Verification

Verification is the process in which the Department of Education randomly selects approximately 30% of a school’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application population for review. Verification is used to compare information provided on the student’s FAFSA with Federal tax returns, W2’s, and/or other financial documents. If a student is selected for verification, they will receive notification via their ECU email account listing the additional information required. If a student’s file is selected for verification, the student and/or parent(s) must provide an IRS Tax Transcript or match income data on the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

Required Verification Items:

• Household size (number of people living in your household)
• Number in college (number of household members attending a post-secondary educational institution at least half-time)
• Adjusted gross income (AGI)
• Income earned from work
• Income taxes paid
• Sources and amount of untaxed income