Publication Date: June 13, 2013
Posted Date: June 13, 2013
Subject: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Information To Be Verified for the 2014-2015 Award Year
FR Type: Notice
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 114 (Thursday, June 13, 2013)] [Notices] [Pages 35613-35617] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2013-14069] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Information To Be Verified for the 2014-2015 Award Year AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education. ACTION: Notice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [CFDA Nos. 84.007, 84.033, 84.038, 84.063, and 84.268] 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 for verifying FAFSA information. For the 2014-2015 award year, the Secretary announces, through this notice, 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) or a text telephone (TTY), 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. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following chart lists, for the 2014-2015 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 the acceptable documentation that must be provided under Sec. 668.57 to an institution for that information to be [[Page 35614]] verified. 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. CHART OMITTED -- SEE PDF FILE \1\ A tax filer who 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 correspond most closely to the income information reported on a U.S. income tax return. \2\ An institution may accept a copy of a 2013 income tax return for tax filers who are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript consistent with guidance that the Secretary may provide (e.g., victims of identity theft, individuals who filed an amended tax return, individuals who filed an income tax return other than an IRS form or individuals with authentication issues with the IRS). 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. \3\ If a tax filer did not retain a copy of his or her 2013 tax account information and that information cannot be located by the IRS or a government of a U.S. territory or commonwealth or a foreign central government, the institution must accept-- a) A copy of IRS Form W-2 (see footnote 4), for each source of employment income received for tax year 2013 and, if self-employed, a signed statement certifying the amount of AGI and taxes paid for that self-employment for tax year 2013; or b) A copy of a wage and tax statement or a signed statement by an individual who 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 2013. \4\ 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 why 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:2014-2015 Application and Verification Guide. 2014-2015 ISIR Guide. 2014-2015 SAR Comment Codes and Text. 2014-2015 COD Technical Reference. Program Integrity Information--Questions and Answers on Verification at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2009/verification.html. These publications are on 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 the document 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 Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 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. Specifically, 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. Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated authority to Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. Dated: June 7, 2013. Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 2013-14069 Filed 6-12-13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P