Publication Date: July 12, 2012
Posted Date: July 12, 2012
Subject: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); 2013-2014 Award Year
FR Type: Notice
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 134 (Thursday, July 12, 2012)] [Notices] [Pages 41173-41176] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2012-17038] ------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA Nos. 84.007, 84.033, 84.038, 84.063, and 84.268] Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); 2013-2014 Award Year AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education. ACTION: Notice. ---------------------------------------------------- Overview Information: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Information to be Verified for the 2013-2014 award year. SUMMARY: For each award year, the Secretary publishes in the Federal Register a notice announcing the FAFSA information that an institution and an applicant may be required to verify. The notice also specifies what documentation is acceptable to the Secretary for verifying FAFSA information. Through this notice, the Secretary announces for the 2013-2014 award year the FAFSA information subject to, and the documentation acceptable for, verification. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacquelyn C. Butler, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, 1990 K Street NW., room 8053, Washington, DC 20006. Telephone: (202) 502-7890. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. [[Page 41174]] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following chart lists for the 2013-2014 award year the FAFSA information that an institution and an applicant and, if appropriate, the applicant's parent(s) or spouse, may be required to verify under 34 CFR 668.56. The chart also lists acceptable documentation that must be provided under Sec. 668.57 to an institution for that information. The Secretary will include on the applicant's Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) flags that will indicate which FAFSA information needs to be verified for that applicant and, if appropriate, the applicant's parent(s) or spouse. The Student Aid Report (SAR) provided to the applicant will indicate that the applicant's FAFSA information has been selected for verification and direct the applicant to the institution for further instructions for completing the verification process. NOTE: CHART OMITTED: SEE PDF FILE FOR CHART --------------------------------------------- \1\ A tax filer that filed an income tax return other than an IRS form, such as a foreign or Puerto Rican tax form, must use the income information (converted to U.S. dollars) from the lines of that form that corresponds most closely to the income information reported on a U.S. income tax return. \2\ If an institution determines, consistent with guidance that the Secretary may provide, that obtaining a transcript from the IRS is not possible, the institution may, consistent with the Secretary's guidance, accept a copy of the 2012 income tax return. The copy must include the signature of the tax filer or of one of the filers of a joint income tax return; or the signed, stamped, typed, or printed name and address of the preparer of the income tax return and the preparer's Social Security Number, Employer Identification Number, or Preparer Tax Identification Number. If a copy of the 2012 income tax return is not available the institution must accept-- (a) A copy of IRS Form W-2 (see footnote 3) for each source of employment income received for tax year 2012, and if self-employed, a signed statement certifying the amount of AGI and taxes paid for tax year 2012; or (b) A signed statement by an individual that has filed an income tax return with a government of a U.S. territory or commonwealth or a foreign central government certifying the amount of AGI and taxes paid for tax year 2012. \3\ If an individual who is required to submit an IRS Form W-2 is unable to obtain one in a timely manner, the institution may permit that individual to provide a signed statement, in accordance with 34 CFR 668.57(a)(6), that includes-- (a) The amount of income earned from work; (b) The source of that income; and (c) The reason that the IRS Form W-2 is not available in a timely manner. Other Sources for Detailed Information We provide a more detailed discussion on the verification process in the following resources:2013-2014 Application and Verification Guide. 2013-2014 ISIR Guide. 2013-2014 SAR Comment Codes and Text. 2013-2014 COD Technical Reference. Program Integrity Information--Questions and Answers on Verification at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2009/verification.html. You may access these publications at the Information for Financial Aid Professionals Web site at www.ifap.ed.gov. Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). To view PDF documents, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for free at the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at www.federalregister.gov. Through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a, 1070a-1, 1070b-1070b-4, 1070c-1070c-4, 1070g, 1071-1087-2, 1087a-1087j, and 1087aa-1087ii; 42 U.S.C. 2751-2756b. Dated: July 9, 2012. David A. Bergeron, Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 2012-17038 Filed 7-11-12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P