# Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Information To Be Verified for the 2017-2018 Award Year
**AGENCY:**
Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
**ACTION:**
Notice.
[CFDA Numbers: 84.007, 84.033, 84.038, 84.063, and 84.268.]
**SUMMARY:**
For each award year, the Secretary publishes in the *Federal Register* a notice announcing the FAFSA information that an institution and an applicant may be required to verify, as well as the acceptable documentation for verifying FAFSA information. This is the notice for the 2017-2018 award year.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Jacquelyn C. Butler, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 6W232, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453-6088.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format ( *e.g.,* braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the program contact person listed under *FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT* .
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The Secretary includes on the applicant's Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) flags that indicate (1) that the applicant has been selected by the Secretary for verification and (2) the Verification Tracking Group in which the applicant has been placed. This, in turn, indicates which FAFSA information needs to be verified for that applicant and, if appropriate, for the applicant's parent(s) or spouse. The Student Aid Report (SAR) provided to the applicant will indicate that the applicant's FAFSA information has been selected for verification and direct the applicant to contact the institution for further instructions for completing the verification process.
The following chart lists, for the 2017-2018 award year, the FAFSA information that an institution and an applicant and, if appropriate, the applicant's parent(s) or spouse, may be required to verify under 34 CFR 668.56. The chart also lists the acceptable documentation that must, under § 668.57, be provided to an institution for that information to be verified.
| FAFSA Information | Acceptable documentation |
| --- | --- |
| | For income information listed under items a through g for tax filers— |
| | (1) For a student or the parent(s) of a dependent student who filed a 2015 joint income tax return and whose income is used in the calculation of the applicant's expected family contribution and who at the time the FAFSA was completed was separated, divorced, widowed, or married to someone other than the individual included on the 2015 joint income tax return— |
| | For an individual who has not filed and, under IRS or other relevant taxing authority rules (
the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, a U.S. territory or commonwealth or a foreign central government), is not required to file a 2015 income tax return— |
| | (1) A signed statement certifying— |
| | (2) A copy of IRS Form W-2
for each source of 2015 employment income received or an equivalent document;
and |
| | (3) Confirmation of non-filing from the IRS or other relevant taxing authority dated on or after October 1, 2016. |
| Number of Household Members | A statement signed by the applicant and, if the applicant is a dependent student, by one of the applicant's parents that lists the name and age of each household member for the 2017-2018 award year and the relationship of that household member to the applicant. |
| | Verification of number of household members is not required if— |
| | • For a dependent student, the household size indicated on the ISIR is two and the parent is single, separated, divorced, or widowed, or the household size indicated on the ISIR is three if the parents are married or unmarried and living together; or |
| | • For an independent student, the household size indicated on the ISIR is one and the applicant is single, separated, divorced, or widowed, or the household size indicated on the ISIR is two if the applicant is married. |
| Number in College | (1) A statement signed by the applicant and, if the applicant is a dependent student, by one of the applicant's parents listing the name and age of each household member who is or will be attending an eligible postsecondary educational institution as at least a half-time student in the 2017-2018 award year in a program that leads to a degree or certificate and the name of that educational institution. |
| | (2) If an institution has reason to believe that the signed statement provided by the applicant regarding the number of household members enrolled in eligible postsecondary institutions is inaccurate, the institution must obtain documentation from each institution named by the applicant that the household member in question is, or will be, attending on at least a half-time basis unless— |
| | Verification of the number of household members in college is not required if the number in college indicated on the ISIR is “1.” |
| High School Completion Status | The applicant's high school completion status when the applicant attends the institution in 2017-2018. |
| | (2) |
| | (3) |
| | When documenting an applicant's high school completion status, an institution may rely on documentation it has already collected for purposes other than the Title IV verification requirements if the documentation meets the criteria outlined above (
high school transcripts maintained in the admissions office). |
| | Verification of high school completion status is not required if the institution successfully verified and documented the applicant's high school completion status for a prior award year. |
| Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose | (1) An applicant must appear in person and present the following documentation to an institutionally authorized individual to verify the applicant's identity— |
| | |
| | __________ ______ |
| | (Student's Signature) (Date) |
| | __________ |
| | (Student's ID Number) |
| | (2) If an institution determines that an applicant is unable to appear in person to present an unexpired valid photo identification and execute the Statement of Educational Purpose, the applicant must provide the institution with— |
| | |
| | I certify that I ________ am |
**Other Sources for Detailed Information**
We provide a more detailed discussion on the verification process in the following resources:
• *2017-2018 Application and Verification Guide.*
• *2017-2018 ISIR Guide.*
• *2017-2018 SAR Comment Codes and Text.*
• *2017-2018 COD Technical Reference.*
• Program Integrity Information—Questions and Answers on Verification at *http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2009/verification.html.*
These publications are on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals Web site at www. *ifap.ed.gov.**Electronic Access to This Document:* The official version of this document is the document published in the *Federal Register* . Free Internet access to the official edition of the *Federal Register* and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: *www.gpo.gov/fdsys.* At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the *Federal Register* , in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the *Federal Register* by using the article search feature at: *www.federalregister.gov.* Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.
**Program Authority:**
20 U.S.C. 1070a, 1070a-1, 1070b-1070b-4, 1070c-1070c-4, 1070g, 1071-1087-2, 1087a-1087j, and 1087aa-1087ii; 42 U.S.C. 2751-2756b.
Dated: March 29, 2016.
Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Innovation, Delegated the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.