Verification

We suggest the requested forms be submitted within two weeks from the date of the request, and any additional forms requested after the initial forms have been received should be submitted as soon as possible. Our office will send a reminder email every 30 days until the end of the academic year or the student ceases enrollment.

In order to receive federal aid by the end of the semester, Verification Forms must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to the end of the semester. If you’ve also applied for a Private Loan, we suggest that application also be submitted 6 weeks prior to the end of the semester. The last day financial aid will be disbursed for fall semester is the Friday of finals week. If your aid has not processed by then, your aid will not be disbursed until classes begin in January.

Pell Grant applicants selected for verification, must complete the process no later than 120 days after the last date of enrollment or the date determined by the Department of Education, whichever comes first. Direct Loan applicants have 180 days for their loans to disburse, as long as the loan has been accepted by the Department of Education prior to the last day of attendance and all requirements (ELC, MPN and any holds completed), have been fulfilled. When a Pell Grant and/or a Direct Loan is involved, the verification process is considered complete only when the application data is correct, and we have the final valid ISIR showing the correct official EFC/SAI on file.

Students who are awarded campus based funds (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and Federal Work-Study) must complete verification by the last date of enrollment. Otherwise, campus based funds will be canceled at the time student is no longer enrolled at NDSU.

Making changes to your FAFSA once you have been selected for Verification.
Do NOT make any changes to your FAFSA once you have been selected for verification. Our office will make any necessary corrections for this process or we will contact the student if corrections need to be made.

Submitting Incorrect Documentation and Forms.
Your Campus Connection to-do list will show what forms need to be submitted. Submit only the forms listed.

We cannot accept a copy of your Account Transcripts or your state income tax return. You must either submit the Tax Return Transcript or a signed copy of your Federal Income Tax Return.

Do not request that the transcript be sent directly to us as we will get a statement saying that they cannot send it to us.

Not putting the student’s full name and ID on parent information.
Please make sure to write the student's full name and ID number on each page of parent information being submitted so we can ensure that information is matched to the correct student.

A tax return transcript shows most line items from your Federal tax return as it was originally filed.

• Visit https://www.irs.gov
• Click "Get your tax record"
  
• Under the "Request online" header, click [Get transcript online] button
• If you already have an existing account, click the [Sign in with ID.me] button 
• If you don’t already have an account, click the [ID.me Create an account] button and create a new account
• Once account is created, sign in
• Select a reason you need a transcript → Income Verification
  • Leave "Customer File Number" blank
• Click "Go"
• Under "Return Transcript" select tax year 2022 (if you are completing verification process for 2024-2025) or 2021 (if you are completing verification process for 2023-2024. NOTE: We are unable to use the Account Transcript for Verification purposes.

A W2 statement is a standard tax form showing the total wages paid to an employee and the taxes withheld during the calendar year. It is prepared by an employer for each employee.

Where can I obtain a copy?
A copy of your W2 form can be obtained from your employer. You can also obtain your Wage and Income Transcript directly from the IRS.

• Visit https://www.irs.gov
• Click "Get your tax record"
  
• Under the "Request online" header, click [Get transcript online] button
• If you already have an existing account, click the [Sign in with ID.me] button 
• If you don’t already have an account, click the [ID.me Create an account] button and create a new account
• Once account is created, sign in
• Select a reason you need a transcript → Income Verification
  • Leave "Customer File Number" blank
• Click "Go"
• Under "Wage and Income Transcript" select tax year 2022 (if you are completing verification process for 2024-2025) or 2021 (if you are completing verification process for 2023-2024.

Yes! Federal regulations allow us to accept a signed copy of your, your parent(s) or spouses federal income tax return as documentation for verification or a Tax Return Transcript. (Unless the IRS Online Data Retrieval Tool was used while filling out your FAFSA.)

We also cannot accept the Account Transcript or the state income tax return. Sending us the wrong documentation will delay the process of your Financial Aid.

If you have trouble entering your street address into the online Tax Return Transcript Request Form, review the suggestions below:

When entering the information into the IRS address matching system note the following:

• The address entered must match the address already on file with the IRS exactly.
• The address on file is typically the address on your most recent tax return.
• Spelling out the word “street” rather than using the abbreviation “st.” can be enough to cause an error.
• Addresses on the IRS system are auto-corrected through a post office program and may not match what you put on your tax return.

We suggest the following if you run into problems:

• Have your taxes in front of you and enter the address carefully as it is on your return.
• If you entered your address as it appears on your return and it doesn’t work, try using the standardized version of your address. To get a standardized version of your address:
  1. Go to www.usps.com
  2. Click Look Up a Zip Code
  3. Enter Street Address, City, State
  4. Click Find
• If you still have problems, the IRS.gov Website Help Desk can be reached toll-free at 1-800-876-1715, Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).

https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info 

If the divorce/separation or death took place before completing the FAFSA, only supply the information of the parent that provides the majority of the support. This parent is known as your custodial parent.

If the divorce/separation or death took place after completing the FAFSA provide all information for both parents. Then complete a Special Circumstance Form to have us separate the information.

If your custodial parent is remarried before filling out the FAFSA, include your step-parent’s information.

If your custodial parent is remarried after filling out the FAFSA, do not include any of your step-parent’s information.

https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info 

Wrong! Dependents being claimed on a Tax Return does not affect who you use as parents on your FAFSA. You should use the parent that provides the majority of the support.

Special Cases Related for Independent Status

Wrong! Exemptions do not determine whether a student is considered dependent or independent. See “How do I know if I am considered independent on my FAFSA?” .

If you have been granted an Automatic 6-Month Extension, you will need to submit the following:

• Copy of IRS Form 4868 for the year the extension was filed; and
• Unchanged FTI from FA-DDX;
• Tax Return Transcript or acceptable alternative tax transcript; or
• Signed copy of tax return and applicable schedules (Schedule 1, 2, and/or 3) filed with the IRS

If you have been granted an extension Beyond 6-Months, you will need to submit the following:

• Copy of IRS’s approval of extension beyond the automatic 6-month extension for applicable tax year;
• IRS Form 2350, Application for Extension of Time to File U.S. Income Tax Return;
• Signed statement listing sources of 2022 income and amount of income from each source;
• W-2 or equivalent document for each source of employment income received for tax year; and
• If self-employed, signed statement certifying amount AGI and U.S. income tax paid for tax year

If you were a victim of IRS identity theft, who has been unable to obtain a Tax Return Transcript, contact the Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) at 1-800-908-4490 or go to the IRS website at www.irs.gov and request an alternate tax return transcript known as the TRDBV (Transcript Data Base View).

Forms will be date stamped and entered in the order they were received.

On your To Do List, found under the Tasks tile, in Campus Connection you could see the following:

• Received Status: The documentation you sent has been received, but not reviewed.
• Returned Status: The documentation you sent is being sent back to you for completion or a signature.
• Notified Status: We have sent you an email as to what is still needed.

When your documentation is received and processed it will be removed from your To Do List.

If additional information is required, an email will be sent to the student to your NDSU email account.

After all forms are submitted, your information will be reviewed, corrected (if applicable), and sent to the processor. When it is returned from the processor (this process takes 7 to 10 days) your award will be revised - if applicable, the process will be finished, and aid will be allowed to apply to your student account.

This process may take a few weeks to complete. Once your verification process is complete, we will send an email to your NDSU email account.

Yes. You will receive an email to your NDSU email account once your verification is complete.

Yes. You will be sent an email to your NDSU email account notifying you if your aid has changed due to the verification process.

There are a variety of ways you can submit your verification information. 

Failing to submit your required verification information will keep your federal financial aid from being applied to your student account. If you fail to submit your verification information by the deadline your federal financial aid will be cancelled.

No. Beginning with the 2024-25 award year, family size is now based on federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA via FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange. This means the number of dependents in the family size is now based on the number of individuals who are claimed as dependents on either the applicant’s (if independent) or parent’s (if dependent) U.S. federal tax return. As such, an unborn child cannot be included in the family size unless and until the child is born.

If the addition of the newborn child changes the student’s dependency status, then dependency status and family size must be updated. Otherwise, as a general rule, family size can only be updated to include the newborn child if the student is selected for verification. Family size then must updated to be correct at the time of verification. Even then, that newborn child can only be included if the child could be claimed as a dependent on the contributor’s tax return.