/Stony Brook University
Financial Aid & Scholarship Services

Federal Verification

 

What is Federal Verification?

Verification is a federally mandated process to confirm the accuracy of the information provided by you and your parents on the FAFSA you filed. As a freshman 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.

Current students are required to complete the verification process prior to receiving their federal financial aid on their accounts.

FAFSA filers should receive their FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) after submitting their FAFSA. You might see a note on your FSS indicating that the federal processor has selected your application for a process called verification. If selected, our office is required to request additional documentation to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA was filed accurately. Verification ensures the accuracy of data used to establish eligibility for need-based federal student aid.  Your SOLAR To Do List will indicate which documents must be submitted to satisfy the federal verification requirement. 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

Required documentation varies depending on the reason(s) your application was selected and whether or not the Data Retrieval Tool was used when completing your application. To allow time for processing, all requested documentation should be submitted no later than two weeks prior to your last date of attendance for the academic year. 

Commonly requested items are listed below:

This form will ask you to report how many members there are in your household and indicate which member(s) will be enrolled in college for at least six credits. You can access this form via the link in your SOLAR To Do List. 

If you require assistance with this form, please view our How To Complete a Dependent Household Form video. 

If you or your parent did not and were not required to file a federal tax return, you must complete this form to outline any income earned from work. If you worked, you must submit a copy of your W-2(s) with this form. You can access this form via the link in your SOLAR To Do List. 

If you or your parent did not file a tax return, you will need to request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing letter, so we can can confirm that there is no tax return filed under your name.

You can obtain the IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter:

Online - Visit www.irs.gov/transcript and choose whether you would like to request your transcript online or by mail. 

How To Request A Verification of Non-Filing Letter (Online)

How To Request A Verification of Non-Filing Letter (By Mail) 

Phone - Call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946.

Paper- Complete and submit Form 4506-T and check off the box in row 7. Mail or fax the form to the IRS at the address or fax number listed on page two of Form 4506-T based upon your state of residence. 

Note: Only dependent students who are non-tax filers are exempt from this requirement. 

 If you or your parent were unable to complete the FAFSA using the Data Retrieval Tool, we will need a Tax Return Transcript to verify your income information.

How To Request A Tax Return Transcript (By Mail) – Go to www.irs.gov, 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.

 How To Request A Tax Return Transcript (Online)  – Go to www.irs.gov, 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 (1) access to a valid email address, (2) a text-enabled mobile phone (pay-as-you-go plans cannot be used) in the user’s name, and (3) 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 – 1-800-908-9946. Transcript is generally received within 10 business days from the IRS’s receipt of the telephone request.

Paper Request Form – 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.

Note: If you are unable to obtain your tax return transcript, you may submit a signed copy of your federal tax return. 

You will need to complete this form in the presence of an institutional official in order to confirm your identity and intent for using federal aid for educational purposes. 
Additional documentation may be requested on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the financial aid office if you have any questions regarding the documents you need to submit. 

2023-2024 FAFSA Verification
IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT)

If you did not choose to use the DRT when you initially filed your application, you can make corrections on your FAFSA. 

  1. Visit www.studentaid.gov/fafsa and select "Correct info".  
  2. In the Financial Information section of the application, select "Link to IRS". 
  3. You will be brought to the IRS website to fill out a brief form, then click on "Transfer my tax information into the FAFSA". Once this process is complete, you will be brought back to the FAFSA application.
  4. Sign your FAFSA using your FSA ID to submit the corrections.

IRS Data Retrieval Tool Guide

You will not be able to use the IRS DRT if:

  • You or your parent is married and you are filing separate returns
  • You or your parent is married and filed as Head of Household
  • Your parents' marital status is "Unmarried and both legal parents living together"
  • You or your parent filed a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return
  • Your or your parent filed your tax return electronically within the last three weeks, or through the mail within the last 11 weeks