Skip to main content
WVU Home

Tax Information for Verification

Students and/or parents selected for the verification process often must provide confirmation of taxes filed.


You may also have questions about these unique circumstances:

What tax year do I use?

This one can seem tricky! Your FAFSA and the verification process uses taxes from the tax year two years prior to the fall semester for the aid year. For example:

  • The 2023-2024 FAFSA and verification will cover the fall 2023 and spring/summer 2024 semesters, and you will use your 2021 tax information.
  • The 2024-2025 FAFSA and verification covers the fall 2024 and spring/summer 2025 semesters, and you use your 2022 tax information.

Return to Top of Page

How do I import my tax data into my FAFSA?

2023-2024 FAFSA Information

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) is a process where the FAFSA accesses the IRS tax database to answer questions about your taxes. This way you can be sure accurate information is being added to your FAFSA.

If you have already completed and filed your appropriate tax return with the IRS, you may be eligible to use the IRS DRT to transfer tax information from the IRS directly to your FAFSA. To use the tool, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Federal Student Aid website, and click the "Start Here" button
  2. Log in using your FSA ID
  3. If submitting your FAFSA for the first time for the 2023-2024 aid year, select "Continue"; if logging back into your already submitted FAFSA to updated, select the "Make a Correction" link
  4. Select the "Financial Information" tab at the top
  5. See the parent and student instructions below

See the 2024-2025 FAFSA Changes section below for updated information regarding the FAFSA for the fall 2024, spring and summer 2025 semesters.

Parent Instructions for the IRS DRT

After logging into the FAFSA and navigating to the Financial Information tab:

  1. Go to the "Parent Financial Information" section
  2. Answer the questions to see if you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
  3. If eligible, select which parent is providing information for the FAFSA
  4. Enter that parent's FSA ID
  5. Click "Link to IRS"
  6. Provide the information requested from the IRS to confirm your identity. If the site says it can't find your data, make sure the information you entered matches your tax return exactly, including items such as abbreviations in your mailing address (example: PO Box vs. P.O. Box)
  7. After confirming your identity on the IRS site, choose the option to "Transfer Now." For your protection, your tax information will not display on the IRS site or FAFSA, but you will be informed that the transfer was successful. You will see "Transferred from IRS" in the fields where data was transferred
  8. If you only need to update parent tax information, then proceed to the Sign and Submit page to sign and submit the updates

Student Instructions for the IRS DRT

After logging into the FAFSA and navigating to the Financial Information tab:

  1. Go to the "Student Financial Information" section
  2. Answer the questions to see if you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
  3. If eligible, click "Link to IRS"
  4. Provide the information requested from the IRS to confirm your identity. If the site says it can't find your data, make sure the information you entered matches your tax return exactly, including items such as abbreviations in your mailing address (example: PO Box vs. P.O. Box)
  5. After confirming your identity on the IRS site, choose the option to "Transfer Now." For your protection, your tax information will not display on the IRS site or FAFSA, but you will be informed that the transfer was successful. You will see "Transferred from IRS" in the fields where data was transferred
  6. If you have finished any updates you need to make, proceed to the Sign and Submit page to sign and submit the updates

2024-2025 FAFSA Changes

For the 2024-25 FAFSA, you will use the Future Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX). The Future Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) is the required process in which a student’s and other contributors’ federal tax information (FTI) is imported directly from the IRS into your FAFSA. Students and other contributors must consent to the IRS information transfer, regardless of whether they filed 2022 taxes in the United States. If consent is not provided by all contributors, the FAFSA will be invalid. If your FAFSA is missing a contributor’s consent and approval, your FAFSA will require a correction.

If you have already completed and filed your appropriate tax return with the IRS at the time of filing your FAFSA, you may have been eligible to transfer your FTI from the IRS directly to your FAFSA. In this case, tax information may not be needed for verification purposes. However, if conflicting information is found, WVU may still request certain tax documents to confirm your income and tax information.

Return to Top of Page

How do I get my Tax Return Transcript?

If your tax information does not transfer into your FAFSA, your IRS Tax Return Transcript may be obtained:

  • Online: Go to the IRS Get Transcript website and choose "Get Transcript Online" or "Get Transcript by Mail". Please note that you need the Tax Return Transcript, not the Tax Account Transcript. In most cases the Tax Return Transcript is available within 2-3 weeks after electronically filing a tax return or 6-8 weeks after filing by paper.
  • By phone: Call 1-800-908-9946
  • By paper: Complete and submit IRS Form 4506-T or 4506-T-EZ

If you are a dependent student and your parent contributors filed separate federal income tax returns, the Tax Return Transcript must be provided for both parents. Please note, as an increased security measure, the IRS has implemented the ID.me process requiring taxpayers to create an account and verify their identity on the IRS website. Once a taxpayer's identity is verified, they can securely access IRS online services. More information about the ID.me process can be found on the new online identity verification process for accessing IRS self-help tools webpage on the IRS.gov website.

Return to Top of Page

Can I Just Provide a Copy of My Taxes?

If your tax information does not transfer into your FAFSA and are unable to obtain a copy of your Tax Return Transcript from the IRS, you can provide a signed copy of your tax return. The IRS 1040 Form must be signed either electronically via stylus or in ink. The signature line is located on the second page of the return under the heading “Sign Here”. If applicable, Schedule 1, Schedule 2, and Schedule 3 must also be provided.

Return to Top of Page

What if I Did Not Earn Money or Am Not Required to File Taxes?

If you did not earn money or are not required to file taxes, you are considered a "non-filer." Please note that if you earned income, you may be required to file taxes even if you think your income is not enough to file taxes. See the IRS Do I Need to File a Tax Return website to determine if you are required to file taxes.

If you are a non-filer, for the verification process you must provide:

  • W-2s for each source of income earned from work (if income was earned) including sources and amounts of income not found on W-2 forms. If you had income earned from other resources that are listed on a 1099 form, submit your 1099 and/or W-2 forms for the applicable tax year.
  • A signed statement that says you did not earn money or that you earned money but were not required to file taxes; you can do this by simply indicating the appropriate information under the "How Income Information Will Be Provided" section of your verification online form on your StudentForms account
  • For residents of the Freely Associated States (the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, or the Federated States of Micronesia), you must submit a copy of the wage and tax statement from each employer (substitute for W-2s) and a signed statement identifying any other employment income for the year not identified on the wage and tax statement is acceptable.
  • Persons from a U.S. territory, commonwealth, or a foreign country who are not required to file a tax return can provide a signed statement, as well as any supporting documentation they might have (e.g., a form comparable to a U.S. W-2), certifying their income. The collection of documentation to verify income earned from work is used to determine if the applicant (and the applicable spouse or parent) was required to file a U.S. income tax return (or a return with a relevant tax authority) for the required tax year. If the individual should have filed but failed to do so, that is conflicting information that you must resolve.

Return to Top of Page

What if We Were Granted an Extension and Haven't Filed Taxes Yet?

If you have been granted and extension and haven't filed taxes yet for the tax year that needs verified, you must provide:

  • A copy of IRS Form 4868 "Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return" that was filed with the IRS for the applicable tax year (see What tax year do I use?)
  • A copy of the IRS's approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension if the individual requested an additional extension of the filing time for the applicable tax year
  • A copy of W-2s for each source of employment income received for the applicable tax year
  • Adjusted Gross Income Worksheet (this will be added as a task to the student's StudentForms account once we receive IRS Form 4868

Return to Top of Page

What if We Filed an Amended IRS Tax Return?

If you submitted and amended 2021 tax return for the 2023-2024 verification process you must provide:


For the 2024-2025 verification process, if you submitted an amended 2022 tax return, you should notify the WVU Hub. Amendments to taxes may result in changes to a student’s financial aid eligibility. If you self-identify that an amendment was made to your taxes, you must provide:

  • Original tax filing data for the 2022 tax year. If you were not eligible to use the FA-DDX when completing the FASFA, or conflicting information is found, you may be required to provide a 2022 Tax Return Transcript (see How do I get my Tax Return Transcript?) or signed 2022 Tax Return Form 1040.
  • A signed copy of 2022 IRS Form 1040X "Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return" that was filed with the IRS for the applicable tax year.

Return to Top of Page

What Do I Do if I'm a Victim of Identity Theft?

If you were the victim of tax-related identity theft, for the verification process you must provide:

  • A Tax Return Database View (TRDBV) transcript obtained from the IRS, or any other IRS tax transcript(s) that include all tax information required to be verified
  • A signed and dated statement by the tax filer indicating that they were a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft and that the IRS is aware of the tax-related identity theft

Return to Top of Page

What if I Didn't File U.S. Taxes?

If you have filed or will file a tax return for the applicable tax year with the relevant authority of a U.S. territory, U.S. commonwealth, or with a foreign central government, for the verification process you must provide:

  • A transcript that was obtained at no cost from the relevant taxing authority of a U.S. territory (Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands) or U.S. commonwealth (Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands) or a foreign central government that includes all the tax filer's income and tax information required to be verified for the applicable tax year (see What tax year do I use?) OR
  • If a transcript cannot be obtained at no cost from the relevant taxing authority, a signed copy of the income tax returns for the applicable tax year

Note: Tax transcripts/returns must be translated into English prior to submitting

Return to Top of Page

© 2024 West Virginia University. WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action employer — Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran. Last updated on May 1, 2024.