The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Verification

Verification

Under federal law, a percentage of aid applicants are asked to provide additional documentation, known as verification, each year. If you are selected, this does not mean there is a problem with your application.

  • We begin to process returning students aid applications in January each year. If we need additional documentation, you will receive an email notifying you of items on your ‘To Do’ list in Connect Carolina
    • Access your ‘Financial Aid To-Do list’ in the Student Center for additional information
  • During times of high volume, usually January-April, we ask that you allow up to three weeks for additional documents to be processed and reviewed. The item will show as received in your ‘To-Do’ list once it has been processed, and complete once it has been reviewed

Examples of documents that may be requested

Prior-Prior Year refer to the federal taxes filed two years ago. For example, the 2024-2025 FAFSA uses federal taxes from 2022.
“Federal Tax returns” often refer to IRS Form-1040 and its associated schedules. All submitted tax returns must meet one of the below criteria to be accepted:

  • Signed and dated in the yellow highlighted spaces
  • Has the preparer’s PTIN and name in the orange highlighted spaces
  • Has the preparer’s firm address, the EIN, and the preparer’s name in the red highlighted spaces

The verification worksheet is a form you will fill out that collects information used to verify what was provided via FAFSA.
Certain documents may be required to submit this form including:

  • W2s
  • Prior-Prior Year Federal Tax Returns

One of the questions on the Verification Worksheet asks if you (or your parent) used the FA-DDX tool, or the IRS Direct Data Exchange. The FA-DDX tool allows for the FAFSA form to directly import your financial and tax information from the IRS. This ensures all information is as up-to-date as possible.
If you are unsure if the FA-DDX was used, you can check your FAFSA Submission Summary. Due to federal regulations, some financial information is omitted from the summary when using the tool. This includes:

  • Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
  • Income earned from work
  • Tax Paid

If you do not see these values on your submission summary, the FA-DDX tool was used.

This form is used to correct the number of family members in your family as defined on the FAFSA form.

If you are classified as a dependent student, “family” includes you, your parent, and your parent’s spouse. Other children and other people living with your parent are only included if your parent provides more than half of their support.

If you are classified as an independent student, “family” includes you, your spouse, and your dependent children. Other children and other people living with you are only included if you provide more than half of their support.

 

This form is used to correct the value of different investment and financial accounts.

Financial Information is collected on the following:

  • Bank accounts and cash savings
  • Real Estate
  • Investments (Businesses and Accounts)
  • Investment Farms

This form is requested when the FAFSA can not verify your citizenship status with the Social Security Administration.

Acceptable documents to confirm citizenship are outlined on the provided form, but some examples that may satisfy the requirements are below:

  • U.S. Passport
  • U.S. Birth Certificate
  • Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
  • Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)

A sample of a certificate of citizenship, or form n-560, that highlights the inclusion of a Citizenship Certificate Number, a USCIS / A-Number, a Date of Birth. and a full name

The following documents are not accepted for this requirement

  • Social Security card
  • State-Issued IDs
  • “Limited” passports (passports issued for a duration of a year)
  • Application for Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600)

Certain non-citizen statuses are also eligible for federal financial aid. This form is requested when the FAFSA can not verify your status with the Department of Homeland Security.

Acceptable documents that may confirm you are an eligible non-citizen include:

  • Permanent Resident Card, or Form I-551
  • Form I-151

The following documents are not accepted for this requirement on their own:

  • Social Security card
  • Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record
  • Form I-797C, Notice of Action
  • Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document

For a complete list of eligible non-citizen statuses, please see the Federal Student Aid website.