Verification

Log in to the MyISU Portal and select the "Student Self-Service" badge. From here, select "View Financial Aid" on the right. Choose the year you wish to view. Missing requirements and instructions are provided.

The last day that we can accept verification documents for each term is the last day of class for that term. However, if you wait until the last few weeks of class, your aid will not disburse during the term and you may encounter registration holds due to unpaid balances.​

Approximately 34% of aid applicants are selected for this process by the Federal Department of Education.

• If requested, students or parents can download their IRS data into the FAFSA automatically. Visit fafsa.gov and log in to amend your FAFSA and select the data retrieval option.
• Some applicants may be ineligible for IRS data retrieval. If you filed as "married filing separately" or your FAFSA otherwise states you are ineligible, you must request a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS. To order a transcript, visit the IRS or call 1-800-908-9946. This service is free but requires 5-10 business days for delivery.
• Students and Parents also have the option of submitting a signed copy of their IRS form 1040.  Submit just the 2 page form with at least one signature at the bottom of page 2.
• Utilize the Secure File Upload to submit digital copies of your documents.
• Visit this page for details on handling tax amendments, identity theft, or tax extensions.
• Further questions? See our instruction page.

Your signature may be confirmed by an authorized Notary Public. Many banks, hospitals, and insurance agencies offer notary services. Only original documents may be accepted.

• ISU participates in the online Parchment retrieval process. Visit www.parchment.com and click "share" to send your high school transcript to ISU electronically for free. Indiana residents may register for free.
• Some transfer students will be asked for college transcripts. In addition, not all high schools are listed in Parchment's online database. If this is the case, you may send an official, sealed transcript to the ISU Office of Admissions, 318 N 6th St, Terre Haute, IN 47809.

Federal and State aid, even loans, will not pay unless verification is completed. Other sources of funding, such as private loans, can be found by viewing the Additional Funding Options webpage.

• Verification requires Financial Aid officers to identify conflicting information or unusual financial situations. If your answers contradict what you originally put on the FAFSA, you may be asked to submit a signed statement or an additional financial document that substantiates your current situation.
• Unfortunately, until your file is comprehensively reviewed, we have no way to predict which information we may need. The best advice is to submit all required information far in advance, so that if we still need something else, there is ample time for you to submit it.
• Your answers affect your eligibility for federal and state funds, so answer questions honestly and be sure to read the forms carefully before submitting.

• Single under 65 and have a gross income of at least $10,400
• Single and claimed as a dependent on someone else's taxes and have earned income of more than $6,350
• Married filing jointly and both are under 65 and have a gross income of at least $20,800
• Married filing separately any age and have a gross income of at least $4,050
• Head of Household under 65 and have a gross income of at least $13,400
• You had net earnings from self-employment of at least $400
• For a complete listing see IRS Publication 17, page 5 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/p17--2017.pdf​)

Yes, filing status does matter, and if you file your taxes incorrectly, you may need to amend your taxes before you will be eligible to receive Federal or State aid.  Some general rules are:

• Single- individuals who are not married on the last day of the calendar year.
• Married filing joint
• Married filing separately
• Head of Household – individuals who are not married, or considered “not married” on the last day of the calendar year, you paid more than half of the cost of keeping up a home for a year, and a qualifying person lived with you in the house for more than half the year.
• For a complete explanation see IRS Publication 17, page 20 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/p17--2017.pdf​)

• Dependent students are required to include on the FAFSA information from the dependent student's legal parents (biological, adoptive, or as determined by the state) regardless of the parents' marital status or gender, if those parents live together. 
  
  Also, if the parent is legally married in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory, or a foreign country, the response to the FAFSA marital status questions must be "married" without regard to:
  • Whether the marriage was between persons of the same sex or opposite sex
  • Where the couple resides; or
  • Where the student will be attending school.
     
• Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, widowed stepparents, or other individuals or relatives are not considered parents on the FAFSA unless they have also legally adopted the student or have been determined by the state to be the student's legal parent.

• What is an IRS Verification of Non-filing Statement?
  • It provides proof that the IRS has no record of a filed Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ for the year you request.
  • Non Tax filers can request an IRS Verification Statement of Non-filing of their tax return status, free of charge, from the IRS in one of three ways: Online, By Telephone, or By Paper.
• Request online:
  • Available at www.irs.gov (if you have never filed taxes before in prior years, this form of request may not be allowed).
  • Under tools, select "Get a tax transcript"
  • Select "Get a transcript ONLINE" (if you cannot validate your identity, try another form of request).
  • Enter the non filer's Social Security Number, email address, filing status, account numbers for loan or credit card associated with your name, and mobile phone associated with your name.
  • Click "Continue"
  • Select "Verification of Non-filling Letter" and in the Tax Year field, select the required tax year (see chart)
  • If validated you will be able to view your IRS verification of Non-filing Statement.
    • Submit. 
    • Mail or Fax a copy of the Non-Filing Statement to the Office of Student Financial Aid with the Student's University ID number listed on it.
• Request by Telephone:
  • Available from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-9946 (if you have never filed taxes before in prior years, this form of request may not be allowed).
  • Must enter non-filers Social Security Number and the numbers in their street address. 
  • Select "Option 2" to request an IRS Verification of Non-filing Statement and then enter the required tax year (see chart)
  • If validated you will receive our IRS Verification of Non-filing statement by mail with in 5 - 10 days.
  • Mail or Fax a copy of the Non-Filing Statement to the Office of Student Financial Aid with the Student's University ID number listed on it.
• Request by Paper:
  • Complete a 4506-T form from the IRS.  Mail or Fax the completed 4506-T to the IRS.
  • The IRS will mail the non-filing individual a Non-Filing Statement via US Postal Service
  • Mail or Fax a copy of the Non-Filing Statement to the Office of Student Financial Aid with the Student's University ID number listed on it.
  • Apply early! This document can take 6-8 weeks to receive!

• Real Estate (do not include the home in which you live)
• Rental Property (include a unit within a family home that has its own entrance, kitchen and bath rented to someone other than a family member)
• Trust Funds
• Uniform Gifts to Minors Accounts and Uniform Transfers to Minors' Accounts
• Money Market Funds, Mutual Funds, Certificates of Deposit, Stock Options, Bonds and other securities.
• Installment and Land Sale contracts (including mortgages held)
• Commodities
• Qualified Educational Benefits or Education Savings Accounts (overall Savings, 529 college Savings Plans and the refund value of 529 prepaid tuition plans) a.
  • For Independent Students account owned by the student and/or spouse report as student investments
  • For Dependent Students report as parental investments including all accounts owned by the student and all accounts owned by the parents for any member of the household.
• Students must report money received or paid on their behalf
  • Money that the student received from a parent whose financial information is not reported on the FAFSA and is not part of a legal child support agreement.
  • Distributions to the student from a 529 plan that is owned by someone other than the student or the student’s parent (such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or non-custodial parent)
• Business and/or Investment Farms value must be included
  • Market Value of land, buildings, machinery, equipment, inventory, etc
  • Debt means only those debts for which the business or investment farm was used as collateral.
    
     
• What is NOT reported on the FAFSA as Assets
  • The Home you live in
  • The Value of your life insurance
  • Retirement Plans (401K, pension, annuities, non-educational IRA’s, Keogh Plans etc)
  • Uniform Gifts to Minors Accounts and Uniform Transfers to Minors Accounts for which you are the custodian, but not the owner
  • The value of a small business if your family owns and controls more than 50% of the Business and the business has 100 or fewer full-time or full-time equivalent Employees. (family includes persons directly related to you, or persons who are or were related to you by marriage such as parent, sister, cousin, spouse, stepparent or sister-in-law)
  • The Value of a family Farm that you, your spouse, or your parents live on and operate.

• Complete files are sent to our third-party verification servicer daily. After all documents are submitted, verification takes 10-14 business days, or approximately three weeks during high volume.
• Verification affirms that a file is ready for processing. There may be additional steps after verification is completed before payment, especially for loan borrowers. To expedite payment, we recommend daily monitoring of the ISU Student Portal and Sycamores email for account updates.

• ​​We cannot disburse your need-based aid to your account until the verification process is complete. This includes Pell grants, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants, Subsidized Loans, 21^st Century Scholar Awards, and Frank O’Bannon (Indiana Higher Education) Awards.
• We also will not process Special Circumstance appeals until verification is complete.