The Department of Education through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) randomly selects students for the federal verification process each year. The following information details the federal verification process.

The Federal Verification Process

If you are selected for federal verification you may be asked to complete a Federal Verification Worksheet and provide documentation of both student’s and parents’ income. The Office of Student Financial Services is required to confirm the information that was reported on your FAFSA.

Documentation of Income

If an applicant is selected for verification, the applicant and parent(s) a 2021 IRS Tax Return Transcript. The documents should be submitted to Wheaton’s Office of Student Financial Services. 

Important notice for families who filed their FAFSA and were able to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Process

You will not be required to submit a Tax Return Transcript if you were able to successfully download your 2021 tax data onto your 2023 – 2024 FAFSA and you did not make any changes to the data once it was downloaded.

Important Information for Non-Tax Filers

Parents and students who did not file a federal income tax return in 2021 and whose 2023 – 2024 FAFSA was selected for verification will need to complete a verification worksheet and provide copies of their 2021 W-2 form(s).

An IRS Tax Return Transcript can be requested here.  Please forward the documentation received by the IRS to the Office of Student Financial Services once received.

Special Circumstances

Non-US Tax Filers

Applicants filing a Puerto Rico tax return or a foreign tax return should send a signed copy of their 2021 tax documents directly to the college if they have not submitted this information in the prior academic year.

Information for Non-Tax Filers

The filers must attest that an IRS 1040 tax return has not and will not be filed and that an IRS 1040 tax return is not required to be filed. Copies of all W-2 forms from all employers must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services.

It is important to submit any additional requested documents as soon as possible so as not to delay your financial aid application.