EIU Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships

Notice Regarding IRS Data Retrieval Tool

You may order tax return transcripts online, by phone or by mail.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE  IRS  DATA  RETRIEVAL TOOL

Here are the instructions for linking tax information into your FAFSA by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

It is VERY HELPFUL to have the first page of your US 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ on hand when you begin this process.

1. Go to www.fafsa.gov, click “Start Here” and log in using the student’s FSA ID

1. Click “Make FAFSA Corrections” and create a Save Key
2. Choose “Making corrections to a processed FAFSA”
3. Click on the “Financial Information” tab
4. For the question “Have your parents completed their IRS income tax return” choose “Already Completed”
5. Answer the questions in the pop-up box. If all questions are answered “No” you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
6. Select answer to “which parent are you,” enter parent’s FSA ID and click “Link to IRS,”
7. Click “OK” to “Leaving FAFSA on the Web”
8. Click “OK” to the pop-up “This Gov’t System is for Authorized Use Only”
9. Enter information requested (Filing Status, Address, etc.) and click “Submit” (all information must match IRS records)
10. Check “Transfer my tax information into the FAFSA” on the left of the page and click “Transfer Now” on the right
11. Page
12. You will be directed back to the FAFSA webpage. At the “List of Changes”, review, then scroll to bottom and click “Next”.
13. Click “Sign and Submit” and follow instructions to submit the changes
14. You will receive a confirmation number and a confirmation email. 

* Independent students will not need to submit parent information, but will follow the same steps for entering their own tax information.

* Do not make any adjustments to the tax information once it has been transferred to the FAFSA. If any information is incorrect, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.