policies
verification process
The federal verification process ensures the information you reported on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) is accurate. This process is required by federal regulations on selected applications for the Federal Pell Grants, Federal Stafford Subsidized Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study programs.
If you are selected for verification you will, at a minimum, be required to document the following application items: adjusted gross income (AGI), untaxed income (if any), federal income taxes paid, household size of your family, and the number of household members enrolled in a degree program.
Here are some common questions about verification:
1. Who is selected for verification?
2. What am I supposed to do if I am selected?
3. What happens if there are corrections to be made?
4. What if my financial situation changes during the award year?
5. What if I don’t supply the verification documentation?
1. Who is selected for verification?
The federal government, through a series of edits, selects students whose applications must be verified. At least 30 percent of all federal aid applications are selected by the U.S. Department of Education for the federal verification process. After you have submitted your FAFSA to the federal processor, you will receive a student aid report (SAR). In addition to providing a summary of your application data, the SAR will tell you if your application has been selected by the federal government for the verification process.
K-State's Office of Student Financial Assistance may also select individuals for verification. FAFSAs with inconsistent information may be selected for verification. A series of edits are built into the application process to detect any inconsistencies. The K-State Office of Student Financial Assistance verifies each student record that is selected for verification.
2. What am I supposed to do if I am selected?
If you are selected for verification, you need to fill out a form. The form you fill out depends on whether you are considered a dependent student or an independent student and what type of income you reported.
Dependent students:
If you are considered a dependent student on your FAFSA (you are dependent if you were required to report parents' income on your FAFSA), you are required to submit: a signed copy of your previous year's federal tax return and W-2 forms, a signed copy of your parent(s) previous year's federal tax return and W-2 forms, and a dependent verification form. Based on the documentation you provide, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will verify the household size of your family, the number of family members enrolled in a degree-seeking program, adjusted gross income, federal income tax paid, and any untaxed income and benefits. Depending on the type of income reported on the tax forms you submitted to the IRS, we may ask you to provide some additional documentation.
Independent students:
If you are considered an independent student on your FAFSA, you are required to submit a signed copy of your and your spouse's (if married) previous year's federal tax return and W-2 forms, and an independent verification form. Based on the documentation you provide, we will verify the household size of your family, the number of family members enrolled in a degree-seeking program, adjusted gross income, federal income tax paid, and any untaxed income and benefits. Depending on the type of income reported on the tax forms you submitted to the IRS, we may ask you to provide some additional documentation.
3. What happens if there are corrections to be made?
If corrections are necessary after reviewing your submitted information, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will electronically submit the corrections to the federal processor. You should receive a revised student aid report (SAR) from the federal processor listing the corrections made to your application. At the same time, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will mark your record as having successfully completed verification.
If corrections are not necessary after reviewing your submitted information, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will mark your record as having successfully completed verification.
4. What if my financial situation changes during the award year?
If your situation changes (income decreases, divorce or separation, death of spouse/parent, excessive medical expenses paid out of pocket, etc.), you should contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance regarding you and/or your family's special circumstances. We advise you to complete the professional judgment appeal form. If you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and then subsequently marry, you cannot update this question on the FAFSA.
5. What if I do not supply the verification documentation?
Federal regulations prohibit the disbursement of certain federal financial aid prior to the successful completion of the verification process. Federal aid programs affected include Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loans, and Federal Stafford Subsidized Loans. Consequently, requested verification documents should be submitted prior to the end of the semester in which you wish to receive federal financial aid.