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 to submit documentation based on what
is being requested to be verified as indicated on their Student Aid
Report (SAR). The SAR is the response report a student
receives from the federal government after they submit their
FAFSA. All requested documentation will be posted on the
student’s UIS
account.
Students must log into the University Information
System (UIS) for a complete list of all required
documents.Required forms may be downloaded via
UIS. The most commonly
requested item to verify is a copy of the student and/or parent’s
IRS Tax Return Transcript.
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. It is
recommended that one tax filer on the transcript affix their
signature on the top of the first page of the transcript.
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.