return transcripts
Can a tax account transcript verify my FAFSA data?
No. An IRS Tax Account Transcript has fewer data elements than an IRS Tax Return Transcript. For verification purposes, the only documentation allowed in lieu of IRS Data Retrieval with unchanged data is an IRS Tax Return Transcript, unless there is an allowed special circumstance (see below). You can obtain a free IRS Tax Return Transcript directly from the IRS by online request, by calling 1-800-908-9946, or by completing and mailing Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, selecting the “Return Transcript” option.
Learn more about IRS tax return transcripts
When do I need to submit the verification documents?
The GCC Financial Aid Office will not disburse Federal Title IV or need-based institutional aid until the verification process has been completed. Thus, it is very important for students to submit required documentation as soon as possible. For students whose applications are selected for verification, financial aid awards are considered tentative until the required evaluation related to the verification process is completed.
Deadlines
Students selected for verification must submit all documentation to the GCC Financial Aid Office by the last day of the student’s attendance for the aid year, meaning the student must have an official FAFSA results submitted to the college and comply with all needed processes and documents.
Will my financial aid change due to verification?
During the verification process, information is compared to the original data on the FAFSA and corrections may be made. These corrections may lower or raise the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) figure. Because financial need is determined by the EFC, aid eligibility may be impacted when changes occur during the verification process. If the verification process is completed after a student is initially awarded financial aid, changes to the original aid package may occur. The Financial Aid Office will notify you of any changes to aid via your student email account. In some cases, when financial aid has already been disbursed but the EFC increases after a late verification process, certain forms of aid must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education.
What should I do if I have been selected for verification but have an extension to file my tax return?
Students and/or parents who are required to submit income and tax information for the purposes of verification will only be able to access the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) or IRS Tax Return Transcript once their Federal income tax returns have been processed by the IRS.
If you have been selected for verification and if a tax-filing extension has been completed, you should provide the Financial Aid Office with a copy of the IRS Form 4868 and all W-2 forms for the tax year. W-2 forms will be used to estimate the filer’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) figure for the purposes of verification. If W-2 forms are unavailable or are not a valid estimate of AGI for the given tax year, a written statement of estimated Adjusted Gross Income may be accepted.
Please note that if verification is not completed by the time the October 15th extension deadline has passed, students and families will be expected to use the IRS DRT to update their Free Application for Federal Student Aid or supply the GCC Financial Aid Office with a tax return transcript to complete the required verification process.
What if I am selected for verification but will not file a Federal Income Tax Return?
Whether or not you are required to file a Federal income tax return depends on many factors, including your filing status, citizenship, income amount, income sources, age, etc. The main IRS website may be used to obtain directions, forms, and answers to frequently asked questions. Further questions should be directed to the IRS or to a qualified tax professional.
Students and/or parents whose income falls below the minimum filing threshold for a given tax year should complete the required Verification Worksheet and submit all W-2 forms and/or other statements of income. If evidence suggests that a student or parent should have filed, but did not, this represents conflicting information which must be resolved.
Students and/or parents who file returns outside the United States should review the Special Cases FAQ below…
Are there special cases in which other documentation may be accepted in lieu of an IRS tax return transcript or use of the IRS data retrieval tool?
If a student and/or parent is able to obtain alternate official documentation (such as the “Return Transcript for Tax Payer”) directly from the IRS that includes all income and tax information for the tax year to be verified, AND if the GCC Financial Aid Office judges this alternate documentation to be official and complete, such documentation may be used in rare circumstances to complete the verification process in lieu of the IRS Tax Return Transcript.
The GCC Financial Aid Office is aware of only the following circumstances in which students and parents who have filed returns cannot use IRS Data Retrieval, nor can they submit an IRS Tax Return Transcript:
- Cases of identity theft: The student and/or parent should submit…
- A signed copy of the paper Federal income tax return
- A copy of IRS Form 14039 Identity Theft Affidavit,” –or- a signed & date statement of the IRS’ investigation of the matter, -or- a police report.
- Amended returns: Students / parents filing an amended Federal income tax return should submit…
- an IRS Tax Return Transcript (that will only include information from the original tax return and does not have to be signed), or any other IRS tax transcript(s) that include all of the income and tax information required to be verified; and
- a signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X that was filed with the IRS.
- Filing of tax returns outside the US: When students/ parents are not obligated to file US income tax returns and only file abroad…
- Citizens of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam should submit a signed copy of their commonwealth’s/ territory’s tax return (e.g. the Planilla de Contribución Sobre Ingresos for residents of PR).
- Citizens of the Freely Associated States should submit signed copies of Wage and Tax Statements from each employer –and- a signed statement identifying all income and taxes for the tax year.
- Citizens of foreign countries should submit…
- A signed & dated copy of the foreign tax return with an English translation of all pertinent fields –and- a monetary conversion of foreign currency to US dollars at the exchange rate in effect when you originally filed your FAFSA, –OR-
- A signed statement identifying all income and taxes paid for the tax year (for foreign citizens not obligated to file a foreign tax return)