If you were selected for the financial aid verification process for 2021-22 and you
submit all required documentation needed to complete the verification process prior
to May 15, 2021, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for tons of awesome prizes. Click here for more information.
WHAT IS VERIFICATION?
When you completed your FAFSA, you probably received a message that said "Congratulations,
you have successfully submitted your FAFSA for 2021-2022". However, 30% of students that successfully submit the FAFSA will have to complete an additional
process called "verification" before their financial aid is official. Please follow
the steps below to provide our office with the information necessary to complete the
verification process. Near the bottom of this page you will find a list of frequently
asked verification questions for more detail. If you have unanswered questions, you
may contact the financial aid office at [email protected] or (231) 591-2110.
Step One - Verification Form
If you were selected for the verification process, please print, complete and return
the appropriate verification form from the list below. Please note that forms are
aid year specific. Please make sure you choose the form for the appropriate aid year.
2020-2021 FORMS (FALL 2020, SPRING 2021, SUMMER 2021) TAX YEAR 2018
In addition to the verification form, tax data must be provided from the Internal
Revenue Service for both the student and the custodial parent(s). The type of acceptable
tax documentation depends on the 2018 or 2019 tax-filing status of the student and the
custodial parent(s).
Please read the following instructions for providing tax documentation.
If you filed a 2019 Federal Tax Return
The preferred method of providing tax documentation for students and parents that
filed 2019 federal income tax returns is IRS Data Retrieval.
Tax filers that are unable to complete IRS Data Retrieval may submit signed copies of their 2019 federal 1040 tax returns.
If you worked, but were not required to file a 2019 Federal Tax Return
Each parent, student or spouse that did not file a tax return MUST sign the verification
form.
If you did not work in 2019
On the verification form, in the appropriate column (student or parent), indicate
"Did NOT work in 2019, was not required to and did not file a 2019 federal tax return".
Each parent, student or spouse that did not file a tax return MUST sign the verification
form.
Additional Documentation
Occasionally we must request additional documentation from you after we receive your
verification documents due to discrepancies that arise once your file is reviewed.
We will notify you if any additional documentation is required. Again, it is important
to submit all requested information as quickly as possible to prevent the loss of
some forms of aid.
Frequently Asked Verification Questions
What is verification?
Approximately 30% of all students who complete a Free Application For Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) are selected by the federal processor for a process called verification.
In addition to the files selected by the federal processor, the Financial Aid Office
may select a student's file for the verification process in order to clear up discrepant
information. Please note that being selected for verification is simply a routine
process, you are not being accused of providing fraudulent information.
How do I identify my "custodial parent(s)"?
If your biological parents live together, even if they were never married, you must
include information about both parents.
If your parents are divorced or separated, your custodial parent is the parent that
you lived with more during the past 12 months.
If your custodial parent is remarried, you must include your stepparent's information.
If your parent's situation is not described above and you are uncertain whose information
should have been reported on the FAFSA, please contact the Financial Aid Office for
clarification.
How do I know if I was selected for verification?
You will receive a Student Aid Report from the federal processor once your FAFSA has
been processed. It will be sent to you by mail or via email depending on the preferred
method of contact you selected when you filed your FAFSA. If you were selected for
the verification process by the federal processor, there will be a message on your
Student Aid Report advising you that you were selected and advising you to contact
your school's financial aid office for more information.
If not selected for verification, do I need to do anything else?
If you are not selected for the verification process, your file is considered complete
as soon as your FAFSA data is received by the Financial Aid Office in a valid status.
If your FAFSA has been rejected by the federal processor, you will be required to
resolve the issues. FAFSAs may be rejected for a number of reasons including, but
not limited to the following: missing applicant or parent signatures; name and/or
social security number mismatches; citizenship documentation issues; selective service
registration issues. FAFSA rejections must be resolved before students are considered
eligible for financial aid. The Financial Aid Office will request additional information
from you to help resolve FAFSA rejects. It is essential that all requested documentation
be submitted as quickly as possible. Failure to provide requested documentation in
a timely manner could result in a loss of some forms of aid.
How do I complete verification?
When a student's file is selected for verification, the Financial Aid Office will
compare federal tax data and information reported on a verification form to the data
submitted on the FAFSA. If all of the information matches, the file will be considered
complete. If there are any discrepancies, the Financial Aid Office will electronically
submit corrections to the federal processor. When the corrections are acknowledged
by the federal processor, the student's file will be considered complete.
Is there a verification deadline?
To be considered for financial aid for the 2021-2022 academic year, students must
submit documentation no later than 30 days after the last date of enrollment or August
30, 2022, whichever is earlier.
