Verification Process

Verification is the process of confirming that information reported by you and your parents or spouse on the FAFSA is accurate.

If You are Selected

Each year, approximately 20% of student applicants nationwide are randomly selected by the Federal Central Processing System for verification. The university may also randomly select you.

If you are selected for verification, we will email you a notification directing you to review in your University of Illinois Integrated Self-Service (UI-Integrate Self-Service) what additional documentation must be provided. Please include your name and University Identification Number on every document submitted to our office.

Verifying Your Tax Information

For 2023-24 verification: If you are selected for verification for 2023-2024 by the Federal Processor, information will be sent via email to returning students in mid-November requesting you log into your University of Illinois Integrated Self-Service (UI-Integrate Self-Service) for a list of requirements that need to be satisfied to complete the verification process. Incoming students selected for verification will be notified of document requirements as well as directions on how to upload them through your MyIllini account after admittance letters are sent.

Students and parents are encouraged to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for 2023-24 to report income and tax data. For security purposes, you will not be able to see the information transferred from the IRS on your FAFSA.

For 2022-23 verification: If you are selected for verification for 2022-2023 by the Federal Processor, information will be sent via email to returning students in mid-November requesting you log into your University of Illinois Integrated Self-Service (UI-Integrate Self-Service) for a list of requirements that need to be satisfied to complete the verification process. Incoming students selected for verification will be notified of document requirements as well as directions on how to upload them through your MyIllini account after admittance letters are sent.

Students and parents are encouraged to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for 2022-23 to report income and tax data. For security purposes, you will not be able to see the information transferred from the IRS on your FAFSA.

For 2022-2023 verification: In May 2022 changes were made by the Federal Government regarding what must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid. If you are selected for verification by the Federal Processor for the 2022-2023 aid year, please log into your University of Illinois Integrated Self-Service (UI-Integrate Self-Service) for a list of current requirements that need to be satisfied in order to complete the verification process.

Amended Tax Return

If for 2023-24 you, your accountant, or the IRS amended your tax return in 2021, you must:

  • submit a copy of your signed amended 2021 1040X tax return filed to the IRS
  • and either complete the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) on FAFSA, unchanged or submit a copy of your signed 2021 1040 Federal Tax Return filed to the IRS or submit a copy of your 2021 Tax Return Transcript to our office.

If for 2022-23 you, your accountant, or the IRS amended your tax return in 2020, you must:

  • submit a copy of your signed amended 2020 1040X tax return filed to the IRS
  • and either complete the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) on FAFSA, unchanged or submit a copy of your signed 2020 1040 Federal Tax Return filed to the IRS or submit a copy of your 2020 Tax Return Transcript to our office.

Victim of Identity Theft

For the 2023-24 academic year, if you are a tax filer who was a victim of identity theft for the 2021 tax year, please submit all of the following:

  • A statement signed and dated by you indicating that you were a victim of identity theft for the 2021 tax year and that the IRS has been made aware of the tax related identity theft.
  • A copy of the 2021 Tax Return DataBase View (TRDBV) transcript requested and mailed from the IRS after the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) authenticates your identity. To obtain a copy of the TRDBV, tax filers who are victims of identity theft should contact the IPSU by phone at 800-908-4490 or go to the IRS identity theft website.

For the 2022-23 academic year, if you are a tax filer who was a victim of identity theft for the 2020 tax year, please submit all of the following:

  • A statement signed and dated by you indicating that you were a victim of identity theft for the 2020 tax year and that the IRS has been made aware of the tax related identity theft.
  • A copy of the 2020 Tax Return DataBase View (TRDBV) transcript requested and mailed from the IRS after the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) authenticates your identity. To obtain a copy of the TRDBV, tax filers who are victims of identity theft should contact the IPSU by phone at 800-908-4490 or go to the IRS identity theft website.

After the IPSU authenticates the tax filer’s identify, the tax filer can request the IRS to mail an alternate paper tax return transcript to the tax filer. The alternate transcript is known as the Transcript DataBase View (TRDBV) and will meet the Department of Education’s acceptable documentation requirement. The TRDBV received from the IRS should be submitted to our office.

Once the required documentation is received, we will compare the documents to the information initially provided on your FASFA. If there are any discrepancies with the information on the FAFSA, we will make the corrections and you’ll receive an updated Student Aid Report. If the documentation provided to us doesn’t provide all of the necessary information to complete the verification process, you’ll be sent another letter outlining the additional documentation needed. Two to three weeks after the verification process is complete, you’ll receive an email indicating that your Award Notification is available for your review. Students selected for verification won’t receive an Award Notification until the verification process is complete. Please include your name and UIN on every document submitted to our office.

Verifying Your Citizenship Status

If your citizenship status isn’t verified by the Central Processing Service when you initially complete your FAFSA, we will ask you to submit documentation to us verifying your citizenship status. You must complete and submit the aid year specific Citizenship Affidavit form, available on our Forms page. In addition to the form please submit a copy of your valid government-issued photo ID to verify the citizenship documentation you are providing is a true, exact, and complete copy of the original one issued to you.

If you are a U.S. citizen born in the U.S., submit one of the following documents:

  • A copy of your birth certificate
  • A copy of your baptismal certificate
  • A copy of your signed voter’s registration card
  • A copy of the photo and information page of your signed U.S. passport

If you are a U.S. citizen born outside the U.S., submit one of the following documents:

  • A copy of your signed certificate of citizenship
  • A copy of the photo and information page of your signed U.S. passport
  • A copy of your signed certificate of naturalization

If you are an eligible non-citizen, submit one of the following documents to fulfill the requirement:

  • A copy of your Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551 or I-151)
  • A copy of your passport stamped, “Processed for I-551 … valid until ___”
  • A copy of your departure record (I-94)
  • A copy of your signed U.S. passport stamped “Non-Citizen National”
  • A copy of your passport from the Trust Territory or Northern Mariana Island

Completing the Process

Once the required documentation is received, we will compare the documents to the information initially provided on your FASFA. If there are any discrepancies compared to the information on the FAFSA, we will make the corrections and you’ll receive an updated Student Aid Report.

If the documentation provided to us doesn’t provide all of the necessary information to complete the verification process, you’ll be sent another letter outlining the additional documentation that’s needed.

Around 2 to 3 weeks after the verification process is complete, you’ll receive an email indicating that your Financial Aid Notification is available for your review.