The May 15 Document Submission Deadline — What it is and why it matters

May 15 is a significant date in Student Financial Services (SFS), and for some students it can be important as well.

Part of the process leading up to awarding students financial aid is verifying that awarding is accurate. The U.S. Department of Education requires every college to review certain criteria to determine a student’s financial aid eligibility.

This process is called verification or file review. Verification is not optional for students/families that are involved – all forms & documents need to be submitted before a student’s financial aid can be determined. Students will not be awarded state, federal, or institutional financial aid until all documents are received and reviewed.

File review kicks off in late March and not all students will be involved in the process. SFS notifies a student by email if information or documents need to be submitted. Plus, the Student Center in zzusis has a 2015-16 Financial Aid Checklist (To Do List) that will list these documents as well. The fastest and easiest method for submitting documents to SFS is by scanning and uploading them online at SubmitSFSDocs.wsu.edu.

Documents should not be submitted unless they have been requested by SFS, and the request for it is seen on the To Do List.

Once a document is submitted to SFS, it can take 48 hours for the document to be updated to “received” on the zzusis To Do list. If a document says “initiated,” that means that SFS has not received the document/form OR it could mean the document has not been checked in and reviewed by SFS.

If SFS needs more information regarding a specific form or document after it has been received, the form may be reinitiated on zzusis and will show “initiated,” or the To Do List may show an additional entry requesting supplementary information. Either way, an email will be sent to the student detailing what is needed to keep the verification process going.

When SFS has the documents/forms it needs to complete a student’s file review, the Financial Aid Checklist or To Do List item will be removed from zzusis. This means nothing else is needed at that moment from SFS. Submitting requested documents by the May 15 deadline ensures that students attending in the fall are awarded in a timely manner, so that there is not a last-minute scramble with a student’s financial aid award in August. It also ensures that students will receive the most aid possible.

Not meeting the May 15 deadline could have consequences for a student depending on the student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid awards such as the Washington State Need Grant, WSU’s Institutional Grant, Cougar Commitment, and the Perkins Loan. This can vary from student to student and to really determine its impact, it’s best to contact SFS.

Two of the most commonly requested documents are the Tax Return Transcript and the W2. Tax return transcripts can be downloaded or requested by mail at www.irs.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript. If a student or parent does not have a copy of their W2s, they can request a Wage and Income Transcript on the same website.

If SFS requests the student and parent tax return transcripts (and they are initiated on the zzusis Financial Aid Checklist or To Do List), both have to be provided before the student can receive a financial aid award.

The request for tax return transcripts and W2s can be waived if the student or parent uses the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to directly transfer tax information online to the 2015-16 FAFSA. Students and parents can update their FAFSAs and use the DRT in as little as two weeks once their taxes have been filed with the IRS.

Transferring IRS data to the FAFSA requires going into the finance section of the FAFSA and clicking “Link to IRS” if the option is available.

The Student Financial Services office is here to help students and parents though the verification process. Don’t have a scanner? Don’t worry! You can stop by the SFS office and use ours to upload your documents.

If you have any questions please contact SFS Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling 509-335-9711 or emailing [email protected]. You can schedule an appointment to meet in person with a Financial Aid adviser by visiting finaid.wsu.edu.