Verification Process

You may be selected for verification either by the federal processor or by the FVSU Office of Financial Aid. If you are selected for verification by the federal processor, there will be an asterisk next to your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on your Student Aid Report (SAR). You will also be informed of having been selected for verification in the SAR Acknowledgement letter, which will be included with your SAR documents. You can view your SAR online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/under Step 3, View and Print Your Student Aid Report. If you are selected for verification, your Banner Web will list the documents you are required to submit. It is the student’s responsibility to check (hyper-link) Banner Web regularly and to submit any and all documents requested. Click here to check your financial aid status.

The main reasons for being selected for verification include that you were chosen randomly, the FAFSA you submitted was incomplete, your FAFSA contains estimated information, or the data you provided on the FAFSA is inconsistent. Verification is a federal regulation. Students who are selected for verification are not being punished; rather verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid by reporting false information and ensures that eligible students receive all of the aid for which they are qualified.

If your SAR indicates you were selected for verification or if the FVSU Office of Financial Aid determines that your application needs to be verified, you and your parent(s) will be required to provide supporting documents to the FVSU Office of Financial Aid. In most cases, this documentation includes the following information from the tax year prior to the current aid year:

• Signed copies of student and parent federal income tax return transcripts.
• Student and parent W-2 statements, if you and/or your parents did not file a tax return.
• Documentation of student and parent untaxed income received during the calendar year

Please note that additional documents may be requested at the FVSU Office of Financial Aid’s discretion.

If the federal processor selects your application for verification, do not wait for the Office of Financial Aid to request additional documentation from you. It is your responsibility to review your SAR and/or check your Banner Web account to determine if you are selected and submit the additional documentation through https://fvsu.verifymyfafsa.com.  Please be sure to respond to requests for documentation in a timely manner to avoid delays in applying your financial aid as a credit to your bill.

Yes. Participation in the verification process is not optional. If a student who is selected does not submit the required documentation in a timely manner, the student will not be eligible to receive federal financial aid as a FVSU student. Should the verified financial information differ significantly from the original information provided on the FAFSA, your aid may be adjusted.

Verification documents must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid by the following deadline dates:

Fall Term: June 30 Spring Term: December 20 Summer Term: May 20

The FVSU Office of Financial Aid fully expects that you read and understand all information pertaining to your financial aid award offer and contact our office if you have any questions.

Watch this helpful video on understanding your award letter.

The funds offered to you are based on your eligibility for assistance and our estimate of your financial need for the academic year. Additionally, if you are selected for verification, your award will not be final and funds will not be disbursed onto your account until we have received and reviewed all documentation requested by this office. Check your Banner Web account to determine if you are required to submit additional documentation.

Students who are determined to be eligible for financial aid are considered for all awards administered by FVSU as well as any appropriate federal or state funds. Be assured that the absence of any of the sources of aid listed in your award represents your ineligibility based on individual program parameters or budget constraints, with the exception of some federal and state scholarship and grant programs (i.e. Pell, SEOG, Federal Work-Study, and state grant/scholarship programs). If students become eligible for additional scholarships/grants through federal and/or state agencies, our office will revise your financial aid award letter. You must re-apply for financial aid each year.

How to Request IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter, 2017-18

What is an IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter?

An IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter – provides proof that the IRS has no record of a filed Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ for the year you requested.

Non Tax filers can request an IRS Verification of Non-filing of their 2015 tax return status, free of charge, from the IRS in one of two ways:

• Preferred Method
• Online
• Paper Request
• Telephone

Note: If you typically would have filed a Puerto Rican or Foreign Income Tax Return you must submit appropriate non-filing documentation from a relevant tax authority.

If you have trouble entering your street address into an online form, try these address matching suggestions.

Information on acceptable forms from the IRS as documentation of non-filing status can be found here.

Preferred Method

1. Download the 2015 Tax Non-Filer Statement Form.
2. Complete and sign the form.
3. Upload the form and any required W-2 form(s) to https://fvsu.verifymyfafsa.com.

Online Request

Available at www.irs.gov

Note: This is typically not available if you have never filed taxes before in prior years. If this is the case, please use the paper request process detailed below.

• Under Tools, click “Get a tax transcript”
• Click “Get Transcript ONLINE” (If at any point, you cannot validate your identity – for example, you cannot provide financial verification information or you lack access to a mobile phone – you may use Get Transcript by MAIL, see below)
• Enter the non filer’s Social Security Number, email address, filing status, account numbers for loan or credit card associated with your name, and mobile phone associated with your name.
• Click “Continue”
• Select “Verification of Non-filing Letter “ and in the Tax Year field, select “2015“.
• If successfully validated, you will be able to view your IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter.
• Sign and submit the IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter, if requested, to Fort Valley State University; make sure to include the student’s name and Marquette ID on the letter.

Paper Request Form – IRS Form 4506-T

Download IRS Form 4506-T at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506t.pdf

• Complete lines 1 – 4, following the instructions on page 2 of the form.
• Line 3: enter the non filer’s street address and zip or postal code. Use the address currently on file with the IRS. (Problems entering your street address?)
• Line 5 provides non filers with the option to have their IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter mailed directly to a third party by the IRS. Do not have your IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter sent directly to Marquette.
• Line 6: Enter tax form number 1040.
• Line 7: Select the checkbox on the right hand side for Verification of Non-filing.
• Line 9: Year or period requested field, enter “12/31/2015”.
• The non filer must sign and date the form and enter their telephone number. Only one signature is required when requesting a joint IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter.
• Mail or fax the completed IRS Form 4506-T to the address (or FAX number) provided on page 2 of Form 4506-T.
• If the 4506-T information is successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter at the address provided on their request within 5 to 10 days.
• Sign and submit the IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter, if requested, to Fort Valley State University; make sure to include the student’s name and FVSU ID on the letter.

Telephone Request

Available from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-9946

Note: This is typically not available if you have never filed taxes before in prior years. If this is the case, please use the paper request process detailed below.

• Non-filers must follow prompts to enter their social security number and the numbers in their street address. Generally this will be numbers of the street address that was listed on the latest tax return filed.
• Select “Option 2” to request an IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter and then enter “2015“.
• If successfully validated, non-filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter at the address provided in their telephone request within 5 to 10 days from the time of the request.
• IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter requested by telephone cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.
• Sign and submit the IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter, if requested, to Fort Valley State University; make sure to include the student’s name and VSU ID on the letter.

How to fix address matching problems when ordering online

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).