2022-2023 Parent income verification

• Have each parent listed on your FAFSA request a 2020 Verification of Nonfiling Letter from the IRS.

1. Have each parent listed on your FAFSA request a 2020 Verification of Nonfiling Letter from the IRS.
2. Collect a copy of each of your parent’s 2020 W-2 forms.
3. If your parent(s) earned foreign income in 2020 but did not file a foreign tax return for 2020, please see the guidance for foreign nontax filers below.

ASU recommends your parent(s) make a correction to your 2022–2023 FAFSA and use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to import your 2020 tax data because it is the fastest, most accurate and secure way to complete this task.

There are certain conditions where the IRS DRT will not be available.

• The parent is married, and the parent or their spouse filed as “Married Filing Separately.”
• The parent is married, and the parent or their spouse filed as” Head of Household.”
• The parents’ marital status is “Unmarried and both legal parents living together.”
• The parent(s) filed a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return.

If your parent(s) are unable to use the IRS DRT on the FAFSA, they will need to upload a signed copy of their 2020 federal tax return when completing the form. They must include the first two pages, as well as all federal schedules (1, 2, 3) of their 2020 federal tax return. The first two pages must be signed or contain the tax preparer EIN/PTIN.

1. Have your parent(s) request a 2020 Foreign Tax Return Transcript from their foreign tax authority (or applicable years to cover income for the entire 2020 year).
2. If your parent(s) are unable to obtain a free copy of their foreign tax transcript from their foreign tax authority, upload a signed copy of their 2020 foreign tax return (equivalent to the IRS 1040), along with a statement regarding the charge of a fee for the transcripts. See guidance for foreign tax filers below for more information.
3. Make an English translation of the foreign tax document, to include the type of currency used on the document.

• Get Transcript by Mail – Go to irs.gov and click “Get Your Tax Record.” Click “Get Transcript by Mail.” Make sure to request the “Return Transcript” and NOT the “Account Transcript.” The transcript is generally received within ten business days from the IRS’s receipt of the online request.
• Get Transcript Online – Go to irs.gov and click “Get Your Tax Record." Click “Get Transcript Online.” Make sure to request the “Return Transcript” and NOT the “Account Transcript.” To use the Get Transcript Online tool, the user must have access to a valid email address, a text-enabled mobile phone (pay-as-you-go plans cannot be used) in the user’s name, and specific financial account numbers (such as a credit card number or an account number for a home mortgage or auto loan). The transcript displays online upon successful completion of the IRS’s two-step authentication.
• Automated Telephone Request – Call 1-800-908-9946. Transcript is generally received within ten business days from the IRS’s receipt of the telephone request.
• Paper Request Form – Submit either IRS Form 4506T-EZ or IRS Form 4506-T. The transcript is generally received within ten business days from the IRS’s receipt of the paper request form.
• If after ten business days your parent has been unsuccessful in obtaining the 2020 Verification of Nonfiling Letter from the Internal Revenue Service, your parent may submit a signed and dated statement in lieu of the Verification of Nonfiling Letter containing the following information.
  • Parent’s full name.
  • Parent did not file and was not required to file a 2020 federal tax return.
  • Parent was unsuccessful in obtaining an IRS Verification of Nonfiling Letter.
  • The date parent attempted to contact the IRS.
  • Indicate whether or not parent has a Social Security number or Individual Tax Identification number.
  • Indicate if parent had income earned from work in 2020. If yes, they must list their employers and amount received in 2020.

Your parent(s) can use one of the following methods to replace their 2020 W-2 forms.

• Have your parent(s) request a replacement copy from the employer who issued the original.
• Your parent(s) can instantly retrieve a wage and income transcript online at the IRS Get Transcript website. The online tool requires the user to register before submitting a request. The user can only use this option if they have the following:
  • Access to a valid email address.
  • A Social Security number.
  • Their filing status and address from the last-filed tax return.
  • A text-enabled mobile phone in the user’s name (pay-as-you-go plans cannot be used).
  • Their personal account number from one of the following: credit card, home mortgage loan, home equity line of credit or car loan.
    • During the registration process, the IRS will send the user a confirmation code via email and an authentication code via text. The IRS email and text will contain a one-time code that the user will use to finalize their registration. After a login has been created, continue by entering your IRS username.
    • Select the reason the transcript is needed: Higher education or student aid.
    • Go to the wage and income transcript section and click the 2020 year to print your transcript.
• Your parent(s) can request a 2020 Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS by printing and completing the IRS Form 4506-T from the IRS website. Please use the tips below to complete the 4506-T.
  • Enter your 10-digit ASU ID number on line five (customer file number).
  • Check box eight (Form W-2).
  • On line nine, enter 12/31/2020.
  • Have your parent sign and submit the form to the IRS.
  • After the IRS processes the IRS Form 4506-T, the Wage and Income Transcript will be mailed to your parent in seven to ten calendar days.

Your parent(s) may use one of the following methods to request their 2020 Tax Return Transcript. Before choosing the first option, please read the IRS user requirements to see if it is a viable option.

• Your parent(s) can instantly retrieve their TRT online at the IRS Get Transcript website by clicking the Get Transcript Online button. The online tool requires the user to register before submitting a request. The user must have the following:
  • Access to a valid email address.
  • A Social Security number.
  • Their filing status and address from the last-filed tax return.
  • A text-enabled mobile phone in the user’s name (pay-as-you-go plans cannot be used).
  • Their personal account number from one of the following: credit card, home mortgage loan, home equity line of credit or car loan.

If the tax filer has a credit security freeze with Equifax, they must request a temporary freeze lift until they successfully register or the IRS will not be able to verify their identity. They will need to contact Equifax to resume the freeze unless they scheduled it to resume automatically. For more information, visit IRS Get Transcript FAQs.

• Have your parent request their 2020 TRT be mailed to them by visiting the IRS Get Transcript website and clicking the Get Transcript by Mail button. Once requested, it will take seven to ten business days to receive by mail.
• Your parent can call 1-800-908-9946 and use the IRS automated phone system to request their 2020 TRT be mailed to them. Once requested, it will take seven to ten business days to receive by mail.
• Print the IRS Form 4506T-EZ from the IRS website. Have your parent complete lines one through four and enter your 10-digit ASU ID number on line five (i.e., customer file number). Enter the tax year 2020 on line six. Then, have your parent sign and submit to the IRS. After the IRS processes the IRS Form 4506T-EZ, the TRT will be mailed to your parent in seven to ten business days.

ASU will compare your parent’s date of marriage or divorce listed on the FAFSA to your parent’s tax filing status on their 2020 federal tax return (i.e., Single, Head of Household, Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately) to ensure no conflicting information exists.

If your parents' 2020 tax filing status conflicts with their marital status on December 31, 2020, your parents will need to provide ASU with documentation showing they used the proper tax filing status or they will have to amend their 2020 federal tax return with the IRS and submit a signed copy of their 2020 amended tax documents to ASU.

All federal student aid recipients and their parents are expected to comply with published tax laws.

The necessary documentation depends on the foreign country or U.S. territory of which your parent is a citizen. You must also attach an English translation of the document.

Residents of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands: Upload all of your parent's foreign W-2 forms (or equivalent) for each source of employment income received, and list all your parent's employers and amounts earned for 2020 in the eForm.

Residents of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau or the Federated States of Micronesia: Upload all of your parent's 2020 Wage and Tax Statements from each employer, and list all your parent's employers and amounts earned for 2020 in the eForm.

Residents of other foreign nations not mentioned above: Upload all of the following:

1. A copy of all your parent's foreign W-2 forms (or equivalent) for each source of employment income received.
2. A signed and dated letter that clearly states that your parents did not and were not required to submit a 2020 tax return in their foreign country, and a list of the income sources and amounts your parents received for 2020.
3. Documentation from the foreign tax authority* that indicates your parents did not file taxes for 2020 (equivalent to the IRS Verification of Nonfiling Letter).

*If the foreign tax authority does not provide confirmation of nonfiling, please include that information in the signed and dated letter in step two, along with proof of the foreign taxing authority’s filing requirements (i.e., copy of the foreign tax authority's website which states who is exempt from filing tax returns).

The necessary documentation depends on the U.S. territory or foreign country of which your parent is a citizen.

Residents of Puerto Rico: Upload your parent's signed 2020 Puerto Rican tax return (equivalent to the IRS 1040) into the eForm.

Residents of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau or the Federated States of Micronesia: Upload copies of all your parent's 2020 Wage and Tax Statements from each employer, and identify all of your parent's income sources and amounts for 2020 in the eForm.

Residents of American Samoa: Upload your parent's 2020 American Samoa tax transcript, which is free of charge from the American Samoa Tax Office, into the eForm.

Residents of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands: Upload your parent's signed 2020 tax return from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands (equivalent to the IRS 1040) into the eForm.

Residents of other foreign nations not mentioned above: Upload your parent's 2020 foreign tax transcript* along with an English translation into the eForm (or applicable years to cover income for all of 2020). A tax transcript is a document your parent requests from the foreign tax authority (i.e., Canada Revenue Agency or Servicio de Administración Tributaria). It confirms the foreign income reported to the foreign tax authority.

*Per the U.S. Department of Education, only in situations where your parent is unable to obtain a free copy of their foreign tax transcript from their foreign tax authority can they submit a signed copy of their foreign tax return (equivalent to the IRS 1040), along with proof that their foreign tax authority charges a fee.

The TRDBV will be requested to verify the 2020 federal tax information for victims of IRS-related identity theft who are selected for verification. The parent(s) may no longer have their 2020 federal tax return and cannot obtain a 2020 Tax Return Transcript from the IRS or use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the 2022–2023 FAFSA on the web.

1. The victim of the IRS tax-related identity theft can call the Identity Protection Specialized Unit toll free number at 1-800-908-4490.
2. After IPSU authenticates the tax filer’s identity, they can request that the IRS mail them an alternate paper tax return transcript, known as the Transcript Database View.
3. Once the TRDBV is received, submit a copy to ASU along with the required signed and dated letter.