Frequently Asked Questions - Verification 2023-2024

In order to be considered for campus-based funds, institutional grants, Federal Pell Grants, and Direct Loans, ASU should have a valid FAFSA and all verification documents prior to the student’s last day of attendance (LDA).

• Direct Loans must be accepted by the student's LDA to qualify for disbursement as published on the Financial Aid Calendar. 
• The Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Loan Entrance Counseling must be completed within 180 days of the student's LDA or by the close of an aid year (i.e., September), whichever comes first.

If ASU has a valid FAFSA by a student's LDA, but the student did not submit all verification documents by their LDA:

• The student has 120 days from their LDA or by the close of an aid year (i.e., September), whichever comes first, to submit all verification documents and be considered for the Federal Pell Grant only.
• To be considered for institutional grants, the student or staff may seek approval from management.

If verification is not completed before the applicable deadline:

• Federal student aid is forfeited, and
• Any previously paid subsidized federal student aid for the payment period must be returned (i.e., selected for verification after disbursement and student did not submit required documents)

For other important financial aid dates and deadlines, visit the Financial Aid Calendar.

The IRS Data Retrieval tool can make submitting the FAFSA easier by automatically inputting information from your taxes into the FAFSA. Please see the FAFSA website for details. 

The FAFSA requires you to use prior-prior year tax information, meaning not last year’s tax information, but tax information from the year before last:

For the 2023-2024 FAFSA, use 2021 Tax Information

The Federal government publishes guidelines each year with tax filing requirements and provides an online wizard to determine if you must file a federal tax return. All Federal financial aid recipients are expected to comply with published tax laws. Any conflicting information will need to be resolved before financial aid can be awarded. Click on this link to find the 2021 tax filing requirements.  

There are several ways to request a tax return transcript from the IRS.

1. Instantly retrieve an online TRT at the IRS Get Transcript website by clicking the Get Transcript Online button. The online tool requires the user to register before submitting a transcript 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.

2. If the tax filer has a credit security freeze with Equifax, they must request a temporary freeze lift until they have successfully registered, 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.

3. Request a transcript to be mailed to them by visiting the IRS Get Transcript website and clicking Get Transcript by Mail.

4. Call 1-800-908-9946 and use the IRS automated phone system to request one to be mailed to you.

5. Submit an IRS Form 4506T-EZ Short Form Request for Individual Tax Return Transcript to the IRS by printing the form at www.irs.gov. Complete lines 1 through 4. Enter your 10-digit ASU ID number on line 5 (customer file number). Enter the tax year 2021 on line 6. Finally, sign and submit to the IRS.

• 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 10 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 10 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 10 business days from the IRS’s receipt of the paper request form.

• If after 10 business days you have been unsuccessful in obtaining the 2021 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 was not required to file a 2021 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 2021. If yes, you must list your employers and amount received in 2021.

ASU will compare your date of marriage or divorce listed on the FAFSA to your and your spouse's tax filing status on the 2021 Federal Tax Returns (i.e., single, head of household, married filing jointly, married filing separately) to ensure no conflicting information exists.

 If your or your spouse's 2021 tax filing status conflicts with your marital status on Dec. 31, 2021, you will need to provide ASU with documentation that shows you and your spouse used the proper tax filing status or you and your spouse will have to amend the 2021 Federal Tax Returns with the IRS and submit a signed copy of the 2021 amended tax documents to ASU. 

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

The schedule 1 is an additional tax form that is completed when filing your tax return.  This should typically be the 3rd page of a tax return.

Select “No” if your parents didn’t and won’t file a Schedule 1.

OR

Select “No” if your parents only filed or will file a Schedule 1 for the purpose of reporting one of the following: 

• Capital gain (Line 7 may not be less than 0)

• Unemployment compensation (Schedule 1 Line 7)

• Other income to report (Line 8) If the item is listed as Alaska Permanent Fund dividend 

• Educator expense (Schedule 1 Line 10)

• IRA deduction (Schedule 1 Line 19)

• Student loan interest deduction (Schedule 1 Line 21)

Select “Yes” if your parents filed or will file a Schedule 1 to report additional income or adjustments other than anyof the six exceptions listed above.

If your parents don’t know if they filed or will file a Schedule 1, select “Don’t know.”

The required documentation depends on whether or not you successfully used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the 2021–2022 FAFSA and who initiated the change to your 2021 tax return (i.e., you, the IRS or ASU).

Scenario A: You successfully used the IRS DRT on the 2021–2022 FAFSA and you amended your 2021 tax return. Submit one of the following:

1. A signed copy of your 2021 Amended Tax Return (i.e., 1040X).

2. A copy of your 2021 Record of Account.

Scenario B: You did not use the IRS DRT on the 2021–2022 FAFSA and you amended your 2021 tax return. Submit one of the following combinations of documents:

1. A copy of your 2021 original 1040 Tax Return or Transcript 

and 

a signed copy of your 2021 Amended Tax Return (i.e., 1040X).

or

1. A copy of your 2021 original 1040 Tax Return 

and 

a copy of your 2021 Record of Account.

Scenario C: ASU identified an error on your 2021 tax return that must be amended with the IRS. 

• Submit a signed copy of your 2021 Amended Tax Return (i.e., 1040X).

Scenario D: The IRS amended your 2021 tax return. You must provide the following documentation that includes the changes made by the IRS:

• A copy of your 2021 Record of Account.

If you no longer have your W-2's and/or 1099 MISC Forms, you can request a replacement W-2 and/or 1099 MISC from the employer who issued you the original. 

Or, you can request a “Wage & Income Transcript” from the IRS by printing the paper 4506-T Form. Complete the form with box 8 marked, then submit to the IRS. The “Wage & Income Transcript” will be mailed within 7-10 business days. Once received, you can upload a copy.

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 2021 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 parent's 2021 Wage and Tax Statements from each employer and identify all of your parent's income sources and amounts for 2021 in the eForm below. 

Residents of American Samoa: Upload your parent's 2021 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 parent's signed 2021 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 parent's 2021 foreign tax transcript* into the eForm below. A tax transcript is a document your parent requests from the foreign tax authority (i.e., Canada Revenue Agency, Servico de Administracion Tribtaria). It confirms the foreign income reported to the foreign tax authority. You must also attach an English translation of the document. *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.