Financial Aid Policies
Person from a Foreign Country Not Required to File a Tax Form Persons from a foreign country who are not required to file a tax return can provide the signed statement certifying their income and taxes paid. Missing W-2 Forms If a person who is required to provide a W-2 form cannot do it timely, you may be permitted to submit a signed statement with the amount of the income earned from work, the source of that income, and the reason the W-2 form is not available in time. Persons Filing Foreign Taxes When a person filed a non-U.S. tax return, obtaining an IRS tax return transcript is not possible. In those cases, instead of the transcript, you may accept a copy of the tax return, which must be signed by one of the filers of a joint return, and the circumstances must be document- ed. They must use the income and tax information that most closely corresponds to the information on the IRS tax return, and convert the On the few occasions that a tax return was used to complete verifi- cation, your school can accept an electronic copy of the return that has been electronically signed provided your school’s process for accepting such signatures complies with the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act. A signature on Form 8879, the IRS e-file Signature Authorization, is not an acceptable substitute for a signature on the tax return. Tax Preparers For persons who have a tax professional prepare their return, instead of a copy of the return with the filer’s signature, your FAO may accept one that has the name and Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) of the preparer or has his SSN or EIN and has been signed, stamped, typed, or printed with his name and address. Note that the IRS requires paid preparers to have a PTIN. When a Tax Return Transcript is Unavailable When the tax filer requests an IRS tax return transcript and is unsuc- cessful, a person can use a signed copy of the 2023 tax return (Form 1040) for verification. A person must also provide your school with one of the following: (see next page) If a person tried to get the tran- script using the paper form 4506-T, a copy of the response (which a person must sign) mailed to her informing him/her that the IRS could not provide the transcript; or appropriate monetary amounts into U.S. dollars. Electronic Signatures on Tax Returns • If a person tried to get the transcript using the Internet, a signed copy of a screen print from the official IRS webpage showing a message that the transcript request was unsuccessful. • If a person tried to get the transcript using the Internet, a signed copy of a screen print from the official webpage showing a message that the transcript request was unsuccessful. Because the IRS does not send written confirmation of the failure of a transcript request using the telephone, there is no documenta- tion alternative for that method. Affected tax filers must request a tax return transcript using either the online or paper method and, if unsuccessful, provide your school with the above noted documenta-
tion. In addition to the documentation already specified, the tax filer must also provide your school with a completed and signed IRS Form 4506-T or 4506T-EZ that includes on line 5 the name, address, and telephone number of your school as the third party to whom the IRS is to mail the tax return transcript. If your school has no reasonable doubt about the accuracy of the information on the copy of the tax return, your school should proceed with verification and simply place the 4506 form in the student’s file rather than sending it to the IRS. However, if your school has a reason to believe that the information on the tax return may not be accurate, your school must, before veri- fication can be completed, send the Form 4506-T or 4506T-EZ to the IRS and wait for the return of the transcript or confirmation from the IRS that a transcript is not available for that tax filer. Request a Tax Transcript for Verification Go to www.irs.gov. Hover over the word “File” in the top left-hand corner. Then click “Get Your Tax Record”. Select “Get Transcript ONLINE” or “Get Transcript by Mail”. The online method is faster as it allows users instant access. Get Transcript ONLINE - create an account with the IRS and follow the steps to receive instant access to a .PDF of your Tax Return Transcript. Be sure to choose “Return Transcript” and enter the appropriate tax year (“2023” for the 2025-2026 FAFSA). Get Transcript by Mail - Enter in the SSN or ITIN and date of birth of the tax filer. As well as the street address and ZIP or postal code. The address must match the mailing address from your latest tax return. Be sure to choose “Return Transcript” and enter the appropriate tax year (“2023” for the 2025-2026 FAFSA). Transcripts arrive in 5 to 10 calendar days at the address the IRS has on file. Filing an Amended Return The IRS data exchange will not transfer amended income and tax data. Students or parents who filed an amended tax return may provide the financial aid office with the following documents to complete verification: • A signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X that was filed, all pages, and • A copy of an IRS Tax Return Transcript, or a signed copy of actual IRS tax return (pages 1 and 2) and Schedules 1, 3, C and F, if applicable. Family Size To document the family size, the student needs to provide a signed statement and, if dependent, at least one parent that gives the name, age, and relationship to the student of each person in the family. You don’t have to verify family size in the following situations: • For a dependent student, the family size reported is three for married parents or two for a single, divorced, separated, or widowed parent. • For an independent student, the family size reported is two if he is married or one if he is single, divorced, separated, or widowed. High School Completion Students must provide one of the following documents that indicate their High School completion status at the beginning of the 2025-2026 year:
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