<p>So I was selected for the verification process and needed to send some extra documents for ut... The IRS took forever to have my tax return transcript ready. I sent my final documents in may and it's now August and I have yet to receive ANY info on my fin aid. I have called several times, emailed, and even went to the school to ask why it is taking so long, have an estimate on my aid, and by when it will be released. They have told me to wait, they can't give an estimate on when or how much I'm getting either! I sent my fafsa in January and my documents as early as I could. It says online up to three weeks for the verification process to finish but it has been three months! Tuition is due too. On their website it says to send the documents as quickly as possible in order to get maximum consideration for grants, but since its August will I receive less? This just doesn't seem fair. Is there anyone I can contact other than osfs to release my info and does anyone else have this problem? Also, are they allowed to release the info after tuition is due and make me use loans? Sorry for the long post....</p>
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<p>WHEN were your (or your parents) tax returns filed? Where financial aid is an issue, returns need to be filed as early as possible in January, with payment in full. If taxes aren’t paid in full at the time of filing, that delays processing and, consequently, production of the tax transcript. Getting FAFSA and any other financial aid forums in on time is great . . . but if the tax return is delayed, and your school requests verification, that can seriously gum up the works!</p>
<p>Under the circumstances, you can request additional time to make any payments that are due. (You might need to contact the bursar for this - I’m not sure.) And, no the school can’t “make” you take loans. If the package they come up with is unaffordable, you can just say “no.” If you can’t afford it, take a year off and apply elsewhere if you need to.</p>
<p>We experienced something similar to the OP. My daughter filed her taxes in March, and paid what she owed electronically. By virtue of owing money – even though the money was paid when the return was filed – her return was not processed by the IRS until the week of June 13 and we could not use the data retrieval tool until June 17. It took her school 6-7 additional weeks to process her FA.</p>
<p>My other daughter did not owe the IRS and was able to use the data retrieval tool in a normal time frame.</p>