The Department of Education (not PLNU) randomly selects students for verification. If you're selected for verification after completing the FAFSA, you need to provide the requested paperwork.
PLNU partners with Inceptia to process verifications through their Verification Gateway. If you're selected, Inceptia will email you with details on registering and completing your verification process.
You can visit the Verification Gateway by clicking this Link: Verification Gateway
If you are selected for verification:
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Verification may require you to verify various information, including income, taxes paid, number of people in your household and college, child support payments, SNAP, high school graduation, and identity
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Failure to complete verification by August 1, or 30 days after being notified, may result in the removal of federal aid, state aid, and institutional need-based aid from your awards.
Returning PLNU undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies students must submit all requested forms and tax information before being offered financial aid.
New PLNU students must submit these materials before aid can be disbursed to their accounts. -
Some students may be directly contacted by PLNU's Student Financial Services Office to complete verification, such as those selected for institutional verification or federal custom or aggregate verification groups.
If you are required to provide tax information:
To submit the required tax information, you must have already filed your taxes. IRS tax information is usually available to retrieve via either option listed below two weeks after filing electronically or eight weeks after mailing unless you owe taxes. If you owe taxes, your tax information may not be available until after May. Those who have not completed their taxes and have been selected for verification may experience a delay in processing financial aid.
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
For those who are selected for verification, Student Financial Services recommends you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool while completing your taxes. This allows you to link your FAFSA to the IRS so you can avoid manually entering in all tax information and streamline the verification process. If you have already submitted your FAFSA (and you have filed your taxes), you should be able to log into studentaid.gov and link your FAFSA to the IRS.
Step-by-Step Guide for IRS Data Retrieval Tool
If the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is Not Available to You
If the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is not available to you, you have another option to order a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS. (Please note: Submitting a transcript may result in delayed financial processing.) When requesting a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS, Student Financial Services recommends selecting the option that allows for you to print the Tax Return Transcript immediately. Either way, you will need to send the information to PLNU.
Step-by-Step Guide for Requesting a Tax Return Transcript