Verification is the process of confirming the accuracy of the information reported by you on the FAFSA. The Federal Central Processing System randomly selects for verification and Shawnee Community College may also select students for verification.
If you are selected for verification, the SCC Financial Aid Office will send you a Verification Worksheet that you must complete and return to our office along with any other supporting or requested documentation. Students selected for verification must provide all supporting and requested documentation to be eligible to receive and maintain financial aid.
U.S. income tax return information is part of the verification process. You may complete the FAFSA income section using the IRS Tax Retrieval Tool, which is the preferred method of the SCC Financial Aid Office. If you do not use the Tax Retrieval Tool, you must send a copy of the IRS Federal Tax Return Transcript.
Federal Tax Return Transcript(s) may be requested online at www.irs.gov. Click “Get a tax record> Click “Get Transcript by Mail or Get Transcript Online”, and provide the requested information or you may call 800/908-9946 and follow the prompts to request a transcript. Make sure to request the Tax Return Transcript and not the Tax Account Transcript. There is no cost, but there is a 7 to 15-day processing time.
If there are discrepancies with the information provided on the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office will make the necessary corrections and the student will receive an updated Student Aid Report (SAR). Occasionally, the documentation that was provided does not provide all of the necessary information to complete the verification process. In these situations, you will be sent another letter outlining the additional documentation that is needed. Students selected for verification, must provide the school the verification documents no later than 120 days after the last day of enrollment. Once the verification process is complete, the student will receive a financial aid offer letter.
For the 2021-22 FAFSA cycle, schools may ask you to verify your identity and your high school completion, but schools will not ask you to verify income or family size.