Division of Student Affairs
Financial Aid & Scholarship Department
Division of Student Affairs
Financial Aid & Scholarship Department
Home – Financial Aid & Scholarship Department – Resources – Verification Guide

Verification Guide

The Financial Aid & Scholarship Department is required to verify information on your financial aid application before your aid eligibility is determined. This guide will assist you with the verification process and explain how to find and submit the necessary documents. If you have been assigned to submit a Dependent or Independent Verification Worksheet on your To Do List, you are required to read this guide. You must submit all required documents before we can award you financial aid, including loans.

The Department of Education (FAFSA applicants) and the California Student Aid Commission (CA Dream applicants) require all schools to verify the accuracy of information provided by the financial aid applicants. If you are selected for verification, you must submit all requested documents to be considered for aid.

You cannot be awarded aid, including student loans, until you have submitted the required verification documents and the documents have been reviewed. If additional information is needed, you will receive an email notice through your CSUN email account. Please be sure to check your CSUN email account regularly. The verification process may take several weeks, especially during Summer, so please be sure to submit the requested documents as soon as possible.

The verification worksheet is an electronic form you access through your CSUN portal. Once you are logged in, navigate to My Finances and select Financial Aid & Scholarships to access your To-Do List. Your To-Do List will display the assigned Dependent or Independent Verification Worksheet.

The University Student Union provides access to computers in the Computer Lab.

If you were unable to transfer your FTI into your FAFSA, you can submit one of the following:

  • A signed copy of your 2022 Tax Return along with all applicable schedules
  • A IRS 2022 Tax Return Transcript. For instruction on how to request a Federal Tax Return Transcript, read the How to Guide. 

Once you have received your tax return transcript(s), follow the instructions on the Verification Worksheet to submit a copy to our office.

DO NOT write or make any markings on the tax return transcript, other than writing your Student ID number. DO NOT mail the original tax return transcript(s) as they will not be returned. The Financial Aid Office will not make copies.

  1. Log onto the CSUN Portal and navigate to your SOLAR Student Center to see your “To Do List”. You can review our tutorial on how to view your “To-Do” List.
  1. Submit your documents using one of the following options:
  • CSUN Portal:
    Upload your documents by logging onto the CSUN Portal and submit online. 

Important: Before uploading your documents, please make sure to save your documents as a PDF file and use your student ID number as the file name. You can view a tutorial on how to upload your documents.

  • Mail:
    Financial Aid & Scholarship Department
    California State University, Northridge
    18111 Nordhoff St.
    Northridge, CA 91330-8307 

Important: Make sure to include your Student ID number on each page you submit.

We review all documents within the date order received. It may take up to nine weeks for your verification documents to be processed and if additional information is requested, we recommend you submit the required documents as soon as possible.

Once you submit your documents, please be patient. Do not contact the Financial Aid & Scholarship Department to confirm receipt of documents. Check your CSUN Portal weekly for confirmation. A new message will appear on your Portal indicating your file is under review. The documents will be removed from your To-Do list once they have been reviewed for completeness. If documents are incomplete, they will be listed as “Initiated” on your To-Do list and you will receive an email informing you of what is missing. Continue to check your CSUN email account regularly.

  • If you are an Independent student or the parent of a Dependent student, you will need to submit a 2024-2025 Verification of Non-Filing form. Submit the form to our office along with a copy of IRS Form W–2 for each source of 2022 employment income received (if you were employed during 2022). 
  • If you are a Dependent student, you must submit a copy of IRS Form W–2 for each source of 2022 employment income received (if you were employed during 2022). If you were not employed in 2022, indicate on your 2024-2025 Dependent Verification Worksheet that you are a TAX RETURN NON-FILER, you were not employed, and had no income earned from work in 2022.

If you received a request for additional information, it means the Financial Aid & Scholarship Department must clarify information on the documents you submitted. Review the request carefully and submit the required information. Your financial aid award cannot be determined until the requested documents are received and reviewed. Be sure to include your CSUN ID and sign and date any statements or forms to prevent further delay.

Submit tax transcripts or tax returns for both parents if you listed both on your FAFSA or CA Dream Application.

Submit the joint tax transcript or tax return and copies of W-2’s for both parents. We will separate the income and taxes for each parent and use only the information for the parent listed on your Verification Worksheet.

Submit a signed copy of the foreign tax return along with an English translation. Convert all monetary units to U.S. dollars, using the exchange rate in effect as of the date you filed your FAFSA or CA Dream Application. To view the daily exchange rate, visit the Federal Reserve website.

Submit the separate tax transcripts or tax returns for both you and your spouse if you were married at the time you filed your FAFSA.

If you file an amended tax return, you must submit a signed copy of your 2022 1040X form that was filed AND either of the following:

  • Updated income and tax information from the IRS on an ISIR record with all tax information from the original tax return
  • An IRS 2022 Tax Account Transcript
  • A signed copy of IRS 2022 Tax Return 1040 and all applicable schedules

We cannot determine aid eligibility nor disburse funds until all requested documents are received and reviewed. Upon signing the FAFSA or CA Dream Application, you agreed to "provide information that will verify the accuracy of your completed form."

Yes. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits the release of student information to third parties. Parental or spousal information received during the verification process is also protected under FERPA and will not be released to third-party recipients. Exceptions may include but are not limited to, subpoenas and federal audits of university records.

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