Verification FAQ's
- Am I required to respond to this request?
- Why do I need to give you this information? Isn't it on the FAFSA Form?
- How do I send you the information?
- Will all my tax information and documents be kept confidential?
- What pages of my (and my parent's) federal tax return do you need?
- What if I or my parent’s don’t have a copy of my 2008 federal tax return?
- What if I (or my parents) have applied for an extension to file our tax return?
- Once I've submitted all my verification documents, taxes, I'm done, right?
- What if I wasn’t required to file a federal tax return?
- How will I know if you have received my verification documents?
- How do I know who to include in the Household on my verification form?
- Do I include everyone in my household who attends college?
- My parents are divorced. Am I required to submit my stepfather's (or stepmother's) information for the verification? What if they don't support me financially?
- What if my parents don't support me?
- Classes begin in two weeks and I just submitted my verification packet. Will verification be completed in time for payment deadline?
Am I required to respond to this request?
Yes. The U.S. Department of Education requires that you comply with our requests for official documents. Failure to submit and return all the requested information within the designated time frame may result in the cancellation of your student financial aid. UTSA is required to complete Verification prior to certifying student loans and disbursing federal aid. Furthermore, failure to turn in necessary documentation could result in you being dropped for non-payment.
Why do I need to give you this information? Isn't it on the FAFSA Form?
The U.S. Department of Education and The University of Texas at San Antonio are federally obligated to select financial aid recipients for a review process referred to as verification. The purpose of verification is to allow UTSA to verify the information you reported on your FAFSA to ensure its accuracy and to also ensure you did not make any mistakes. If any information needs to be updated or corrected, UTSA can and will make those corrections and submit them to the Department of Education for processing on your behalf. Everyone who signs the FAFSA agrees to provide information in the event you are selected to check the accuracy of your completed FAFSA.
Back to Top
How do I send you the information?
Documentation must be submitted in person at the Enrollment Services counter, via U.S. mail, or at our drop box location. Documentation submitted via fax will not be accepted and the documents will have to be resubmitted in the proper fashion. Please submit all documents at the same time, and write your name and Student ID at the top of every document.
It is our office policy not to accept faxed documents. All verification documents received via fax will be shredded for security purposes.
Mail the completed verification worksheets, signed federal tax returns and any other supplemental information to:
UTSA Office of Student Financial Aid and Enrollment Services
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, Texas 78249
Will all my tax information and documents be kept confidential?
Yes; all your federal tax returns and financial information are kept confidential. If your parent(s) are requesting specific information regarding your verification or financial aid, we will not release information unless you (the student) have provided us with a Student Authorization to Release Education Records Form. This form allows you to designate whom you want to have access to your financial aid information.
Back to Top
What pages of my (and my parent's) federal tax return do you need?
Please submit a signed copy of both your parents and your federal tax returns and any other supplementary forms that indicate any income earned. This also includes any foreign income earned from employment abroad. If you have any further questions on what exactly to submit, please visit us at our Enrollment Services Counter (at both our main and DT campus), or call 210-458-8000.
What if my parent’s or I don’t have a copy of my official 2008 federal tax return?
You must contact the Internal Revenue Service to request a Tax Return Transcript of your federal tax return.
You and/or your parent can submit Form 4506T Request for Copy of Tax Return to the IRS or you can call 1-800-829-1040. Please make sure to submit a signed Tax Return transcript to UTSA Enrollment Services and place your name and student id and all the pages.
Once I've submitted all my verification documents, taxes, I'm done, right?
If necessary we may request additional information and/or documentation to resolve any discrepancies that arise during the processing of your paperwork. Please check your UTSA email and ASAP account regularly for any updates concerning the review and processing of your file. In the event we must contact you, please respond to these requests as quickly as possible as failure to do so will only further delay disbursement of your financial aid.
What if my parents or I have applied for an extension to file our tax return?
Unfortunately, we will not process your verification until your taxes have been officially filed with the IRS and you have submitted all your signed federal tax documents and supporting documentation to our department. Your financial aid awards will not disburse until verification is complete.
What if I wasn’t required to file a federal tax return?
If you or your parents were not required to file a tax return, please self certify this information by checking the appropriate box for those persons under Section C: Tax Forms and Income Information on the UTSA verification form. Additional information or documents may be necessary to complete your verification and may be requested by UTSA at anytime.
How will I know if you have received my verification documents?
You can check your status on your ASAP account under your student requirements. Please note that documents submitted via US mail or at the Enrollment Services counter could take up to 3 business days to show up as received on your account.
How do I know who to include in the Household on my verification form?
Dependent Students: List the people that your parents will support between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Include yourself, your parents, and your parents’ dependent children (if your parents provide more than half support, or if they would be required to give parental information when applying for federal student aid).
Independent Students: List the people that you (and your spouse) will support between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Include yourself, your spouse, your children, and other people if they live with you (and you provide more than half of their support and will continue to provide half their support from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010).
Include other people as part of your family only if:
• They lived with your parents and got more than half their support from your parents at the time you completed your student aid application, AND
• They will continue to get more than half their support from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.
Do I include everyone in my household who attends college?
Write in the name of the college for any family member who will be attending college at least half-time between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, and will be enrolled in a degree or certificate program.
Dependant students: If your parent (s) happens to be attending a college or university, you do not include them in your number in college.
My parents are divorced. Am I required to submit my stepfather's (or stepmother's) information for the verification? What if they don't support me financially?
Yes, you must include your step-parent's information on the verification forms and submit copies of their federal income tax returns and W-2s. The U.S. Department of Education requires that you submit all requested information for the parent(s) with whom you live and also anyone married to the parent with whom you live.
What if my parents don't support me?
If you are a dependent student, your parents must submit any and all financial information requested by the UTSA, regardless of whether or not they support you or intend to continue supporting you.
Classes begin in two weeks and I just submitted my verification packet. Will verification be completed in time for payment deadline?
No.
The Roadrunner Express deadline is July 1, 2009. All documents must be submitted by this date in order to guarantee disbursement of financial aid 10 days before the first day of classes. By submitting all verification documents in a timely manner, we will have adequate time to review your file in time for fall/spring disbursements. Documents submitted will be reviewed in the order received, and students will not receive their fall/spring disbursement until verification has been completed AND any necessary changes have been made to their awards.
Documents submitted after July 1st will have no guarantee that aid will disburse before the first day of classes. We recommend the following to hold your classes:
Tuition and Fee Loan (ASAP Account)
OR
Installment Plan with Fiscal Services (ASAP Account)
Incomplete verification packets and discrepant information will delay the process of verification. The turn-around time for verification to be completed can be up to 4 weeks during our peak season in the fall and spring semesters. Please understand that failure to submit the mandatory documents will mean UTSA will have to put your financial aid on hold for the 2009-2010 school years.