Please note:

Our office will be closed for an Institute event on Monday, June 5, from 2:45–5 PM.

Verifying your FAFSA

When you complete your FAFSA, you may receive a message that says: “Your FAFSA has been selected for a review process called verification.” All this means is that you may have to take a few extra steps to confirm the information you reported on your FAFSA before you can receive any financial aid funds. This is nothing to be concerned about, and if the verification information matches the information we have already received, it will not have any impact on your financial aid.

Verification instructions

All outstanding requirements should be received by August 1

We aren’t able to distribute your financial aid funds until your verification is completed. If you haven’t completed this process by the deadline, your account may be charged a hold fee, and you will be placed on a registration hold that prevents you from registering for classes.

You may also lose access to Institute services. If you need assistance or have questions, please contact your financial aid counselor. If you believe you have already completed a requirement that we are asking for, please let us know.

Continuing students

Visit the online financial aid system and view the “Documents” tab to see what we need from you. For the items listed as “Not Received,” follow the corresponding instructions listed below.

Prospective first-year students

You can view any outstanding requirements through your application portal with the admissions office. Please note, that completing your verification is not required before making the decision to attend MIT.

Paper documents

Any paper documents required for verification should be submitted to the College Board’s IDOC system. We are not able accept them directly.

Income verification

We may need information from students or parents who are listed on the FAFSA. Please follow the instructions for the documents requested in the online financial aid system for current students or the MIT application portal for prospective students.

How to verify your tax information

If you file a U.S. tax return

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) is the quickest way to verify your information:

  • Log in to your FAFSA and use IRS DRT to connect your IRS data to your FAFSA. If you have already used IRS DRT since submitting your application, please contact your financial aid counselor to let us know.

If you are ineligible or otherwise choose not to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to retrieve tax information, you have two alternate options:

  • You may submit a signed copy of your 2021 Federal Tax Return to IDOC: A copy of the tax return may either have the filer’s signature if self-prepared or the name and PTIN of a paid tax preparer. If you had already submitted an unsigned return to IDOC and are now submitting a signed one, please contact your financial aid counselor to let us know.
  • You may submit a copy of your 2021 IRS Tax Return Transcript to IDOC: You can request transcripts from the IRS.gov by using their self-help service tool, Get Your Tax Record or by calling 800-908-9946. Make sure to request the “IRS Tax Return Transcript” and NOT the “IRS Tax Account Transcript.”

If you are a non-tax filer

If you did not file a tax return, we will need a non-tax filer statement. These are accessed and submitted through IDOC. Please submit documentation for all amounts listed on the statement (W-2, 1099, etc).

Along with the non-tax filer statement, we will need a Verification of Non-filing Letter from the IRS, also submitted to IDOC:

  • This is only required for parents or federally independent students.
  • You can request the non-filing letter from the IRS.gov by using their self-help service tool, Get Your Tax Record or by calling 800-908-9946.

If you file a non-U.S. tax return

Please submit documentation based on the appropriate category below to IDOC:

  • If you filed an income tax return with Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, you may provide a signed copy of your income tax return that was filed with the relevant tax authority. If we question the accuracy of the information on the signed copy of the income tax return, you must also provide us with a copy of the tax account information issued by the relevant tax authority before verification can be completed.
  • If you filed an income tax return with the tax authority for American Samoa, you must provide a copy of your tax account information.
  • If you filed an income tax return with tax authorities not mentioned above, i.e. a foreign tax authority, you should provide a transcript from the government listing the total income earned and taxes paid in 2021. (along with a translation into English, if applicable). If you are unable to obtain the tax account information free of charge, you must provide documentation that the tax authority charges a fee to obtain the information, along with a signed copy of your income tax return that was filed with the relevant tax authority.

If you amended your tax return

If you amended your tax return (filed a 1040–X), please follow the instructions under the section “How to verify your tax information” and submit a signed copy of the 1040–X form to IDOC.