Verification Information

What is Verification?

Verification is a review process in which the Office of Student Financial Services is directed by the Department of Education to determine the accuracy of the information provided on the student's FAFSA application. During the verification process the student and parent will be required to submit documentation for the amounts listed (or not listed) on the FAFSA. Such documentation may include signed copies of the most recent Federal income tax returns for you, your spouse (if any) and your parents, proof of citizenship, proof of sibling enrollment at another institution, and copies of Social Security benefit statements and W-2 and 1099 forms, among other things.

FAFSA applications are randomly selected by the Federal processor for verification, with most schools verifying at least 40 - 45% of all applications. If there is an asterisk next to the EFC figure on your Student Aid Report (SAR), your SAR has been selected for verification. Schools may select additional students for verification for various reasons. The Office of Student Financial Services will contact selected students via mail once the college is notified by the Department of Education.

If any discrepancies are uncovered during verification, the Office of Student Financial Services may require additional information to clear up the discrepancies. Such discrepancies may cause your final financial aid package to be different from the initial package described on the award letter you received from the school.

If you refuse to submit the required documentation, all need-based financial aid will be cancelled prior to registration and no need-based aid will be disbursed.

What Information Is Being Verified?

Schools are required to verify the data elements below.

Household size (number of people in your household)
Number enrolled in education (number of household members attending a post secondary educational institution at least half time)
Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for 2005 or income earned from work if income is below minimum required for income tax filing
U.S. Income Tax Paid for the base year
Certain Untaxed Income and Benefits for the base year
1. Social Security benefits
2. Child support received
3. Untaxed payments to IRA and /or Keogh plans
4. Interest on tax free bonds
5. Earned income credit
6. Other untaxed income from the U.S. income tax return (excluding schedules)

In addition to verifying the basic items, you may be asked to verify other application items, including:

benefits from federal or state public assistance programs
Worker's Compensation
Veterans Non educational Benefits
housing, food, and other living allowances
cash support received from a friend or relative (other than the parent of a dependent student)
untaxed portion of pensions
payments to tax deferred pension and savings plans
tax-exempt interest income
cash and bank accounts
investment value and residential (other than the family's principle residence) or commercial property

Can My Financial Aid Change As A Result Of Verification?

The financial aid package offer to you was based on the information provided on your FAFSA. Federal Programs such as the Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work Study and the Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan Program have strict eligibility requirements. If your tax information differs from the information on which your FAFSA is based, your awards could be reduced or cancelled altogether.

What Documentation Will I Have To Submit?

Dependent students are required to submit a federal institutional verification worksheet and a signed copy of both the student and parent 2005 federal income tax return and all W2 forms received for the 2005 fiscal year.

Independent students are required to submit a federal verification worksheet and a signed copy of their 2005 federal income tax return and all W2 forms received for the 2005 fiscal year. If an independent student was 1) married and filing a joint return for the preceding tax year or 2) was married after the end of the proceeding tax year but before filing the original FAFSA, the student must submit a tax return for their spouse. If you filed a FAFSA for the current school year and you married after December 31st, you must submit a sign income tax return for your spouse.

Other document's might be requested by the Director of Student Financial Service at the time he begins to review the student's file. Student's will be notified if additional documentation is needed.

The verification worksheet and the tax returns should be forwarded to the Office of Student Financial Services as soon as possible. Student's with an incomplete verification file will not be awarded a financial aid package until verification is completed.

What If The Student Will Not File A Federal Income Tax Return?

If a student did not work at all during the 2005 tax year, the student should check the appropriate box in Section C of the Verification Worksheet. If the student worked but is not required to file a tax return, the student should write in the sources and amounts of earnings and attach W-2's to Section C of the Verification Worksheet and attach copies of all W2 forms.

What If The Parent Will Not File A Federal income Tax Return?

If the parents will not file a federal income tax return, the parent must check the appropriate box in Section D of the Verification Worksheet. If the parent worked but was not required to file a tax return, the parent should write the source and amounts of earnings in Section D and attached a copy of all W2 forms.

What if I or My Parent Received Social Security Benefits?

If you or your parent received social security benefits in 2005, you must submit a copy of Form SSA-1099 from the Social Security Administration that shows the amount of Social Security benefits you received for yourself and the members of your family in 2005. You also need to enter in the necessary amount in Worksheet A which is found on the back of the FAFSA form.

What Does it Mean When I'm Asked to Provide Proof of my Sibling's Enrollment?

If you indicated on your FAFSA that there is more than one family member attending college in 2006-2007, we need proof that your sibling is in fact attending a college/university. The only proof accepted at Mercyhurst College is a copy of a 2006-2007 tuition statement, copy of a class schedule, or a letter from the sibling's college.

Please note that if your sibling is attending a college or university for their Master's or Doctorate degree, our office will adjust your Student Aid Report accordingly. Federal regulations state that you are only allowed to include individual's seeking an undergraduate degree as being in college.

Please note that parents of students are not counted when calculating the number in college for traditional age students.

What If I Do Not Have A Copy of My Federal Tax Return or W2 Form(s)?

If you do not have a copy of your federal income tax return you must contact the Internal Revenue Services or your tax preparer in your local area and request a copy of the following document: either a RTFTP printout or Letter 1722. If you are in need of a copy of your W2 form(s), you will need to contact your employer to obtain a copy.

What If I Do Not Have A Copy of or Misplaced My Verification Worksheet?

If you cannot locate the 2006-2007 Verification Worksheet that the Office of Student Financial Services sent to you, you can stop by our office (Old Main, Room 115) and pick one up or go to our forms and documents page on our departmental webpage on Lakernet and print out the appropriate worksheet.