IRS Data Retrieval/Tax Return Transcript Directions
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool, or a Tax Return Transcript, should be available 3-4 weeks AFTER your taxes have been e-filed or 8-10 weeks AFTER they have been paper filed.
UCR financial aid undergraduate students whose parents are tax filers will need to follow a federal procedure to link IRS 2012 tax data to the 2013-14 FAFSA. This request is shown as “Parent IRS data retrieval” (see Growl, Financial Aid Application Status). The deadline for this has been extended to June 21, 2013.
For the IRS data retrieval, your parents must authorize the transfer of their 2012 federal income tax information from their IRS tax return to your FAFSA. Here’s how:
To utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) please follow the steps below:
1. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov.
2. Select “Login”.
3. Enter the student’s information and select “next
4. Change parent item #32 from “will file” to “already completed”, if applicable.
5. If you then answer “None of the above” and are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Process, click on the “Link to IRS” and click “OK”.
6. On the IRS Web site, enter the requested information exactly as it appears on parents’ 2012 tax return (name, street address, etc.), and click submit.
7. Click the box under the “Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA” and then click “Transfer Now”.
8. You should then receive a message “You have successfully transferred your 2012 tax information”.
Be sure to finish going through all the steps and electronically sign (one of your parents also needs to electronically sign) and “submit” your FAFSA. You are not finished until you have successfully submitted your FAFSA and received a confirmation number.
A few days after this process is completed, an updated copy of your FAFSA with the IRS data will be sent to UCR automatically, and Growl Application Status will be updated to show that the UCR document request is “completed”. This process must be completed by June 21st and will be used to generate your official 2013-14 financial aid award. For incoming students, official awards are generated within about 1 week of completing this match, and for continuing UCR students awards will begin around July.
For a 3-minute YouTube presentation of this FAFSA/IRS process, click here.
There are a few situations in which applicants are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval Process:
• Married and filing separately – (submit tax transcript for each spouse)
• Tax filing status is Head of Household (submit tax transcript)
• Filed an amended tax return – (submit tax transcript and account transcript)
• Filed a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return (submit a copy of original tax return filed)
• Do not have a US Social Security Number
If you cannot successfully use the IRS DRT, Tax Return Transcripts must be provided. 1040 tax returns will no longer be accepted. You may obtain Tax Return Transcripts by using one of the following methods:
1.) Request online at the IRS web site at www.irs.gov
2.) Request by calling the IRS at 1-800-908-9946