The U.S. Department of Education randomly selects approximately 30% of people who complete a FAFSA for verification. Rockhurst University, also has the authority to select applicants for the verification process. The office of financial aid is where the verification of data is actually conducted. If a student is selected for verification, eligibility of federal financial assistance will be determined after the process has been completed. No Federal or State Financial Aid will be processed until the verification is complete. The student award letter will be mailed to new prospective students and emailed to current students as soon as the process is done.
If the FAFSA is selected for verification, the financial aid office will contact the student and advise them of the documentation needed in order to complete the process. There are three different classifications of verification and depending on which the student is selected for, will depend on the documentation necessary to collect to complete the process.
V1-Dependent/Independent Verification
If the student is “dependent”, this means there is parental data entered onto the FAFSA. We will need the following items to complete verification:
- Verification worksheet, completed, signed and dated (for the requested academic year)
- Copy of the parent(s) IRS Tax Return Transcript (for the prior-prior year’s taxes)
- Copy of the parent(s) W-2 statements (for the prior-prior year’s earnings)
- Copy of the student IRS Tax Return Transcript (for the prior-prior year’s taxes)
- Copy of the student W-2 statement (for the prior-prior year’s earnings)
- If the student or parent did not file taxes a No File Letter from the IRS must be provided (for the prior-prior year’s taxes)
If the student is “independent” the documentation necessary is the same, but the parent taxes and W-2 information is excluded.
V4-High School Completion Status, Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose
All documentation that was requested for a V1 verification is necessary, but we also need additional information to complete a V4 verification.
Applicants who are able to appear in person
To verify identity and the previously signed statement of educational purpose, an applicant who is selected for verification and who is able to appear in person must provide the following documentation to a school-authorized individual:
- A valid, government-issued photo identification
- A signed statement certifying that federal student financial assistance the applicant may receive will only be used for educational purposes to pay for costs at the school for the academic year
To clarify, the applicant's identification will generally be issued by the federal or state government. The notice also provides examples which include but are not limited to a: driver's license, non-driver's license, military identification, or passport.
Further, as part of the documentation process, the school must maintain a copy of the identification provided by the applicant. It must also annotate the copy with the following information:
- The date the documentation was received
- The name of the school-authorized individual who obtained the documentation
Applicants who are unable to appear in person
In certain cases, an applicant selected to verify his or her identity and the previously signed statement of educational purpose may be unable to appear in person to provide the documentation. In such instances, the applicant must provide the following documentation to the school:
- A copy of a valid, government-issued photo identification
- An original, notarized statement signed by the applicant certifying that the federal student financial assistance the applicant may receive will only be used for educational purposes to pay for costs at the school for the 2013-2014 award year
While the examples of a valid government-issued photo identification previously listed remain the same, applicants unable to appear in person may seek clarification from the school to better understand the purpose of a "notarized" statement. In general, because the applicant is unable to appear in person, a notarized statement is one in which the applicant's identity, signature, and statement have been certified or affirmed by a notary public and which is intended to prevent fraud or forgery.
Exceptions to the rule on only being able to accept an IRS Tax Transcript
Individuals Who Filed an Amended IRS Income Tax Return
If an individual filed an amended IRS income tax return for tax year 2015, provide both of the following:
- A signed copy of the original 2015 IRS income tax return that was filed with the IRS or a 2015 IRS Tax Return Transcript or the 2015 tax year; and
- A signed copy of the 2015 IRS Form 1040X, “Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return,” that was filed with the IRS.
Individuals Who Were Victims of IRS Identity Theft
A victim of IRS identity theft who is not able to obtain a 2015 IRS Tax Return Transcript or use the IRS DRT must contact the IRS at 1-800-908-4490. Upon authentication of the tax filer’s identity, the IRS will provide, by U.S. Postal Service, a printout of the tax filer’s 2015 IRS income tax return information.
Individuals Who Filed Non-IRS Income Tax Returns
An individual filed or will file a 2015 income tax return with Puerto Rico, another U.S. territory (e.g., Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Marianas Islands), or with a foreign country, must provide a signed copy of that 2015 income tax return(s).