What is Federal Verification?
Verification is a federally mandated process to confirm the accuracy of the information provided by you and your contributor(s) on the FAFSA you filed. You can receive an estimated award package without submitting the required information; however, your financial offer will not be finalized and funds will not be disbursed until verification is completed.
How do you know if you are selected for verification?
Your federal Student Aid Report (SAR) as of 2024-25 called the FAFSA Submission Summary, will have an asterisk(*) next to the SAI and a comment in the “Application Status” section if your FAFSA has been selected for verification.
Why is your file being verified?
The federal government selects which FAFSAs will be reviewed for verification. The following are the most common reasons for being selected:
- You were selected randomly.
- The data you provided on your FAFSA was incomplete.
- You provided contradictory information on your FAFSA.
- You provided estimated income information on your FAFSA.
What documents need to be submitted to complete verification?
All students selected for verification will be required to submit documentation based on what is being requested to be verified as indicated on their FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). The FSS is the response report a student receives from the federal government after they submit their FAFSA. All requested documentation will be noted as a requirement on the student’s UIS Experience account.
Students must log into their University Information System (UIS) Experience account for a complete list of all required documents. Required forms may be downloaded via the UIS Experience account.
Verification Documents may be uploaded here.
Safeguard personal information do not email verification documents with sensitive information to the Office of Student Financial Services. Please remember to note student's Xid on all pages of every document to ensure timely processing.
Verification of Income Data
As part of federal student aid eligibility, students and parents will be required to consent and approve sharing and importing income and tax information from the IRS to the FAFSA form, even if the attempt to obtain or use such data is ineffective. The importation of IRS tax data (FTI) via the FA-DDX serves as verification documentation. In most cases, no further documentation is needed to verify income information that was transferred into the student’s FAFSA using income and tax information directly from the IRS.
How are IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested?
The IRS at www.irs.gov provides the following options for individual tax filers:
- Online
- By Mail
- Automated Telephone Request – 1-800-908-9946.
- Paper Request Form – IRS Form 4506T-EZ or IRS Form 4506-T.
Transcript are generally received within 10 business days from the IRS’s receipt of the request.
Please ensure that a Tax Return Transcript is requested. Please do not have an IRS Tax Return Transcript sent directly to St. John’s University. The University is unable to associate them with a student record without a student's XID.
Please request that the IRS transcript be sent to your home address. Please keep a photocopy of your tax transcript for your records and mail the original tax transcript to the University. Include the student's name and St. John’s X ID number at the top of each page of the transcript and have the tax filer or one of the tax filers named on the transcript provide a signature at the top of the first page of the transcript. Please do not email copies of your tax transcript to St. John's University: email is not a secure means of sending confidential data.
What if I or my parent(s) do not file a tax return?
Further documentation may be requested by the University to determine the non-filer’s gross income. Non-filers of a foreign tax authority will be required to submit a Verification of Non-filing letter from their tax authority.
What is the Verification Processing Timeframe?
Processing usually takes two to three weeks. During peak processing time, like the summer, it may take longer.
What happens if there are discrepancies in the application?
Upon receipt of all requested documents the Office of Student Financial Services will complete a review. If errors are found, corrections will be made to the student's FAFSA and submitted to the FAFSA Processing System (FPS) for update.
What if I do not supply the verification documentation?
Verification must be completed for the University to provide a student with a Financial Aid Package. It is essential to complete the verification process on a timely basis to insure that financial aid is credited to your student bill.
What is the deadline for verification?
Federal guidelines allow for students who have a valid FAFSA on file to complete verification up to 120 days after the last date of enrollment. However, it is important to note that St. John’s University is allowed to set its own processing deadlines.
Families seeking a reconsideration of aid eligibility should note that federal regulations require a file to be verified before a reconsideration request may be reviewed.
Failure to submit all requested documentation will result in the forfeiture of your financial aid eligibility.
How will I be notified about the status of my verification?
A message will be posted to your UIS Experience account indicating that verification has been completed or if additional documents are needed. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their aid status through their personal account.