Verification is the process by which the Financial Aid Office compares the information on the financial aid application with source documents provided by the student to verify the accuracy of the application information. These policies will be used in conjunction with the Department of Education's verification guidelines. Washtenaw Community College (WCC) will verify the ISIR information for all students selected for verification by the Department of Education and submit the required documentation. In addition, WCC may select files for verification to resolve conflicting information.
At WCC, financial aid is not awarded to those selected for verification until all required documentation has been submitted and the verification process is complete. Exceptions to this rule include students selected for verification on a subsequent ISIR, students selected by WCC due to conflicting information, and students awarded due to a process running in Banner, such as needs analysis due to an aid period change.
Verification Deadlines
Students must submit all required documents by the processing deadline printed in the Federal Register. Students who fail to turn in all documents required to complete verification by the appropriate deadline will be ineligible for financial aid.
Corrections
If discrepancies are found between the documents submitted for verification and the information on the ISIR, the following procedures will be used for making the corrections:
- ISIR – corrections to any selected verifiable item will be made in Campus Logic, Banner, or on the FAFSA Partner Portal (FPP), as necessary. The corrections are then transmitted to the FAFSA Processing System (FPS), processed, and a new electronic student aid report will be returned to the school.
- Award changes – If corrections to the ISIR, due to verification, result in a change in the student’s award, the student will be sent a revised award letter notification via email. Financial aid notifications are emailed/mailed daily for new awards and emailed/mailed every 14 days for changes to awards.
Verification Selection
A random selection of the financial aid population will be selected for verification by the US Department of Education. WCC’s Financial Aid Office will select additional students for verification who have conflicting data on their ISIR record. Students selected by WCC will be identified using, but not limited to, the following: in-person contact, telephone contact, email contact, virtual contact, or during the dataload procedure.
Notification of Verification Requirements
Students will be notified of the required documents to submit for verification by a tracking letter (missing information) sent via WCC email to admitted students or by paper mail if the student is not admitted. Students may also receive a text message if they have opted in to the text message process. Additional Tracking letter notifications will be sent from Campus Logic or WCC as needed.
The tracking letter will list required verification items, other actions required to complete verification, and other items required by the Financial Aid Office.
Verification Tracking Groups
- Standard Verification Group (V1)
Verification requirements for tax filers:- Adjusted gross income
- Income earned from work
- U.S. income tax paid
- Untaxed portions of IRA distributions
- Untaxed portions of pensions
- IRA deductions and payments
- Tax-exempt interest income
- Education Credits
- Foreign income exempt from federal taxation
- Family size
- Income earned from work
- Family size
- Custom Verification Group (V4)
Students must provide documentation to certify their identity. Students must certify their identity in person with a valid form of identification at the Financial Aid Office. Students who cannot provide identity verification in person may have an Identity Verification Notary Certification and a valid form of identification verified by a Notary, and the signed originals mailed to the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to refuse any notarized documents if it is determined that the students could have presented in person. - Aggregate Verification Group (V5)
This group combines V1 and V4. Tax filers and non-tax filers must verify the items listed in the Standard Verification Group (V1). Students must also verify their identity.
Verification of Income
Students selected for verification must submit a copy of their US Form 1040 with Schedule 1 (if applicable) and Schedule 3 (if applicable) or IRS Tax Return Transcript and/or parents’ US Form 1040 with Schedule 1 (if applicable) and Schedule 3 (if applicable) or an IRS Tax Return Transcript (if a dependent student). If the student and/or parent did not file taxes and was not required to file taxes, copies of the student’s and/or parent’s W-2 forms and a statement from the income earner detailing that they earned income but did not file, and who their tax authority is. If the income earner is subject to a foreign tax authority, a Verification of Non-Filing letter must be submitted. If a student or parent was required to file taxes and did not, verification cannot proceed until the student or parent submits a US Form 1040 or an IRS Tax Return Transcript. IRS Publication 17 will be used to determine if a student and/or parent is/was required to file an income tax return.- If the student and their spouse or parents of a dependent student are separated or divorced, but filed a joint tax return, W-2 forms may be required from one of the filers to determine the amount of income and taxes paid for the student or the parent of a dependent student who is listed on the FAFSA. In the case of stepparents, both incomes will be used in the calculation.
- If the student and/or parent(s) filed an amended 2023 IRS tax return and notified the Financial Aid Office, the student and/or parent(s) must provide copies of both a hand-signed or electronically signed with a stylus or finger copy of the 2023 IRS Form 1040X Amended US Individual Tax Return that was filed with the IRS and a 2023 IRS Tax Transcript or original signed 1040. The original 2023 IRS Tax Transcript or 1040 may not be needed if the student and/or parent(s) successfully had FTI data transferred from the IRS on the FAFSA.
- If a student and/or parent has been granted a filing extension by the IRS; the following documents are required to complete verification: A signed statement listing the sources of any 2023 income and the amount of income from each source; A copy of the IRS's approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension for the tax year 2023; A copy of IRS Form W-2 for each source of 2023 employment income received or an equivalent document; and if self-employed, the signed statement must indicate the amount of estimated AGI and U.S. income tax paid for the tax year 2023. Students will be verified using this estimated information, and are not required to submit a tax return transcript once their tax return is filed and processed.
- A victim of IRS identity theft who has been unable to obtain a 2023 IRS Tax Return Transcript or use the IRS FA-DDX can submit a signed copy of the 2023 income tax return and applicable schedules the individual filed with the IRS and an IRS 4674C letter or a signed and dated statement indicating that the tax-filer was the victim of tax-related identity theft and that the IRS has been made aware of the issue. A US Form 1040 that has been hand-signed or electronically signed with a stylus or finger can also be accepted.
Subsequent ISIR transaction
All subsequent ISIR transactions will be reviewed for conflicting information. If conflicting information is found and the student has not been verified, the student will be selected for the Standard Verification Group (V1) provided the student is still enrolled at WCC. A comment will be placed in Banner discussing the reason(s) as to why the student was selected. The student’s aid will be reversed until verification is completed. If the student was previously verified, the new ISIR will not be loaded. If the student is no longer actively enrolled at WCC, the new ISIR will not be loaded, and a comment will be placed in Banner.
Updating marital status
A student’s dependency status may be updated based on a change in the student’s marital status if it is determined the update is necessary to address an inequity or to reflect more accurately the student’s ability to pay.