2022–2023 Student income verification

• Request a 2020 Verification of Nonfiling Letter from the IRS. See instructions at the bottom of this page.

• Request a 2020 Verification of Nonfiling Letter from the IRS.
• Collect a copy of each of your 2020 W-2 forms.
• If you 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 you 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.

• You are married, and you and your spouse filed as “Married Filing Separately.”
• You are married, and you or your spouse filed as "Head of Household.”
• Your marital status is “Unmarried and living together.”
• You filed a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return.

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

• Request a 2020 Foreign Tax Return Transcript from your foreign tax authority (or applicable years to cover income for the entire 2020 year).
• If you are unable to obtain a free copy of your foreign tax transcript from your foreign tax authority, upload a signed copy of your 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.
• 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 you have been unsuccessful in obtaining the 2020 Verification of Nonfiling Letter from the Internal Revenue Service, you may submit a signed and dated statement in lieu of the Verification of Nonfiling Letter containing the following information.
  • Your full name.
  • You did not file and were not required to file a 2020 federal tax return.
  • You were unsuccessful in obtaining an IRS Verification of Nonfiling Letter.
  • The date you attempted to contact the IRS.
  • Indicate whether or not you have a Social Security number or Individual Tax Identification number.
  • Indicate if you had income earned from work in 2020. If yes, you must list your employers and amount received in 2020.

You can use one of the following methods to replace your 2020 W-2 forms.

• Request a replacement copy from the employer who issued the original.
• You 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.
  • Your 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).
  • Your 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 your 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.
• You 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.
  • 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 you in seven to ten calendar days.

You may use one of the following methods to request your 2020 Tax Return Transcript. Before choosing the first option, please read the IRS user requirements to see if it is a viable option.

• You can instantly retrieve your 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.
  • 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).
  • A 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, you must request a temporary freeze lift until you successfully register or the IRS will not be able to verify your identity. You will need to contact Equifax to resume the freeze unless you scheduled it to resume automatically. For more information, visit IRS Get Transcript FAQs.

• Request a 2020 TRT be mailed to you 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.
• You can call 1-800-908-9946 and use the IRS automated phone system to request your 2020 TRT be mailed to you. Once requested, it will take seven to ten business days to receive by mail.
• Print the IRS Form 4506T-EZ from the IRS website. 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, sign and submit to the IRS. After the IRS processes the IRS Form 4506T-EZ, the TRT will be mailed to you in seven to ten business days.

ASU will compare your date of marriage or divorce listed on the FAFSA to your tax filing status on your 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 2020 tax filing status conflicts with your marital status on December 31, 2020, you will need to provide ASU with documentation showing you used the proper tax filing status or you will have to amend your 2020 federal tax return with the IRS and submit a signed copy of your 2020 amended tax documents to ASU.

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

The necessary documentation depends on the foreign country or U.S. territory of which you are a citizen.

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

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

Residents of other foreign nations not mentioned above: Upload all of the following, along with English translations of the documents:

1. A copy of all your foreign W-2 forms (or equivalent) for each source of employment income received.
2. A signed and dated letter that clearly states that you did not and were not required to submit a 2020 tax return in your foreign country, and a list of the income sources and amounts you received for 2020.
3. Documentation from the foreign tax authority* that indicates you 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 foreign country or U.S. territory of which you are a citizen. You must also attach an English translation of the document.

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

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

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

Residents of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands: Upload your 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 below.

Residents of other foreign nations not mentioned above: Upload your 2020 foreign tax transcript* into the eForm below (or applicable years to cover income for all of 2020). A tax transcript is a document your 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 you are unable to obtain a free copy of your foreign tax transcript from your foreign tax authority can you submit a signed copy of your foreign tax return (equivalent to the IRS 1040), along with proof that your 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. You may no longer have your 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, you can request that the IRS mail you 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.