What proof do I need for FAFSA verification?

Question

I am being asked to show proof of a certain amount reported on 'worksheet A'. I am a dependent student and my mother filled out her income tax reports. The only amount on worksheet A is the EIC (Earned Income Credit). I already gave provided them with a copy of the income tax reports. What documents do they need to provide proof of this?

Answer 1

You need to read the notification that you received carefully, because your school has set out exactly what information they need and what they're willing to accept.

FAFSAs are selected for verification by the Department of Education, but they simply notify the school that your FAFSA was selected, and it becomes the school's responsibility to actually complete the verification.

The Department provides all schools with a "recommended" worksheet for verification and they offer suggestions of how a school might complete the process, but each school is free to verify more information than the Department requests, and to establish their own  procedures for doing a verification, as long as those procedures are "reasonable" and "consistently applied".

For questions of income and taxes, the Department of Education recommends that schools request documentation of IRS forms (a tax transcript is acceptable as a substitute for the actual form), W-2s, Form 4868, or a signed statement from the filer of the return. The Department tells the schools that they must require that these tax documents be signed by the tax preparer.

Again, though - it's important that you follow the specific instructions that were provided by your school's financial aid office, because they are the ones who have established the verification procedure. If you're not clear on what forms of documentation they will accept, you should contact the financial aid office and clarify that information.

Good luck to you - I hope that helped.

Answer 2

W2 forms usually do the trick.