General The Department developed this table for use with the 2016–2017 Suggested Verification Text provided as APPENDIX A to the Electronic Announcement dated November 18, 2015. Read the information below in conjunction with the 2016–2017 verification information provided in the and in . Use by an institution of the suggested text for a particular verification item fulfills the regulatory verification requirements; however institutions are not required to use the suggested text. Instead, institutions may, except for the Statement of Educational Purpose, develop and use their own text, forms, documents, statements, and certifications that are specific to the items required to be verified for a particular student or for a group of students. Institutions may have difficulty matching a parent’s IRS tax account information with the student because the last may be different. Therefore we recommend that institutions advise students to write the student’s name on their parent’s tax information prior to submitting it to the institution. Tracking Group Text Item Income Information for Tax Return Filers V1, V5, and V6 Verification of 2015 IRS Income Tax Return Information for Student Tax Filers The suggested text, including information how the use of the FAFSA/IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT), satisfies this verification requirement. V1, V5, and V6 Verification of 2015 IRS Income Tax Return Information for Parent Tax Filers The suggested text, including information about how the use of the FAFSA/IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT), satisfies this verification requirement. V6 Verification of Other Untaxed Income We present suggested text for the six other untaxed income items on the FAFSA, plus text to collect other income that may be available to the family. A student placed in Verification Tracking Group V6 must provide a copy of IRS Form W-2 for the student,
Verification of the number of household members in college is not required if the number of household members enrolled at least half time in eligible postsecondary institutions is “1”. SNAP and Support Paid V1, V4, V5, and V6 Receipt of SNAP Benefits (Independent Student) Verification of the receipt of SNAP benefits is only required if SNAP benefits were indicated on the student’s ISIR. V1, V4, V5, and V6 Receipt of SNAP Benefits (Dependent Student) Verification of the receipt of SNAP benefits is only required if SNAP benefits were indicated on the student’s ISIR. V1, V4, V5, and V6 Support Paid (Independent Student) Verification of support paid is only required if child support paid was indicated on the student’s ISIR. V1, V4, V5, and V6 Child Support Paid (Dependent Student) Verification of child support paid is only required if child support paid was indicated on the student’s ISIR. High School Completion, Identity, and Statement of Educational Purpose V4 and V5 High School Completion Status The institution has verified high school completion status if the institution’s admissions office obtained and retains, for the Title IV required record retention period, copies of the student’s high school diploma or high school transcript. However, the institution must ensure that the documentation is official and indicates that the student was awarded a high school diploma. V4 and V5 Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose (To Be Signed at Institution) This text is intended only for students who are required to identify themselves and sign a Statement of Educational Purpose in the presence of an institutionally designated official. The institutional official to whom the student presents his or her government-issued identification must make a copy of that identification, sign and date the copy, and ensure that it is maintained at the institution for the required IV record retention period.
The text for the Statement of Educational Purpose may NOT be modified. V4 and V5 Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose (To Be Signed With Notary) The text for the Statement of Educational Purpose may NOT be modified and is intended only for students who cannot execute their Statement of Educational Purpose at the institution and instead must execute it in the presence of a notary public. If the notary statement appears on a separate page than the Statement of Educational Purpose, there must be a clear indication that the Statement of Educational Purpose was the document notarized. Certifications and Signatures All Verification Tracking Groups Certification and Signature (Independent Student) Normally, only one certification/signature is required on the institutional verification document, except that a separate signature is required by the student for execution of the Statement of Educational Purpose. However, a signature is required on any subsequent verification information submitted to the institution. A separate certification is not required for a 2015 IRS Tax Return Transcript, which does not require a signature or, where allowed, for a signed copy of an actual 2015 IRS income tax return. All Verification Tracking Groups Certifications and Signatures (Dependent Student) Normally, only one certification/signature is required on the institutional verification document, except that a separate signature is required by the student for execution of the Statement of Educational Purpose. However, a signature is required on any subsequent verification information submitted to the institution. A separate certification is not required for a 2015 IRS Tax Return Transcript, which does not require a signature or, where allowed, for a signed copy of an actual 2015 IRS income tax return.