Your FAFSA or Dream Act Application may have been selected for review, or verification. If so, you might need to provide our office with additional information or documentation to complete your financial aid file.
Verification is when the Department of Education or the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) selects your financial aid application for additional review. In general, our office will need to confirm family size and who is attending college, and your family's income information. We might also need to confirm your high school completion and your identity. Review the information below for help on completing this process.
Family Size and Number in College
Your family size and the number of individuals attending college are a factor in calculating your Student aid index. When selected for Verification, we will generally need to confirm your family size and how many of them are attending a degree-granting program in college. We do this by asking you to complete a Verification form.
The financial aid application has very specific guidelines on who they consider as part of your family. ForDependent Students, the following people should be counted and reported on your Verification form:
Dependent Student Guidelines
- Yourself:Make sure to include yourself, even if you don't live in your parents' house.
- Your Parents:Include all parents listed on the FAFSA. This might include step-parents and adoptive parents. Do not include your non-custodial parent.Find out who counts as your parent on your financial aid application.
- Your Parents' other children:Include siblings that your parents provide more than 50% financial support to during the academic year, even if they don't currently live with your parents.
- Other people:Include any other people who live in your parents' house and who receive more than 50% of their financial support from your parents.
If any of the family members listed on your Verification form, other than your parents, are attending college, you'll need to tell us what school they are attending. If they are a CSUSB student, make sure to also include their CSUSB ID on the form. Note that "attending college" means that the family member is enrolled in a program that will lead to a degree; auditing courses does not count.
ForIndependent Students, the following people should be counted and reported on your Verification form:
Independent Student Guidelines
- Yourself:Make sure to include yourself.
Your Spouse: Include your spouse.
Your children: Include children that you provide more than 50% financial support to during the academic year, even if they don't live in your house.
Other people: Include any other people who live with you and who receive more than 50% financial support from you or your spouse.
If any of the family members listed on your Verification form, are attending college, you'll need to tell us what school they are attending. If they are a CSUSB student, make sure to also include their CSUSB ID on the form. Note that "attending college" means that the familymember is enrolled in a program that will lead to a degree; auditing courses does not count.
Income Verification for Dependent Students
If we are asking you to complete and submit a Dependent Student Income Verification form on your To Do List in yourMyCoyote Student Center, you will need to let us know whether you worked; how much income you made; and whether you filed. Depending on your answers to those questions, you might need to provide additional documents along with the Income Verification form.
If you filed a federal tax return
If you filed a tax return, you will need to provide additional documentation confirming your tax return information.
If you filed a federal tax return with a Social Security Number, this will either be in the form of a signed and dated Tax Return, Tax Return Transcript, or successfully using the FA-DDX (Future Act Direct Data Exchange)to transfer your information from the IRS to your FAFSA.
If you filed a federal tax return using an ITIN, you should submit a signed and dated 1040 income tax return form. Please review the sections below on these methods.
If you didn't file a tax return
If you were not required to file a tax return, whether you worked or not, you only need to submit the Dependent Student Income Verification form. Make sure that the entire form is completed. If you did work, you will need to provide a W-2 statement or 1099 statement for each source of income.
Income Verification for Parents
If you filed a federal tax return
If you filed a tax return, you will need to provide additional documentation confirming your tax return information.
If you filed a federal tax return with a Social Security Number, this will either be in the form of a signed and dated Tax Return, Tax Return Transcript, or successfully using the FA-DDX (Future Act Direct Data Exchange) to transfer your information from the IRS to your FAFSA.
If you filed a federal tax return using an ITIN, you should submit a signed and dated 1040 income tax return form. Please review the sections below on these methods.
If you were married and filed separately, you will need to provide documentation for each taxpayer. If you were married and filed jointly and are now separated; divorced; or widowed, submit your W-2 statements for us to separate your income.
If you didn't file a tax return
If you did work, you will also need to provide a W-2 statement or 1099 statement for each source of income.
Income Verification for Independent Students
If we are asking you to complete and submit an Independent Student Income Verification form on your To Do List on yourMyCoyote Student Center, you will need to let us know whether you worked; how much income you made; and whether you filed. Depending on your answers to those questions, you will need to provide additional documents along with the Income Verification form.
If you filed a federal tax return
If you filed a tax return, you will need to provide additional documentation confirming your tax return information.
If you filed a federal tax return with a Social Security Number, this will either be in the form of a signed and dated Tax Return, Tax Return Transcript, or successfully using the FA-DDX (Future Act Direct Data Exchange) to transfer your information from the IRS to your FAFSA.
If you filed a federal tax return using an ITIN, you should submit a signed and dated 1040 income tax return form. Please review the sections below on these methods.
If you were married and filed separately, you will need to provide documentation for each taxpayer. If you were married and filed jointly and are now separated; divorced; or widowed, submit your W-2 statements for us to separate your income.
If you didn't file a tax return
If you did work, you will also need to provide a W-2 statement or 1099 statement for each source of income.
