<p>My daughters FAFSA was d for verification and we just looked at her school finaid website and we have to produce a whole bunch of documents for verification. Not a real problem as the final figures were very close to the estimates. But we filed in January and just today are being asked for this documentation. And they state they will not even **begin* to assess her financial aid until all the documents are sent. Which seems to negate the point of estimating and filing early. Oh well - off to start copying forms.</p>
<p>I can see why students freak out a little when they get the verification request. It is pretty detailed. We reported everything accurately but it causes this little frisson of guilt being asked to prove it. Must be the Catholic upbringing. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>We were "selected" for verification for FOUR years...and my kid didn't receive a nickel of need based aid (which is what the FAFSA is all about). Go figure. As long as you were honest, you have no reason to worry. It's more of a pain than anything else.</p>
<p>I'm not really worried. Just that reflex guilt reaction like when you put your foot on the brake pedal when you see a police car even though you're not speeding. I just wonder if the delay in beginning to assess her financial need makes the whole 'estimate and file early thing' a bit pointless.</p>
<p>I just submitted the FAFSA for the 8th year in a row - efc was always under $8000 and have never been asked for verification -- eek. I am nervous.<br>
will have 3 kids in college next year and the efc is down to $4400.</p>
<p>do they just ask for your tax forms? or do they want to see your checkbook?</p>
<p>We were verfied last year, our first year to file. All they wanted was copies of our tax returns. I fully expect to be verified again this year as our EFC is going up quite a bit.</p>
<p>Copy of signed parent tax returns and student tax returns.
Copies of student and parent W2s.
Name and age of everyone claimed as household member.
Same for everyone claimed as college student.
Details of other income reported and supporting documentation (ie 1099 for ss pension)
Details of items reported such as taxable scholarships and work study.
No asset information or check books. Just income related from what I can see.</p>
<p>Just yesterday, I received a verification packet from the Fin Aid office at PLU (Pacific Lutheran University). It took me about 20 minutes to complete. </p>
<p>I needed:</p>
<p>Signed copy of parent's 2007 federal tax return
Signed copy of student's 2007 federal tax return
Federal verification worksheet</p>
<p>The verification worksheet asked for household members and included Worksheets A and B from the FAFSA. I didn't understand the point of filling that out again, but did it anyways. </p>
<p>I also made extra copies of my tax returns and W-2s for when my other schools send me verification papers. </p>
<p>PLU included a very helpful "What is verification" sheet. Under "Why me?" it says "The federal processor randomly selects 30% of the students at every school."</p>
<p>I guess we just happen to be the (un)lucky 30%!</p>
<p>cache - that sounds like what we have - it is called a quality assurance verification worksheet. Like you I do not understand why we are having to repost the same information we already gave them. Though now I think of it the info from the work sheets is just entered into FAFSA as a lump sum and this breaks it down.</p>
<p>My daughter is actually going to be home for a few hours today (leaving her car to get fixed and taking mine) so I need to get her taxes filed and finished so she can sign them.</p>
<p>are your 4 kids close in age.?.... My coworkers kids are spaced that she will have kids in college for 12 consecutive years. I told her it would have been simpler to have triplets!</p>
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<p>Don't worry, verification is a breeze, and for no reason, I have done it twice. Btw they nearly always verify is you do an estimation, instead of finishing returns first. That's why I was picked last year. They even told me it was the reason, and all I was getting for dd was loan.</p>
<p>So in reality it might have been better to wait until we had everything finalized and filed (which was done by Feb 1st) before filing FAFSA. I am trying to get this done so my daughter can take it back to school with her today. I am almost done. I just don't like to feel rushed.</p>
the first two are 4 years apart - the 3 youngest were born in a space of 3 years 5 months. I had YEARS with no sleep. lol. with the youngest going to college I see the light at the end of the tunnel.</p>
<p>Ours were finished (but not filed) last year and we were verified. A second college also sent us a verification notice but there was a note that said if we had already received one not to complete the second one.</p>
<p>And of course after everything was done I had to change our taxes on 4/15, so I amended the FAFSA (made the EFC higher), no one ever questioned or asked for verification, they all just sent new fin aid offers.</p>
<p>A lot of the schools I applied to require copies of the W2-s and tax returns by a certain date. Is this verification thing you are discussing something different? I'm kind of confused. Thanks!</p>
<p>STA800 - Certain schools (especially ones that require CSS) ask for tax documents anyway. FAFSA verification is different - certain FAFSAs are flagged with a * and schools will ask for verification forms.</p>
<p>Yes, I've filed the Fafsa for all schools and the Profile for some schools as well. For some of the schools I've applied to in addition to having a deadline for Fafsa and Profile, they also have a deadline for submitting copies of the W2-s and the tax returns. From reading this thread, it seems this is the same information that is required if someone is chosen for verification. </p>
<p>I guess my question is what, if any, is the difference between being asked for copies of tax documents from the very beginning or being chosen to do so later on?</p>
<p>MY D1 FAFSA was verified all four years, I just assumed they always did it at her school, D2 came along and was verified the first year, but not since then.</p>
<p>As long as you did not make any mistakes (or lie) submitting the tax returns is no big deal, but the first time it happens one wonders if it is something personal which you have done which requires verifying- I think it is random</p>
<p>It's funny somemom - even though I know from reading CC that about 30% are flagged for verification and I know everything was pretty close - I underestimated parent income by @$300 and over estimated student income by about the samethe same ( actually I nearly accidently filed the estimated taxes as i had put them on turbotax to estimate - oops) it still rattled me. Silly really. </p>
<p>Anyway it is all done and ready to send. Did not quite get it done in time to send back with my daughter. I was being lazy about getting the taxes actually filed once I had the estimates in so got hers, ours and my sons all completed tonight. Now it is all done. Will probably actually take it to her school next week when we return her car. Though now I think of it it would probably get to the financial aid office quicker if I mail it rather than give it to her to hand carry to the financial aid office :rolleyes: So maybe I will just pop it in the mail monday. </p>
<p>But now her FAFSA complete will be some date mid to late feb (depending on when they get round to checking it all) so rushing to file in January seems all a bit pointless.</p>