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Scholarships & Financial Aid

Verification

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Verification is the federal process of verifying or confirming the information provided on the FAFSA is accurate. 

Frequently Asked Questions

The Student Aid Report (SAR) you receive after your FAFSA is processed will indicate if your FAFSA has been selected for verification. Roughly 30% of all FAFSAs filed are selected for verification. TCU is required to collect documentation in order to verify what has been reported on the FAFSA. The Office of Student Financial Aid will notify you of what documentation to submit to us.

Verification is a process by which schools are required by federal law to collect documentation in order to verify what has been reported on the FAFSA. Schools complete this process by requesting a variety of documents such as:

  • Federal IRS Tax Return Transcripts
  • Verification of Household Size
  • Verification of Expenses and Resources
  • Citizenship Documents

Students are notified through their TCU email account of any documents they are required to submit. You can also view your my.tcu.edu portal “Requested Information" for any required verification documents.

Be sure to comply with all requests for documentation in a timely manner. We cannot move forward until all items are accurate and completed.

Parents and students are encouraged to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA or provide a Federal IRS Tax Return Transcript.

Once the Office of Scholarships & Student Financial Aid receives all of the required documents, it typically takes 2-3 weeks to complete verification.

 

Your tax return information is no longer visible because of added security and privacy protections. Not displaying your information prevents potential identity thieves from accessing it.
The tax return information that is being transferred into the FAFSA form when you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is coming directly from the prior prior year tax return you filed with the IRS. TCU will have access to the transferred information and we will follow up with you directly if we notice any issues or need additional information.
The information transferred via the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is coming from your filed the prior prior year tax return, so it should not need to be changed. If your financial situation has changed or you filed a 1040X amended return, contact TCU to discuss whether it would be appropriate for TCU to adjust the information on your FAFSA form.

Tax filers can request a transcript of their tax return, free of charge, from the IRS in one of three ways:

 
When your original return shows a ... and you filed electronically, then and you filed on paper, then
refund amount or no balance due, allow 2-3 weeks after return submission before you request a transcript. allow 6-8 weeks after you mailed your return before you request a transcript.
balance due, and you paid in full with your return, allow 2-3 weeks after return submission before you request a transcript the IRS processes your return in June, and you can request a transcript in mid- to late June.

Note: the IRS processes all payments upon receipt.
balance due, and you paid in full after submitting the return, allow 3-4 weeks after full payment before you request a transcript.  
balance due and you didn't pay in full, the IRS processes your return in mid-May, and you can request a transcript by late May.  

You or your parents will want to submit the following to TCU year:

  • A copy of the prior prior year IRS Form 4868 (Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return) filed with the IRS
  • A copy of IRS Form W-2 for each source of employment income and/or a signed statement of from self-employed individual certifying the amount of the AGI and the U.S. Income Tax Paid for tax year requested

Our office will need tax data after final  Federal Taxes have been filed.  

You will need to submit the following to TCU:

  • A copy of the prior prior Federal IRS Tax Return Transcript
  • A copy of the prior prior IRS Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return to TCU

Keep in mind that an amended return will delay access to tax information. It generally takes an additional 12 weeks for the tax information to be available.

Tax filers who believe they are victims of identity theft may call Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU)’s toll-free number, 800-908-4490, or go to the ID theft website on irs.gov.  After the IPSU authenticates the tax filer’s identity, the tax filer can request that the IRS mail to the tax filer an alternate paper tax transcript, known as the TRDBV (Transcript Data Base View). After receiving the TRDBV the following needs to be submitted to our office:
  • A signed copy of the IRS alternate paper tax transcript (TRDBV)
  • A signed and dated statement regarding the identity theft and attesting the filer notified the IRS about the theft

Keep in mind that identity theft will delay access to tax information. Access to this information generally occurs 8-11 weeks after the IRS has received the tax return information; however, resolution of IRS-related identity theft can take up to 180 days.

Non Tax filers can request an IRS Verification of Non-filing of their tax return status, free of charge, from the IRS in one of two ways:

Note: If you filed a Puerto Rican or Foreign Income Tax Return you must submit appropriate non-filing documentation from a relevant tax authority. Anyone who has never filed taxes can only use the paper option to request the verification of non-filing letter.

If you have attempted to obtain a Verification of Non-Filing Letter, and have been unable to obtain the document from the IRS, please contact the Office of Scholarships & Student Financial Aid.  

In reviewing the documentation received sometimes the Office of Scholarships & Student Financial Aid needs either clarification of the information submitted, additional information, or there is conflicting information between what was reported on the FAFSA and the verification documents that need to be resolved.