<p>I was chosen for verification last year. My spouse and I were at the time separated and my tax documents did reflect this.
This year we are back together and filed married filing jointly and I have been chosen again for verification. I wonder if this could be the reason why? I am concerned I have done something wrong. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>I am submitting them electronically.</p>
<p>It is probably random. Schools are required to verify a minimum of 30% of all FAFSAs submitted to them. Some verify more (my son’s school verified 100%). It is often a random choice who gets selected. Between 3 students and several FAFSAs, we were verified almost every time (and never had any changes made).</p>
<p>Schools are no longer required to verify 30%. The new regulations require verifying anyone chosen for verification by the processor, and there are targeted things that prompt selection. Not all applications selected will have to provide the same information. Some will be for income & family size/# in college, some for SNAP benefits, some for child support paid, some for a combination of these. Some will be for high school completion, some for identity/statement of purpose. Schools only have to verify what is required, and only for the FAFSAs chosen (no matter how many or how few) - unless there is conflicting info that must be resolved - and of course, schools can select their own FAFSAs to verify, if they choose to do so.</p>
<p>Oh, i didn’t know it had changed. Seems more logical. Thanks for the update.</p>
<p>It was a quiet change! I have to admit that I have more applications selected for verification than were selected last year, and they are all for income! :)</p>
<p>Well it does seem more logical to verify people who actually might get aid. I remember someone (Thumper I think) saying they were selected even though they were never eligible for aid.</p>
<p>Oh yes. DS was selected for verification every year. He didn’t receive a nickel of need based aid…just the Stafford loan.</p>
<p>If I decide not to file a tax return next year because I am not required too how does that impact verification? This year I filed just to simplify the process.</p>
<p>You will be no more likely to be verified if you don’t file (and are not required to do so) than if you do.</p>
<p>Well, they estimated that I would be eligible for 4095$ of Pell and 10500 for Stafford, but said the school decided ultimately. I thought that FAFSA calculated the amount based on income and such just as the school would?</p>
<p>Also, there was a big jump in the income since my husband’s income was used in this years tax return. I wondered if I had done the right thing.</p>
<p>Clarification from me…DS’s school was the one that selected us for verification every year. We never got the little asterisk on our FAFSA. For the first three years, our EFC exceeded the cost of attendance. For life of me, I can’t imagine why they wanted our tax returns and the like. But we sent them!</p>
<p>Kelsmom thanks. What I was wondering was what I have to send for verification. I have no problem with complete disclosure since they will know everything for my Profile data. If I file a tax return to avoid this it might need to be a 1040 which would disqualify the automatic zero EFC.</p>
<p>I’m not a tax expert…but if filing would require you to use a 1040, you need to make SURE that you don’t have to file taxes.</p>
<p>We’ve been selected and haven’t recieved aid. Haven’t even ever taken out a Stafford. But, our youngest turned 16 that year. We lost the per child tax credit, and our taxes went up. When I filled out the dumb thing, a box popped up with a message to the effect of; WHOA! Your income is about the same as last year, but your taxes are more. Sure that’s right? And then we got selected for verification. NBD. Used the retrieval tool once it became available, and all was good.</p>
<p>Expecting the same thing to happen next year. WHOA, sure you have two in college? Verify.</p>
<p>What I was wondering was what I have to send for verification. I have no problem with complete disclosure since they will know everything for my Profile data. If I file a tax return to avoid this it might need to be a 1040 which would disqualify the automatic zero EFC.</p>
<hr>
<p>Not sure I follow. If you don’t “have” to file a tax return, the only reason I can think of that a 1040 would be required if you chose to do so would be because you have income from self-employment … and the only reason you would not have to file in that case is if it is less than the filing threshold for self-employment income. </p>
<p>Regardless, if you don’t have to file & you choose not to file, and if you are selected for verification: You will complete a non-tax filer statement. You would contact the school to ask for their form.</p>
<p>Yes, that is the sort of thing (change in taxes) that prompts income verification. Weird, right? A decrease in # in college probably wouldn’t prompt verification … if you suddenly had triplets to add to the mix, that probably would!</p>
<p>Thanks Kelsmom.</p>
<p>I wasn’t completely sure if selling a mutual fund would require filing a 1040 to report the gains/losses from that transaction even if I was below the reporting levels. The instructions refer to gross income limits but I found the definition of “gross income” confusing. I will need to discuss this with a CPA.</p>
<p>I have no issue with filing a non-tax filing statement. I was just curious if they wanted bank statements proving where the income came from.</p>