The easiest way to verify your FAFSA with accurate tax information is by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

IRS Data Retrieval Instructions:

  • Log into your FAFSA at www.FAFSA.gov
  • Click Make FAFSA Corrections located in the middle of the page
  • In the Financial Information section, answer the eligibility questions and click Link to IRS
  • Proceed to IRS Site, enter the requested information, and click Submit
  • Mark the Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA and click Transfer Now
  • Complete the process on the Sign and Submit tab of your FAFSA

The following reasons might make certain tax filers ineligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and must submit either their 2020 Income Tax Return and Schedules 1-3 or their 2020 IRS issued Tax Return Transcript (see instructions below) if selected for Verification:

  • Filing status - Married Filing Separately
  • Filing status - Head of Household
  • Filed a Puerto Rican or Foreign Tax Return
  • Recently filed taxes (must file taxes electronically at least two weeks prior to using tool)
  • The parents’ marital status is “Unmarried and both legal parents living together”
  • You indicated that you will file or are not going to file a federal income tax return
  • You do not have a valid Social Security Number
  • Your marital status changed after December 31 of the previous calendar year

Tax Transcript Instructions:

By Telephone

  • Automated Telephone Request – 1-800-908-9946
  • Transcript is generally received within 10 business days from the IRS’s receipt of the telephone request

Get Transcript by Mail

  • Visit the IRS Get Transcript web page
  • Click “Get Transcript by Mail”
  • Make sure to request the “IRS Tax Return Transcript” and NOT the “IRS Tax Account Transcript”
  • The transcript is generally received within 10 business days from the IRS’s receipt of the online request

Get Transcript Online

  • Visit the IRS Get Transcript web page
  • Click “Get Transcript Online”
  • Make sure to request the “IRS Tax Return Transcript” and NOT the “IRS Tax Account Transcript”
  • To use the Get Transcript Online tool, the user must have (1) access to a valid email address, (2) a text enabled mobile phone (pay-as-you-go plans cannot be used) in the user’s name, and (3) specific financial account numbers (such as a credit card number or an account number for a home mortgage or auto loan)
  • The transcript displays online upon successful completion of the IRS’s two-step authentication

Paper Request Form:

  • IRS Form 4506-T
  • The transcript is generally received within 10 business days from the IRS’s receipt of the paper request form

Please Note: If you are married and you and your spouse filed separately on your 2020 Income Tax Return, you must provide either a signed copy of your 2020 Income Tax Return and Schedules 1-3 or your 2020 IRS Tax Return Transcript for both you and your spouse in order to complete Verification.