Verification

You might see a note on your FAFSA Submission Summary saying you’ve been selected for verification. Verification is the process your school uses to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA form is accurate. If you’re selected for verification, your school will request additional documentation that supports the information you reported.

Don’t assume you’re being accused of doing anything wrong. Some people are selected for verification at random. All you need to do is provide the documentation your school asks for by the school’s deadline.

Notice of selection may first be found on your FAFSA Submission Summary. If selected, you will also find requirements listed on your To Do List within MySlice. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs may also send you a notice advising you that more documentation is needed to complete the review for financial aid. This notice will be sent to your email account. Multiple notices may be sent until all documentation is received to complete the verification process.

You may find the verification items listed on your financial aid To Do List in MySlice. If you are having trouble accessing any of these forms, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our office.

Once your documents are received, the required documents listed on your To Do List will be removed or marked as “Received.”

Any items listed in “Partial” status mean that we have received some, but not all of the requested documentation. You will receive an email from our office detailing the additional information that is needed. You can also contact our office to confirm what additional information or documentation is required.

Before your application for financial aid may be reviewed, it is necessary to complete the verification process. During the FAFSA application signature process, you agreed “to provide information that will verify the accuracy of your completed form.” If you do not submit the requested documentation, the University cannot complete the verification process. No further action will be taken on your request for financial aid.

You will still be required to submit:

• Your federal tax return transcript from the IRS.
• A signed copy of the amended return (IRS Form 1040-X) for the taxpayer who filed the amended return (student, parent(s) or spouse) along with all forms and schedules filed with the 1040-X.
• All other verification requirements listed on your MySlice To Do List.
• Additional documentation may be requested by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs.

For the 2024-25 academic year: Please submit a Tax Return Database View (TRDBV) transcript. This can be obtained from the IRS by calling the IRS’s Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800.908.4490. We will also need a signed statement from the tax filer(s) indicating that they were a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft and that the IRS has been made aware. You will also need to submit other verification documents, as shown on your MySlice To Do List.

For the 2025-26 academic year: For victims of IRS tax-related identity theft:
– A copy of the signed 2023 income tax return and applicable schedules; and
– An IRS 4674C letter or a signed and dated statement by the tax filer indicating they were a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft and the IRS is aware of it.

You may submit your form(s) to the Office of Financial Aid in one of two methods:

1. The most secure way to submit a document is using the “Upload Here” link on the financial aid To Do List in MySlice.
2. By mail to: Financial Aid Processing, Syracuse University, 804 University Avenue, Suite 201, Syracuse, NY 13244

You will receive an official aid offer. If you had previously been packaged with financial aid and verification became necessary after an aid offer was sent, you may receive a revised aid offer. If corrections were necessary to your FAFSA during the verification review, you will also receive an updated FAFSA Submission Summary.

The Department of Education establishes deadlines for the submission of required verification documents that apply to all Title IV programs. Syracuse University requests that verification documentation be submitted before the end of the academic year or before a student’s last term of attendance in the year. However, students who submit documents required for verification no later than 120 days after a student’s last date of attendance or by the deadline established by the Department of Education each year (typically mid-September), whichever is earlier, may still have verification completed. Financial aid cannot be disbursed until verification is complete. In the event your aid has been disbursed and you fail to submit the documentation required for verification, the aid will be retracted. Additionally, failure to submit verification documents by the established deadline will result in a loss of Title IV eligibility for the aid year.

Not every student who is selected for verification will be required to submit the same documentation. Please review the financial aid To Do List in MySlice to see what documents have been requested.

Additionally, as we receive documents from you (or your parents), we may end up requesting additional documentation to resolve any information that conflicts between the documents we have received, FAFSA form information, and CSS Profile form information. Federal regulations require that we resolve any conflicting information before aid can be disbursed.

Some examples of verification of high school completion are:

• A copy of your final official high school transcript.
• Certification of passing scores on GED and similar equivalency tests.
• Copy of your high school diploma.

For verification of identity and educational purpose, you must appear in person and submit the following documentation:

• An unexpired, valid, government-issued photo ID such as, but not limited to, a driver’s license, non-driver’s identification card, other State-issued identification, or U.S. passport; and
• A signed Statement of Educational Purpose.

Any student attending in-person courses at Syracuse University is required to appear in person at the Financial Aid Office to complete these requirements (students can wait until the start of the semester to appear in person).  Any student attending an online program does not need to appear in person to the Financial Aid Office but must complete the form found on the MySlice Financial Aid To Do List.

These documents may be obtained from the IRS free of charge in one of five ways:

• Online IRS transcript request (create account, and request pdf version)
• Online request for transcript/letter to be mailed (request to have mailed to your home address)
• Phone request for transcript/letter to be mailed (call 800.908.9946 to have mailed to your home address)
• Paper request using form 4506-T (request to have mailed to your home address)
• Visit local IRS office (before visiting, call your local office to verify that they can provide this service)

File the FAFSA using the tax return information for the year required. We recommend that you contact our office to discuss any changes in your family’s financial situation. We may be able to reevaluate the student’s financial aid, based on changes in circumstances that occur after the FAFSA and CSS Profile are filed. After you have submitted your applications, contact our office to discuss your family’s special circumstances.

The people reported in the household/family should include you, the student (even if you’re not living at home), your parent(s) and step-parent if applicable, your siblings, if they receive more than half of their support from your parent(s). This may also include any other dependents who live in the household and receive more than half of their support from your parent(s).

If you are an independent student, your household/family should include you, the student, your spouse and dependents (if applicable). This may include any other dependents that live in the household and you provide more than half of their support.

If you can’t find your W2s try contacting your employer for another copy. Should this not be possible, you may request a Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS. You can request this in any of the following ways.

• Online IRS account (create account, and request pdf version)
• Online request for transcript/letter to be mailed (request to have mailed to your home address)
• Phone request for transcript/letter to be mailed (call 800.908.9946 to have mailed to your home address)
• Paper request using form 4506-T (request to have mailed to your home address)
• Visit local IRS office (before visiting, call your local office to verify that they can provide this service)