FINANCIAL AID

Have You Been Selected for Verification?
If you are a student who has been selected for Verification, you must contact the IRS to request a copy of the 2021 IRS Tax Return Transcript.  This also applies to parents of dependent students. 

To obtain IRS Tax Return Transcripts:
Online: http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Order-a-Transcript
By Phone:  1-800-908-9946.

Local Paterson IRS Contact:
200 Federal Plaza Paterson, NJ 07505
Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm
Office Information: 973-653-2676
Make Appointment: 844-545-5640

What Is Verification?
 The Department of Education randomly selects financial aid applications (FAFSA) for further review. Students selected are notified by the Department of Education and by e-mail from the PCCC Financial Aid Office. Students can also view and access their Required Documents in the Financial Aid Self-Service Menu. If selected for Verification, students must submit documentation (i.e., tax return transcript, verification worksheet, etc.) and a review is conducted by the Financial Aid Office. If errors are found, the Financial Aid staff must submit corrections to the Department of Education. This may decrease the estimated award and the student will be liable for the tuition, fees, or book balance. Verification must be completed prior to receiving payment of any federal grant, loan, or state award.

What Must the Student Do?
A student is expected to submit the required documentation within a reasonable timeframe, preferably 7 to 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks) after receipt of the missing information email. Review of the submitted documentation can take up to 4 weeks for a determination regarding eligibility to be made. If the student does not submit the required documentation by November 1st for the Fall semester or April 1st for the Spring semester, the student will be billed for all tuition, fees and other related charges on the account. Students may submit verification documents after these dates if they are compliant with federal guidelines. Please check with the Financial Aid Office for the deadline. Failure to submit the required documentation will result in the denial of all federal and state financial aid including student loans. Financial Aid forms can be found on pccc.edu/faforms. Students who are required to submit documents may log onto their portal account and access the Financial Aid Self-Service menu entitled “Required Documents”. The documents can be completed online and are submitted electronically to the Financial Aid Office.