HOW TO PROCEED IF YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR VERIFICATION

Verification is the process used to confirm the data you provided on the FAFSA. Your financial aid file may have been selected randomly by the federal processor or because your file appears to have errors or conflicting information. Some students may not be selected for verification for several years, while others may be selected just once or not at all.

NOTE: Being selected for Verification does not mean you did anything wrong.

If there are any differences found between information reported on the FAFSA and the actual figures you submit in the verification documents, SPC will submit the corrections on your behalf. Your financial aid award will be based on the corrected information.

Requested Documents

SPC will send a written request for documentation by paper letter and MySPC student email. In addition, two to three business days after you submit the FAFSA, you may log in to Titan Hub, select MySPC and review your Action Items to see requested documents, if any. SPC reserves the right to request additional documents.

Not all applicants will be asked to submit the same documents. You may be asked to submit different documents than you have submitted in previous years.

All documents must be submitted using our online E-forms, in person, by mail or by fax. An E-form can be completed on a mobile device. It will automatically be delivered to SPC when you select "Submit." Go to Financial Aid Forms for some helpful hints about submission of E-forms.

For your personal security and to meet federal regulations, we cannot accept student Verification documents by email. Documents submitted over email will be returned to you.

You may request fillable PDF versions of our Verification forms by contacting A$KFA$, calling 727-791-2485 or speaking with a Financial Assistance Services Counselor.

Tips for Verification

To expedite the processing of your financial aid file, you should:

  • Check the accuracy of your answers against the documents you used to complete any form. If a signature is required, documents are not considered complete unless they are signed.
  • Submit all requested verification documents in a timely manner. To avoid delays in awarding your financial aid, ample processing time is needed to ensure adherence to federal regulations, especially if corrections need to be submitted. The longer you wait to submit documentation, the longer verification will take.
  • Your financial aid will be considered complete once ALL outstanding issues are resolved. At that time, we will be able to review your financial aid file to determine your financial aid awards.

    Make sure you understand whose information you need to submit.

    If you are an independent student and your marital status on the date the FAFSA was completed was "married," you will need to submit your spouse's information regardless of gender.

    If you are a dependent student and both biological and/or adoptive parents reside in the same household, you will need to submit both parents' information regardless of their marital status or gender.

    A student/parent is considered "married" if the student/parent was legally married in any domestic or foreign jurisdiction that recognizes that relationship as a legal marriage, regardless of where the couple resides. This determination applies to same sex or opposite sex couples. This determination does not apply to domestic partnership, civil unions, or similar formal relationships recognized under state law.

    What documents do I need to provide for Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and/or Summer 2026?

    Independent Students

    If you and your spouse FILED taxes, you may be required to submit:

    • A completed and signed 2025-26 Verification Worksheet
    • A copy of your and your spouse's 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript (no signature required) OR a copy of your and your spouse’s 1040 with all schedules (signed)
    • In some instances, IRS Wage & Income Transcripts and/or W-2's may be required
    • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility

    If you and/or your spouse DID NOT FILE TAXES, you and they may be required to submit:

    • A 2023 Verification of Non-Filing
    • Documentation of sources of income for 2023
    • If the FA-DDX indicates ‘No Return on File,” but manually entered income indicates the student or spouse would have been required to file taxes, the student or spouse will be required to file taxes for 2023 and must submit a copy of their 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript OR 1040 with all schedules (signed)
    • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility 

    Dependent Students

    If you and your parent(s) FILED taxes, you may be required to submit:

    • A completed and signed (by the student and parent) 2025-26 Verification Worksheet
    • A copy of your 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript (no signature required) OR a copy of your 1040 with all schedules (signed)
    • A copy of your parent(s) 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript (no signature required) OR a copy of your parents’ 1040 with all schedules (signature required)
    • In some instances, IRS Wage & Income Transcripts and/or W-2's may be required
    • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility

    If you and/or your parent(s) DID NOT FILE TAXES, your parent(s) may be required to submit:

    • A 2023 Verification of Non-Filing
    • Documentation of sources of income for the 2023 year
    • If the FA-DDX indicates ‘No Return on File”, but manually entered income indicates the student/parent/parent spouse would have been required to file taxes, the student/parent/parent spouse will be required to file taxes for 2023 and must submit a copy of their 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript OR 1040 with all schedules (signed)
    • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility

    What documents do I need to provide for Fall 2026, Spring 2027 and/or Summer 2027?

    Independent Students

    If you and your spouse FILED taxes, you may be required to submit:

    • A completed and signed 2026-27 Verification Worksheet
    • A copy of your and your spouse's 2024 IRS Tax Return Transcript (no signature required) OR a copy of your and your spouse’s 1040 with all schedules (signed)
    • In some instances, IRS Wage & Income Transcripts and/or W-2's may be required
    • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility

    If you and/or your spouse DID NOT FILE TAXES, you and they may be required to submit:

    • A 2024 Verification of Non-Filing
    • Documentation of sources of income for 2024
    • If the FA-DDX indicates ‘No Return on File,” but manually entered income indicates the student or spouse would have been required to file taxes, the student or spouse will be required to file taxes for 2024 and must submit a copy of their 2024 IRS Tax Return Transcript OR 1040 with all schedules (signed)
    • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility

          Dependent Students

          If you and your parent(s) FILED taxes, you may be required to submit:

          • A completed and signed (by the student and parent) 2026-27 Verification Worksheet
          • A copy of your 2024 IRS Tax Return Transcript (no signature required) OR a copy of your 1040 with all schedules (signed)
          • A copy of your parent(s) 2024 IRS Tax Return Transcript (no signature required) OR a copy of your parents’ 1040 with all schedules (signature required)
          • In some instances, IRS Wage & Income Transcripts and/or W-2's may be required
          • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility

          If you and/or your parent(s) DID NOT FILE TAXES, your parent(s) may be required to submit:

          • A 2024 Verification of Non-Filing
          • Documentation of sources of income for the 2024 year
          • If the FA-DDX indicates ‘No Return on File”, but manually entered income indicates the student/parent/parent spouse would have been required to file taxes, the student/parent/parent spouse will be required to file taxes for 2024 and must submit a copy of their 2024 IRS Tax Return Transcript OR 1040 with all schedules (signed)
          • Other documents as required by the federal processor in order to determine financial aid eligibility

          Request documents from the IRS

          • The IRS uses ID.me for identity verification. This step must be completed before you can access your transcript/records
          • Once logged in, select "Get Your Tax Record,” and you can obtain and download the following:
            • Tax Return Transcript
            • Record of Account Transcript
            • Wage & Income Transcript
            • Tax Account Transcript (cannot be used for Financial Aid Verification purposes)
          • You can also request your documents to be sent to you by mail by selecting "Get transcript by mail"

          Amended tax returns

          If you, your spouse, or your parent(s) filed an amended tax return (1040X), you may need to submit:

          • A copy of the Tax Return Transcript or equivalent (2022 for 2024-25  or  2023 for 2025-26)
          • A signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (2022 for 2024-25  or  2023 for 2025-26)

          Identity Theft

          A victim of IRS identity theft who is not able to obtain a IRS Tax Return Transcript or use the Direct Data Exchange on the FAFSA (FA-DDX) must sign and submit the following documents to complete verification (2022 for 2024-25  or  2023 for 2025-26):

          • A Tax Return DataBase View (TRDBV) transcript obtained from the IRS; and
          • A statement signed and dated by the tax filer indicating that they were victims of IRS tax-related identity theft and that the IRS has been made aware of the tax-related identity theft.

          Tax filers who are denied an IRS Tax Return Transcript using one of the regular IRS request processes due to IRS identity theft must call the Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) toll-free number at 1-800-908-4490.

          Unable to successfully use the FA DDX

          Any contributor unable to successfully use the FAFSA Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) to transfer their tax information securely onto the form may be required to submit an IRS Tax Return Transcript or equivalent document (such as a signed 1040 tax return and all applicable Schedules for the required year).

          Non-U.S. Tax Filing

          If an individual filed an income tax return with Puerto Rico, another U.S. territory, commonwealth, or with a foreign central government, they must submit a transcript that was obtained at no cost from the relevant taxing authority. If this cannot be obtained at no cost, a signed copy of that year’s tax return is acceptable.

          Citizenship/Immigration or Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose

          You must appear in person to a Financial Assistance Services Counselor and allow the school to review the original document.

          If you are unable to appear in person, you may complete and mail the Citizenship/Immigration Documentation Affidavit and/or the Identity and Educational Purpose Affidavit along with required documentation to SPC. Please ensure that all directions are followed as this is required by the U.S. Department of Education since both are identity documents.

          Electronic submission is not allowed for these documents and cannot be accepted.

          The forms can be found on Financial Aid Forms. Make sure to select the correct aid year at the bottom. When submitting, include your full name and SPC ID written clearly at the top of each page. Do not submit original documents unless you are told to do so. Make copies of what you submit. SPC will make a copy for your financial aid file.

          Other documents

          Other documents might be needed before financial aid eligibility can be determined. You might be requested to submit the following:

          • A copy of your Marriage Certificate
          • Asset information
          • Documentation of dependents
          • Clarification of income sources
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