Financial Aid Verification

If you are selected for verification, you may be required to submit documents such as:

• The Income Verification Form
• For tax filers, a signed copy of your Federal Income Tax Return or an IRS Return Transcript. If you submit a signed copy of your tax return, you must also submit Schedules 1,2, and 3, if applicable. 
• For non-tax filers with earned income, applicable W-2 form(s) 
• Other documentation may be needed on a case-by-case basis. 

Tax Year Documents Required

*To obtain your IRS Tax Return Transcript, you can download it online at irs.gov, contact the IRS at 800-908-9946, visit your local IRS office, or mail a completed Form 4506T-EZ available on the IRS website to the IRS. In lieu of an IRS transcript, institutions may accept a signed copy of tax returns for verification documentation. 

The Department of Education places students selected for verification into different verification tracking groups. Students and/or their parents must verify information based on the tracking group to which they have been assigned.

Log in to SharkLink to determine what documents you must submit for verification.

SharkLink Log In

• Log in to SharkLink using your NSU User Name and Password.
• Locate the Financial Aid widget on your dashboard to view your outstanding Requirements. Click on the More Details button as needed.   

Victims of Identity Theft

If you are a victim of identity theft, you must submit the following:

• A signed copy of your Federal Income Tax Return or a Transcript Database View (TRDBV), which can be obtained by contacting the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) at 1-800-908-4490
• A signed and dated statement by the tax filer indicating that he or she was a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft, and that the IRS has been made aware. Submitting a completed IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, fulfills this requirement.

Amended Returns

If you filed an amended return, you must submit the following:

• A signed copy of your Federal Income Tax Return, an IRS Tax Return Transcript that includes information from the original tax return, or any IRS tax transcript that includes all income and tax information from the original tax return.
• A signed copy of IRS Form 1040X that was filed with the IRS or an IRS Account Transcript or Statement of Account which shows all changes.

• Submit all requested documents/information requested by the Office of Financial Aid promptly.

• If the Office of Financial Aid requests an IRS Transcript, be sure to request an IRS "Return" Transcript. The IRS will present two options: Account Transcript and Return Transcript. The "Account" Transcript does not have the line-by-line information required for verification. You may need the "Account" transcript as a supplement to the “Return” transcript if your taxes have been amended since the original filing.
• Save copies of all information submitted for your records.
• Keep photocopies of tax returns and W-2s.

Please Note: Verification must be completed with all conflicts resolved before your federal and need-based financial aid funds can be disbursed. If you have been awarded certain limited funds, such as SEOG or FSAG, and your verification has not been completed by the end of the registration period, these funds may be subject to forfeit. Your documents must be reviewed, and verification completed no later than four weeks prior to the end of the enrollment period during which you are applying for aid. Failure to do so may result in ineligibility or cancellation of aid previously offered.