Verification

The US Department randomly selects financial aid applications for the verification purposes. UNC Charlotte also reserves the right to select a student for verification.

Students typically are asked to provide verification documentation when:

• Your FAFSA appears to contain inconsistent information, or
• You used estimated tax return information when completing the FAFSA

1. Once our financial aid office receives your processed FAFSA, and if selected for the Verification process, an e-mail will be sent to you indicating what information and documents are needed. After all requested information is submitted to the financial aid office, your file will be reviewed. If the financial aid office has further questions regarding your file, you will be contacted for additional clarification or document requests. It is your responsibility to respond to these requests. If you do not turn in the required information, your file will be held until all missing information has been received. You are encouraged to contact Niner Central at any time with verification questions.

2. You can also view required documents via your My UNC Charlotte account.

• Verification Form [must be signed by student and parent (if required)] which verifies:
  • Family Size (as defined on the FAFSA)
  • Number of College Students
  • Untaxed income of student, spouse (if required), parent (if required) 
  • Untaxed income may include child support received, untaxed interest and dividends, payments to tax deferred savings and pension plans, etc. 
  • Taxable financial aid received by student 
  • Child support paid by student, spouse (if required), parent(s) (if required) 

Note: We cannot accept anything less reliable than IRS-supplied evidence for verification of income data. Therefore, if an applicant selected for verification has not successfully transferred information from the IRS, or one who did transfer the information but then changed it, the Department expects the institution to require the applicant, and if necessary the applicant’s parents, to provide an official IRS transcript of their Federal income tax information.

• The Federal IRS Tax Transcript [for student, spouse (if required), parent(s) (if required)] which verifies:
  • Adjusted Gross Income 
  • Taxes Paid 
  • Tax-exempt interest 
  • Untaxed IRA Distributions/Deductions 
  • Untaxed pensions and annuities 
  • Keogh retirement plan and self-employed SEP 
  • Education Tax Credits 

• Students who submit information after August 1st (for fall semester), November 15th (for spring semester), or April 5th (for summer) may not be awarded financial aid in time to assist with payment to the University and will have to pay their bill in full.
• Once financial aid is awarded and disbursed, you may receive a reimbursement.

For state and federal financial aid purposes, a student is only considered independent if one or more of the following are true:

• you are 24 years old;
• you are enrolled in a graduate degree program;
• you are married;
• you have children or other dependents who receive more than half of their support from you;
• both of your parents are deceased;
• you are (or were until age 18) a ward/dependent of the court;
• or you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.

If none of these statements apply to you, you must provide parent information on your FAFSA and other financial aid documents. Extenuating circumstances may be reviewed by the financial aid office on a case by case basis to determine whether or not a professional judgement is necessary.