The best action you can take to help finish verification is to use the IRS data retrieval process to automatically populate your and your parents’ tax information directly from the IRS into your FAFSA!

Now that the IRS tax filing deadline has passed, you and your parents (if you are a dependent student) should log into your FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov and make a correction to use the IRS data retrieval.  This will allow you to link to the IRS from the FAFSA and retrieve the tax information to populate the FAFSA tax questions.  When you use the IRS data retrieval, the tax information is considered to be already verified so you will not have to submit any documentation, like tax transcripts, to our office.  Much simpler for you!   If your AppalNet account shows that we are requesting tax transcripts, this will be removed about 1 to 3 weeks after you correct the FAFSA to use the IRS data retrieval. 

There may be other documents that we are requesting (like a Verification Worksheet) that you will still need to complete and submit.   Check your AppalNet account to determine if there are other verification documents that are needed.

Some students and/or parents will be ineligible or will choose not to use the IRS data retrieval.  In these cases, only the signed tax return transcript will be accepted as documentation to verify tax information.  The tax return transcript must be requested directly from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-9946 or visiting http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=232168,00.html.