Georgia Institute of Technology

Verification

Verification is the process established by the Department of Education to check the accuracy of the students' financial aid application. If you are selected for verification, you will need to provide the specific documentation requested in OSCAR based on academic year and your dependency status.

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) has implemented a secure portal for students and parents to upload required documentation (such as tax returns and forms) to complete the federal aid process for the 2020-2021 academic year.  If selected for Verification, students will find additional instructions accessing the portal in OSCAR under My Requirements and Eligibility for 2020-2021.

Important: Submit verification and tax documents only upon request - students are initially notified via email if selected for verification review.

2020-2021 Verification Process – Prior Prior Year

To simplify and streamline the verification process, DOE has implemented a “Prior-Prior Year” (PPY) policy. With PPY, the income reported on the FAFSA will be from “two years prior” to the application year for the 2020-2021 award year.  That will be tax data from your 2018 Tax Return. We encourage parents and students to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) inside the FAFSA which will import tax data and decrease errors.

By using earlier income data, families will have their completed tax information available by the time they are ready to apply for financial aid. This will make it easier to fill in application forms, and increase the likelihood that families will be able to import their 2018 income directly from the IRS using the online Data Retrieval Tool (DRT).

Georgia Tech performs federal verification on these selective populations, requesting acceptable documentation for the data items required to be verified.  If you are selected for verification, you will need to provide the specific documentation requested in OSCAR based on the academic year.

Important Priority Deadlines

There are priority deadlines in place to assure that your verification is processed in time to be considered for limited institutional funds.

• October 1, 2019 Federal IRS Data Retrieval Tool Available for 2020-2021
• January 31, 2020 Verification deadline for Incoming Freshmen
• January 31, 2020 Verification deadline for all other Returning/Transfer students

Consequences of Failing to Meet Verification Deadlines

If the priority deadline is missed, we will continue to perform verification of your financial aid application.  However, here are the consequences:

• Institutional funds offered on an initial award letter may be canceled.
• Federal funds (Pell Grant, Federal Work Study, Loans) offered on an initial award letter will be canceled until all requested verification documentation is received, reviewed and the FAFSA determined to be valid.
• Students completing verification after the deadline may be able to receive the Federal funds listed above on a reimbursement basis, contingent on meeting all other eligibility requirements.

Required Verification Documents

The details listed below explain how to find, complete, and submit requested verification documents. Please utilize the student OSCAR account to identify required verification documents.

Dependent students must submit:

•     Dependent Student Verification Worksheet
•     Student's 2018 Federal Tax Return Transcript and/or a successful IRS data transfer using the DRT
•     Parent's 2018 Federal Tax Return Transcript and/or a successful IRS data transfer using the DRT
•     All W2s, 1099s and supporting schedules

Independent students must submit:

•     Independent Student Verification Worksheet
•     Student/Spouse 2018 Federal Tax Return Transcript and/or a successful IRS data transfer using the DRT
•     All W2s, 1099s and supporting schedules

Verification of Non-Filing Letter

A Verification of Non-filing Letter from the IRS is required if the parent or an Independent student did not file and was not required to file a 2018 Income Tax Return with the IRS. To request a Verification of Non-filing Letter, follow the order transcripts instructions below.

*The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at Georgia Tech also adheres to FERPA (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations as well as confidentiality agreements.

Federal IRS Data Retrieval and Tax Transcript

In place of providing the Federal Tax Return Transcript, one option that may be available is the Federal IRS Data Retrieval which allows you to download 2018 Federal Tax information directly to the FAFSA from the IRS. Tax Data is available through the Federal IRS Data Retrieval option within a minimum of 2-3 weeks after electronic submission and acceptance of a 2018 Federal Tax Return to the IRS. Using this option may reduce the amount of documentation that the financial aid office needs to request.

If the IRS Data Retrieval Tool cannot be used and if verification documentation is requested, it may be necessary to obtain an official 2018 Federal Tax Return Transcript from the IRS.

• Order a 2018 Federal Tax Return Transcript 
• Upon receipt of the 2018 Federal Tax Return Transcript, please fax, mail, or upload requested supporting documents directly to our office.
• IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter is required if an Independent student and/or parent did not file and were not required to file a 2018 Income Tax Return with the IRS.

Ordering IRS Transcripts

To request IRS Tax Return Transcript or Verification of Non-Filing Letter, go to: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

In order to use the “Get Transcript ONLINE” or “Get transcript by MAIL” options you must be able to provide:

• Social security number
• Date of birth
• The filing status and mailing address from latest tax return
• Access to your email account
• Your personal account number from a credit card, mortgage, home equity loan, home equity line of credit or car loan
• A mobile phone with your name on the account

OR

To order transcript by fax or mail, click the link: IRS 4506-T

• Complete lines 1a through 4, following the instructions on page 2 of the form.
• Note that line 3 should be the most current address. It is the address where the IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter will be sent, if line 5 is left blank.
• Line 5 provides non-filers with the option to have their IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter mailed directly to a third party by the IRS.
• On line 7, select the checkbox on the right hand side for “Verification of Non-Filing”.
• On line 9, “Year or period requested”, enter 12/31/2018 for the 2020-2021 academic year.
• The non-filer must sign and date the form and enter their telephone number.
• Mail or fax the completed IRS Form 4506-T to the appropriate address or fax number provided on page 2 of the form. “Chart for all other transcripts”
• Non-filers can expect to receive their Verification of Non-Filing Letter within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives and processes their signed request.

Amended Tax Returns

Students and parents filing an amended 2018 Tax Return must submit a copy of:

Tax Filing Extensions

Those who require tax filing extensions, you must submit the following before and after the Extension deadline of October 17:

• IRS Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
• Copies of all W2s
• If Self-employed, a signed statement of 2018 Adjusted Gross Income and U.S. Income Taxes paid

All required documents should be provided as soon as they become available.  After 2018 Taxes are filed, submit your Tax Transcript or copy of your Federal 1040 Tax Return for verification. The "Consequences of Failing to Meet Verification Deadlines" still apply.

Non-tax filers unable to obtain IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter

There are circumstances where one or both of the parents of a dependent student or the spouse of an independent student does not have a Social Security Number, an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or an Employer Identification Number and therefore is unable to obtain a verification of non-filing from the IRS. Individuals in these cases and whose income is below the IRS filing threshold must submit to the institution:

A signed and dated statement--

Foreign tax and income information

A transcript obtained from a government, U.S. territory, commonwealth, or foreign nation that includes all of the tax filer’s income and tax information is acceptable. Students and parents who filed with a foreign tax authority must provide a signed copy of their foreign tax information. If a transcript is not available, a signed copy of the tax return may be acceptable. All documents should be translated into English and converted into U.S. dollars where applicable. 

Foreign non-tax filers with income

Students and parents who earned income from work but are not required to file a tax return in their country in which they live, may submit a signed statement of earnings and income. The documents should be translated into English converted into U.S. dollars as appropriate. 

Finishing the Verification Process

Once all requested documents are received, we will review them accordingly.  If discrepant information is found, corrections will be made and additional time will be needed for processing.

Instructions as to where to submit your documents are listed below.

​The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) has implemented a secure portal for students and parents to upload required documentation (such as tax forms) to complete the federal aid process for the 2020-21 academic year.  If selected for Verification, students will find additional instructions on accessing the portal in OSCAR under My Requirements and Eligibility for 2020-2021.

 Step One: View your required documents for Verification, in OSCAR:

1. Log into OSCAR
2. Select Secured Access Login
3. Select Student Services & Financial Aid
4. Select Financial Aid
5. Select My Requirements and Eligibility
6. Select 2020 - 2021 Aid Year

Step Two: Upload required documents

1. We use a separate portal to upload documents
2. You must authenticate your account before you can login
3. Once you have an account, login to upload required documents

Fax or mail documents to:

Georgia Institute of Technology
Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
225 North Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30332-0460
Fax: 404.894.7412

This website last updated/reviewed on 10/23/20