What is a Verification Worksheet?

<p>I don't know too much about it and I got hit with one by Columbia. I already sent it to them but I just want to know more about it. Is it really bad if you get it or does it just mean that they are double checking for people who estimated their 2004 income on the school fin aid worksheet?</p>

<p>The Verification worksheet is an optional sheet schools can use to verify the information you provided on the FAFSA. Some schools verify information for 100% of their applicants (like us). Others only verify students selected by the Department of Education (you would know you were selected this way if a message appears on your Student Aid Report beginning "You were selected in a process known as verification...").</p>

<p>Again this is a school determined option and should not be read as a problem. Simply means the school wants to confirm the information you provided.</p>

<p>thanks barkowitz!</p>

<p>Does any one know the effect of the verification worksheet on the aid award in the case where the FAFSA does not ask a particular question of the parents, only the kids, then teh verification seems to ask it of both. It was a worksheet question about whether one received any cash/money on your behalf.</p>

<p>If I recall correctly it is blocked out for parents on the FAFSA, but does not appear to be blocked out on the verificaiton worksheet. Why would that be?</p>

<p>The verification worksheet does not ask for cash from any other source, it names them (Child Support, Social Security, and TANF). Otherwise it simply asks for income earned from employers.</p>

<p>If you want a copy of the actual Federal version of the forms (which I assume is what you got from the college) go to <a href="http://ifap.ed.gov/vgworksheets/0506VerifWksheets.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ifap.ed.gov/vgworksheets/0506VerifWksheets.html&lt;/a> -- ifap is the Information for Financial Aid Professionals web page.</p>

<p>I got chosen for verification after I filed my FAFSA. I applied to six schools, and I sent the Federal version of the verification worksheet, along with tax forms and w-2's. Is that all I need send, or do I have to fill out a specific verification worksheet for each school?</p>

<p>Barkowitz:</p>

<p>Thank you for your reply, I know you work in the business, I have seen your blog, I appreciate your expertise.</p>

<p>Here is another link to a sample form asking more info:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.fao.uci.edu/pdf/0506/VerificationForm_Dependent.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fao.uci.edu/pdf/0506/VerificationForm_Dependent.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Note the worksheet details, line 16 on B is not asked on the FAFSA< but is on the verification (of the parents.)</p>

<p>I am trying to plan for next year and may need ot either borrow or be given some money by my parents when kid #2 goes to school. How would that affect my aid at a FAFSA school?</p>

<p>If the verification is required by the Feds, why is the school asking for more details? I know some shcools do FAFSA plus their own form, asking for more details, but if this school and another do not do so, why are they asking and what will they do with the info?</p>

<p>I don't want to plan something to help out and then discover it harms us. Since we will be getting all the aid packages for kid #2 soon, I want to be sure I understand the ramifications of any decisions made.</p>

<p>Where on earth do I send this verification sheet to?</p>

<p>Max:</p>

<p>You only do a verification worksheet if asked to do so by the school, then you return it to that school</p>

<p>Hmm... I got sent something similar from two of my colleges. Only I don't think it was because of verification requirements or what not... they asked me to demonstrate how it was possible to meet living expenses with my family's given income. ^_^'''</p>

<p>That is a different issues, gphoenix. Often, if expenses (like rent) are more than income, colleges send out a "how do you do it" letter. Shouldn't be in the form of a verification worksheet though.</p>

<p>no, not a vertification letter... it lacks the word "verification" in it. but it's kinda depressing and almost insulting at the same time. on the other hand, it's kinda an early acceptance letter. ^_^</p>

<p>If you get a verification letter does that mean that you have gone to the next step ... that they are looking at your aid and that you are admitted...??? With a verification letter what do you have to do? As a self employed family, there is not a whole lot of verificaiton I can do!</p>

<p>i called columbia about the verification letter after i saw that it said "not received" next to it on my financial aid document tracker, and they told me i only have to send that after acceptences are mailed out.</p>

<p>I did not receive one of these forms...I applied to the University of California school system. I'm just wondering...how accurate do schools expect your financial information provided on the application to be? The FAFSA didn't need to be submitted until Feb. so people could know their income for 2004 accurately. But, what happens on applications that are submitted early-mid fall, and the year isn't even over yet? How accurate do schools expect estimated income to be? I'm just curious, because in my situation my financial situation increased slightly after the application was submitted.</p>

<p>FAFSA expects your info to be exact. if you filed it with estimated numbers you will have to go back to the FAFSA website and revise your numbers "exactly." that is what i was told. after my income taxes were completed, i made the necessary changes. if you do not make the changes now and you get an award based on your estimated numbers, then they will see the difference when you them your 1040 before actually receiving your aid. if your income went up, then your aid will probably go down. so, it's better to make the changes now than find out later that you don't qualify for the amount that they originally told you. best of luck.</p>

<p>The school I applied to early asked for the CSS in October with last year's income as well as this year's estimated income and then, once I was accepted, asked me to wait to fill out my FAFSA until after I had exact figures from my 2005 1040.</p>

<p>Question: On the FAFSA website, it says I was randomly selected for verification. My college requires all financial aid applicants to send in copies of tax forms anyway and I already sent in copies of all the '05 forms. Will I still have to fill out a Verification Worksheet?</p>

<p>the verification worksheet is easy to fill out. it's 2 pages. rather than worry about it, just send it in. it will take you 5 minutes.</p>

<p>Should I take the initiative and send the generic one though or just wait and see if they send me one is what I meant I guess.</p>

<p>if the school hasn't specifically asked for the verification worksheet, then just wait. if they requested it, then send it now...</p>