Posted Date:November 24, 2014
| Author: | Lynn B. Mahaffie, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education |
Subject: 2015-2016 Verification-Suggested Text and Availability of 2014 IRS Tax Information (Updated February 20, 2015)
Note: On February 20, 2015, we updated this announcement by replacing APPENDIX A to correct an error on page 9. Under Verification of Other Untaxed Income for 2014, section F, we replaced 2014-15 FAFSA with 2015-16 FAFSA in two places.
This Electronic Announcement provides suggested text in APPENDIX A for each of the required 2015-2016 verification items that were identified in the June 25, 2014, Federal Register notice. While use by an institution of the suggested text fulfills the regulatory verification requirements, institutions are not required to use the U.S. Department of Education's suggested text and formats, except as noted below. Instead, institutions may develop and use their own text, forms, documents, statements, and certifications that are specific to the items required to be verified for a particular student or group of students. The one exception is that institutions must use the exact language provided in the "Statement of Educational Purpose" in APPENDIX A for students who are placed in Verification Tracking Groups V4 or V5. APPENDIX B provides an example of how institutions may use the suggested text to develop an institutional verification document.
Dear Colleague Letter GEN-14-11, posted to IFAP on June 30, 2014, describes the Verification Tracking Groups established for 2015-2016: V1-Standard; V2-Reserved; V3-Child Support Paid; V4-Custom; V5-Aggregate; and V6-Household Resources. Attached APPENDIX C and APPENDIX D provide important information about each of the Verification Tracking Groups.
Information on how tax filers may request an IRS Tax Return Transcript and an IRS Record of Account is provided in APPENDIX E. Institutions may have difficulty matching a parent’s IRS Tax Return Transcript or IRS Record of Account with the student because the last names may be different, so we recommend that institutions explain to the student how to match the student to his or her parent’s transcript prior to submitting it to the institution. A chart of the availability of 2014 IRS tax information is provided in APPENDIX F.
If you have any questions about the content of this Electronic Announcement or the attachments, please contact our Research and Customer Care Center staff. Staff is available Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) at 1-800-433-7327. After-hours calls will be accepted by an automated voice response system. If you leave your name and phone number, you will receive a return call the next business day. Alternatively, you may email the Customer Care Center at fsa.customer.support@ed.gov.