The What's and Why’s of 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.
How do you know if you are selected for
verification?
Your federal Student Aid Report (SAR) will indicate if your FAFSA
has been selected for verification.
Why is your file being verified?
The federal government selects which FAFSAs will be reviewed for
verification.The following are the most common reasons for being
selected:
- You were selected randomly.
- The data you provided on your FAFSA was incomplete.
- You provided contradictory information on your FAFSA.
- You provided estimated income information on your FAFSA.
What documents need to be submitted to
complete verification?
All students selected for verification will be required at a
minimum to complete a verification worksheet and to submit an
official Federal Tax Return (IRS) Transcript.
Students must log into the University Information System (UIS) for
a complete list of all required documents. Required forms may be
downloaded via UIS.
Important Notice: If you and/or your parents
filed federal tax returns with the filing status of either “single”
or “married filing jointly” you may select the IRS data retrieval
option on your FAFSA. This will allow the IRS to verify your tax
information automatically and you will not have to obtain an IRS
tax transcript to submit to us.
How are IRS Tax Transcripts
requested?
You and/or your parents may request an IRS Tax Transcript by any of
the following methods:
www.IRS.gov – select Order a
Transcript
call – 1(800) 908-9946
complete – form 4506-T and mail to the address indicated
Please do not have an IRS TAX Transcript sent directly to St.
John’s University. You must make the request to the IRS to
send the IRS transcript to your home address. Upon receipt please
keep a photocopy for your files, list your name and St. John’s X ID
number at the top of each page of the IRS tax transcript and submit
it to St. John’s yourself.
Where should requested documents be
sent?
Please send copies of requested documentation to our processing
center:
St. John’s University
P.O. Box 548
Randolph, MA 02368-0548
- Remember to make photocopies of all forms for your records
- Print your name and St. John’s XID on each page of the
documents that you submit
What is the Verification Processing
Timeframe?
Processing usually takes two to three weeks but may take longer
during the summer months since that is peak processing
time.
What happens if there are discrepancies in
the application?
After you turn in all required documents, the Office of Student
Financial Services will compare them with the data you reported on
your FAFSA. If errors are found, corrections will be made. If the
errors are significant enough to change the amount of financial aid
that you were awarded, the Office of Student Financial Services
will send you a revised award letter showing changes in award
amounts. Please note you may monitor your aid status on your
UIS account.
What if I do not supply the verification
documentation?
Verification must be completed before St. John’s need based aid and
aid from federal programs can be disbursed to your student account.
If you are a federal work study student and are selected for
Verification, your file must be verified before you may work.
It is essential to complete the verification process on a timely
basis to insure that financial aid is credited to your student
bill.
What is the deadline for
verification?
Federal guidelines allow for students who have a valid FAFSA on
file to complete verification up to 120 days after the last date of
enrollment. However, it is important to note that St. John’s
University is allowed to set its own processing
deadlines.
St. John’s extends temporary credit for financial aid pending
verification until October of the fall semester. If you have
not submitted all requested documents by October the temporary
credit will expire. From this point, your aid will only be
reinstated only after all requested documents are submitted and
verification has been completed.
Families seeking a reconsideration of aid eligibility should note
that federal regulations require a file to be verified before a
reconsideration request may be reviewed.
Failure to submit all requested documentation will result in the
forfeiture of your financial aid eligibility.
How will I be notified about the status of
my verification?
A message will be posted to your UIS account indicating that
verification has been completed or if additional documents are
needed. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor his/her aid
status through access to his/her personal UIS account.