UW Colleges Financial Aid
2012-2013 Verification
The U.S. Department of Education selects approximately 30% of students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for Verification. Verification is a process where the school confirms that the data reported on the FAFSA is accurate.
Students will be informed by the U.S. Department of Education of their being selected for Verification and will receive notices from UW Colleges of the required Verification documents that must be submitted to the Student Financial Aid Office.
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
2011 Tax Return Transcripts
Verification Documents
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
Starting February 5, 2012 when completing a 2012-2013 FAFSA, students and the parents of Dependent aid applicants may use the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Data Retrieval Tool to import federal income tax information directly from the IRS into the FAFSA. This option is built into the online FAFSA application process at www.fafsa.gov.
NOTE: Please allow approximately two weeks from the date your electronically-filed federal tax return is accepted by the IRS to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool via the FAFSA. If you filed a paper tax return, please allow 6-8 weeks for processing by the IRS.
Eligibility:
You and/or your parents are eligible to use the FAFSA’s IRS Data Retrieval Tool if you:
- Filed your 2011 federal tax return with the IRS.
- Filed with tax filing statuses of “Married, Filing Jointly” or “Single.”
- Have a valid Social Security Number.
- Have a Federal Student Aid PIN (if you do not have a PIN, you will be given the option to apply for one).
You and/or your parents are not eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool if:
- Your marital status changed after December 31, 2011.
- Your tax filing status is “Married, Filing Separately” or if you report on the FAFSA that you are married, but your filing status is “Head of Household.”
- You filed an Amended Tax Return.
- You filed a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return.
- You filed a tax return using a Tax ID Number (TIN).
- You did not/will not file a federal tax return.
- The home address on the FAFSA does not match the address on the tax return.
- You are a recent tax filer, see NOTE immediately above.
Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool while completing your FAFSA:
- If you indicate a 2011 federal tax return has been “Already Completed,” an information box will ask if certain situations apply. These situations are used to determine eligibility for use of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
- If you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you will be asked for your federal student aid PIN and you must click "Link TO IRS".
- The IRS will ask a series of questions to verify you are the taxpayer.
- Once you have verified your identity and the tax information is available, you must select “Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA” and click "Transfer Now" for the data to populate the FAFSA. If you make any changes to the retrieved IRS data, the Student Financial Aid Office will require you to submit a Tax Return Transcript if your FAFSA is selected for Verification.
Correcting a processed FAFSA to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool:
Those who filed a FAFSA prior to February 5 (before the Tool was available) and those who file federal taxes after the FAFSA has been submitted also may take advantage of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Access the IRS Data Retrieval Tool via the online "Correct your FAFSA" process at www.fafsa.gov. After you have done so, UW Colleges will receive an updated copy of your FAFSA reflecting the income information you retrieved directly from the IRS.
- Go to www.fafsa.gov, log in, and click on “Make FAFSA Corrections.”
- Continue through the screens to the “Parent Financial Information” (for Dependent aid applicants who must provide parental information on the FAFSA).
- Under the IRS Data Retrieval section, select “mother” or “father” and enter that parent’s federal student aid PIN. Click on “Link to IRS.”
- Enter the address and tax filing status exactly as it appears on the tax form. Click on “Submit.”
- Review the tax information but DO NOT change any data at any point or it will not be considered “retrieved data.” Select “Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA” and click on “Transfer Now.”
- A message will confirm that the information was transferred.
- For students, go to the “Student Financial Information” screen.
- Under the IRS Data Retrieval section, enter the student’s federal aid PIN and click on “Link to IRS.”
- Enter the address and tax filing status exactly as it appears on the student’s tax form. Click on “Submit.”
- Review the tax information but DO NOT change any data at any point or it will not be considered “retrieved data.” Select “Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA” and click on “Transfer Now.”
- A message will confirm that the information was transferred.
- Continue through the screens and select “Submit.”
You should utilize the FAFSA's IRS Data Retrieval Tool as:
- It will reduce the number of documents required should your application be chosen for Verification.
- If chosen for Verification, you are required to submit documents, including federal income tax information, to the Student Financial Aid Office. If you have used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and did not change the income information in any way on the FAFSA, submission of federal tax documents will not be required even if selected for Verification.
- If you are selected for Verification and chose not to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA or were ineligible to use the Tool, you will be required to obtain a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS. See below for information on how to do so.
- Schools may accept only Tax Return Transcripts issued by the IRS. It will take up to 10 days for you to receive a tax transcript from the IRS. Given the time it may take for you to receive the tax transcript in the mail, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA, if you can, to avoid delays.
2011 Tax Return Transcripts
Starting in 2012-2013, the Student Financial Aid Office must collect a Tax Return Transcript for anyone selected for Verification who did not use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA, was ineligible to use the Tool, or if the data from the IRS was changed.
NOTE:
- Parents who are married but filing separately must submit 2 separate IRS transcripts. The same applies to a married student and his/her spouse.
- You are strongly encouraged to keep a copy of Tax Return Transcripts obtained from the IRS should you need copies in the future.
- Federal regulations prohibit our accepting a copy of your federal submission such as a 1040/1040A/1040EZ in place of a 2011 Tax Return Transcript.
The IRS will provide a Tax Return Transcript free for any tax filer. Be sure to order a Tax Return Transcript because this is free. If you request an actual copy of the tax return, it will cost you money.
To obtain a Tax Return Transcript online, please follow these steps:
- Go to www.irs.gov.
- Click “Order a Tax Return or Account Transcript” located under Tools.
- Click “Order a Transcript” under Step 3.
- Enter your SSN, Date of Birth, Street Address, and Zip Code.
- Click Continue.
- Select “Return Transcript” for Tax Year “2011.”
- Click Continue.
- Once received, keep original and submit a copy to the Student Financial Aid Office.
To obtain a Tax Return Transcript by phone, please follow these steps:
- Call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946 (7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.).
- Tax filers must follow prompts to enter their Social Security Number and the numbers of their street address. Generally, these will be the numbers of the street address that was listed on the latest tax return filed. However, if an address change has been completed through the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
- Select "Option 2" to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript, and then enter "2011."
- If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address that was used in their telephone request within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives the request.
- Once received, keep original and submit a copy to the Student Financial Aid Office.
Verification Documents
When the Student Financial Aid Office requests documents, it is important to submit these documents in a timely manner. Any documents which are incomplete or illegible will be returned to the student. If our office needs additional information after reviewing the documents, a notice will be sent to the student. Forms and documents will be requested based on what is needed for an individual student.
Verifiable items include, but are not limited to:
- Dependency status
- Income/tax information
- Household size and number in college
- Receipt of food stamps
- Amount of child support paid
2012-2013 Forms are available in our online Forms section.