VERIFICATION
The Department of Education has regulations to ensure that only eligible students receive financial aid. Verification is the process used to confirm the data you provided on the FAFSA. It is to your benefit to submit all requested items as quickly as possible since your financial aid file cannot be reviewed or completed until verification is complete. If there are any differences found between information reported on the FAFSA and the actual figures provided in the verification documents, the academy will submit the corrections on your behalf. Your financial aid award will be based on the corrected information.
Your financial aid file may have been selected for verification randomly by the federal processor, or because your file appears to have errors or conflicting information. If your file is selected, requested documentation should be submitted as soon as possible to avoid delays in processing your financial aid.
If you are a dependent student and both biological and/or adoptive parents reside in the same household, you will need to provide both parents’ information regardless of their marital status or gender.
If you are an independent student and your marital status on the date the FAFSA was completed was “married,” you will need to provide your spouse’s information regardless of gender.
A student/parent is considered “married” if the student/parent was legally married in any domestic or foreign jurisdiction that recognizes that relationship as a legal marriage, regardless of where the couple resides. This determination applies to same sex or opposite sex couples. This determination does not apply to domestic partnership, civil unions, or similar formal relationships recognized under state law.
If your Student Aid Report (SAR) has been selected for Verification, the academy will send a written request for documentation by e-mail or contact you by phone to schedule an in-person appointment. Not all applicants will be asked to submit the same documents. You may be asked to provide different documents than you have submitted in previous years.
Verification documents may include IRS Tax Transcripts, a completed Verification Worksheet, or other documents. In some circumstances, you may go back to your FAFSA application and use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to download your income information. If you are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, submit an IRS Tax Return Transcript. You may no longer submit copies of tax returns (IRS 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ). If you filed an income tax return with Puerto Rico, another U.S. territory, commonwealth, or with a foreign central government, provide a transcript that was obtained at no cost from the relevant taxing authority, or if this cannot be obtained at no cost, then provide a signed copy of that tax return.
Please submit all documents with your Student Name and telephone number written clearly at the top of each page. Do not submit original documents unless you are told to do so. Make copies of what you submit. To submit Verification documents, you may bring them to the Financial Aid Office in person, fax them to (352) 331-2470, or email them to finaid@ssag.edu.
The academy’s financial aid deadlines vary based on the program you are interested in attending. Students must have all verification documentation submitted to the financial aid office no later than 3 days before the students desired class start date.
Once your documentation has been reviewed by the academy’s financial aid office they will process the verification and determine if you are eligible to start classes in your selected start date. If documents are submitted later than your due date or additional documentation is required by the financial aid office your class start date may be moved to the next available start date.
On special occasions, if your documentation was submitted by the deadline but has not finished processing the academy’s Director of Financial aid may grant permission for you to start in your desired class if they can determine that the students financial aid award will not change drastically upon completion of your verification.
Your file will not be complete until all requested documents are received and processed by the Financial Aid Office. The verification process may delay the awarding of financial assistance if corrections need to be submitted to the federal processor.
If you have questions, contact the Financial Aid Office by calling (352) 331-2424 Ext. 4 or email at finaid@ssag.edu.