Verification

What is Verification?

Verification is a process where Linfield University is required, per federal law, to compare results from your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) with required acceptable documentation.

The Office of Financial Aid at Linfield will request acceptable documentation from you to verify the accuracy of the completed FAFSA®. If there are any differences, Linfield will submit corrections back into the federal processor and you will receive an updated FAFSA® reflecting the corrections.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) selects students for the process of Verification. If you are not selected for Verification by ED you may be chosen for institutional Verification at the discretion of Linfield's Financial Aid Administrator (FAA). 

You will initially receive a letter sent via USPS notifying you that you've been selected for Verification and what documentation is required. If you are a current and continuing Linfield student, you will initially receive a letter and an email at your Linfield address; subsequent email reminders will be sent until the documents are satisfied.

• Linfield will resolve any conflicting information, whether or not you are selected for verification.
• If you submit verification documentation unsolicited your documentation will be reviewed by Linfield and compared to your FAFSA® to ensure accuracy of the FAFSA®.
• The type of documentation you are required to submit depends on the verification group that ED has assigned or the type of conflicting information that Linfield must resolve.
• If the data conflicts, Linfield will submit a correction to ED and notify you of any revisions to your financial aid award.
• Please note: electronic signatures will not be accepted on Verification documents. 

Deadlines for the 2023-24 academic year:

• If you are a new student: April 1, 2023
• If you are a current and continuing student: April 15, 2023

If you are a dependent, here is what you need to do

Tax filers:

• Download and complete a 2023-24 Dependent Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it before submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid. 
• Submit copies of all 2021 W-2 forms, Schedule C forms, and/or Schedule K-1 for you and your parent(s).
• Submit income verification for you and your parent(s) through one of these options:
  • IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT): We highly recommend utilizing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) as it is the fastest and easiest way to verify income tax information.
  • IRS Tax Return Transcript (TRT): If you are unable to utilize the IRS DRT, you may obtain a copy of your 2021 IRS Tax Return Transcript by ordering online or by calling the IRS toll-free at 1-800-908-9946 to order one to be mailed to you.
  • Copies of your signed tax returns with all available schedules: If you are unable to utilize the DRT or obtain an IRS TRT you may submit signed copies of your federal tax return.

Non-tax filers:

If you or your parent(s) did not file and were not required to file federal taxes for 2021:

• Download and complete a 2023-24 Dependent Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it before submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid. 
• If you or your parent(s) earned income, please submit copies of all 2021 W-2 forms.
• Parent Verification of Non-Filing Letter (VONF): If your parent(s) did not and were not required to file taxes for 2021, you must submit a Verification of Non-filing Letter (VONF) obtained directly from the IRS. The letter must be for tax year 2021 and dated after October 1, 2022. To request a letter you may visit the IRS website to print Form 4506-T, check box 7, and follow their directions for submitting the form.

If you are an independent, here is what you need to do

Tax filers:

• Download and complete a 2023-24 Independent Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it before submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid. 
• Submit copies of all 2021 W-2 forms, Schedule C forms, and/or Schedule K-1 for you and your spouse.
• Submit income verification for you and your parent through one of these three options:
  • IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT): We highly recommend utilizing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) as it is the fastest and easiest way to verify income tax information; OR
  • IRS Tax Return Transcript (TRT): If you are unable to utilize the IRS DRT, you may obtain a copy of your 2021 IRS Tax Return Transcript by ordering online or by calling the IRS toll free at 1-800-908-9946 to order one to be mailed to you; OR
  • Copies of your signed tax returns with all available schedules. If you are unable to utilize the DRT or obtain an IRS TRT you may submit signed copies of your federal tax return.

Non-tax filers:

• Download and complete a 2023-24 Independent Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it prior to submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid. 
• Submit all copies of W-2 forms for you and/or your spouse.
• Student Verification of Non-Filing Letter (VONF): If you did not file, and were not required to file taxes for 2021, you must submit a Verification of Non-filing Letter (VONF) obtained directly from the IRS. The letter must be for tax year 2021 and dated after October 1, 2022. To request a letter you may visit the IRS website to print Form 4506-T, check box 7, and follow their directions for submitting the form.

Special situations: dependent and independent

Non-U.S. tax filers:

Individuals who filed, or will file, a 2021 income tax return with Puerto Rico, another U.S. territory (e.g. Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Marianas Islands), or with a foreign country, must either provide a 2021 tax transcript from their local taxing authority, which is free of charge or a signed copy of 2021 tax return filed with their local taxing authority because the 2019 tax transcript was not free of charge. For foreign tax returns not in U.S. dollars, you must convert the monetary amounts into U.S. dollars.

NOTE: If your tax return is not in English, you will also need to provide an English translation of the information on the document.

In addition, download and complete a 2023-24 Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it before submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid:

• 2023-24 Dependent Verification Worksheet – all dependent students are required to sign the worksheet along with at least one parent signature
• 2023-24 Independent Verification Worksheet

Amended federal tax returns

You must submit all of the following documents:

• A signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X that was filed with the IRS for 2021.
• A copy of one of the following 2021 Federal tax documents:
  • A signed copy of the 2021 IRS 1040 Form and all associated schedules that were filed with the IRS; OR
  • A copy of a 2021 tax return transcript or acceptable IRS alternative such as a Record of Account Transcript, a Return Transcript for Taxpayer (RTFTP), and/or an Information Returns Processing Transcript Request—Wages (IRPTR-W)
• Download and complete a 2023-24 Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it prior to submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid:
  • 2023-24 Dependent Verification Worksheet – all dependent students are required to sign the worksheet along with at least one parent signature
  • 2023-24 Independent Verification Worksheet

Federal tax return extensions

You must submit all of the following documents:

• A copy of the IRS’s approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension for tax year 2021 (example: IRS Form 2350 or IRS 4868).
• Verification of Non-filing Letter (VONF) which can be obtained from the IRS by completing IRS Form 4506-T and checking box 7 dated on or after October 1, 2022.
• If your parent(s) and/or spouse (as applicable) made a good-faith effort and tried, but were unable, to obtain a Verification of Non-filing Letter (VONF) from the IRS or other tax authorities they may submit a signed statement to certify all of the following:
  • They attempted to obtain the VONF from the IRS or other tax authorities and were unable to obtain the required documentation; and
  • They have not filed and were not required to file a 2021 income tax return; and
  • They must list the sources and amounts of any 2021 income earned from work
• A copy of all 2021 W-2 forms.
• If self-employed, a signed statement certifying the amount of the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and U.S. income taxes paid for tax year 2021.
• Download and complete a 2023-24 Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it prior to submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid:
  • 2023-24 Dependent Verification Worksheet – all dependent students are required to sign the worksheet along with at least one parent signature
  • 2023-24 Independent Verification Worksheet

Victims of identity theft

Victims of identity theft who cannot use the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to import their 2021 tax information or obtain a Tax Return Transcript for their 2021 federal taxes, must do the following:

• Call the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490 to request a copy of a Transcript Database (TRDBV) for the 2021 tax year.
• Submit a signed & dated statement from the tax filer to our office indicating you were a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft, and that the IRS has been made aware of the tax-related identity theft.
• Download and complete a 2023-24 Verification Worksheet. You will need to print your completed form and sign/date it prior to submitting it to the Office of Financial Aid:
  • 2023-24 Dependent Verification Worksheet – all dependent students are required to sign the worksheet along with at least one parent signature
  • 2023-24 Independent Verification Worksheet

Verification changes

The Office of Financial Aid is required to make corrections to inaccurate information discovered through the Verification process and to use the verified information in determining eligibility for financial aid. Corrections made to an aid application may cause a change in eligibility and result in a revised award notification.

Failure to comply

Offers of financial aid will not be finalized nor will any funds be disbursed to your student account if Verification is required but incomplete. Failure to complete Verification may also result in the cancellation of your financial aid.

Ultimately, if you do not complete the verification process by the end of your enrollment period, you may be ineligible for financial aid. In some cases, you may be eligible for a late disbursement after the term is over, or in cases where you are no longer enrolled. Late disbursements may occur when your Verification has been completed, and ED has processed the FAFSA® output document with an official Expected Family Contribution (EFC) while you were still enrolled.

Generally, you become ineligible for aid once you finish the term/semester and are no longer enrolled.

You may submit the forms in one of the following ways:

Mail to: 
Linfield University Office of Financial Aid Unit A484
900 SE Baker Street
McMinnville, OR 97128

Fax to: 503-883-2486