ED Publishes Verification Requirements for 2026-27
By NASFAA Policy & Federal Relations Staff
The Department of Education (ED) published the 2026-27 verification data elements and documentation requirements in the November 26, 2025, Federal Register. Overall, verification requirements remain the same as the 2025-26 award year, however, the notice formally incorporates changes related to the verification of identity for V4 and V5 verification that were announced in ED’s June 6, 2025, Electronic Announcement.
As a reminder, institutions are no longer required to obtain a Statement of Educational Purpose from students who are selected under the V4 or V5 verification tracking group; institutions now have additional options for completing identity verification remotely; and ED will consider a confined or incarcerated student’s identity to be verified if the student’s identity was verified by a responsible official at the facility where the individual is confined or incarcerated.
ED captures these changes in the Federal Register by revising the acceptable documentation listed for identity verification, including a statement that explicitly reads: “Note: Institutions can no longer require applicants to submit a Statement of Educational Purpose.” ED also appropriately revised the chart that shows which FAFSA information is required to be verified for each verification tracking group.
There are several places in the Federal Register where – as compared to the applicable 2025-26 text – a wording change was made when describing data transferred directly from the IRS.
In the previous year’s Federal Register, data that were transferred from the IRS and were “unchanged” did not need to be verified. In this year’s Federal Register, rather than calling the data “unchanged,” ED describes this data as “transferred directly from the IRS and used in the Pell Grant eligibility determination and/or SAI calculation.” NASFAA confirmed with ED that this is not a change in guidance, but rather a wording change to specify where the data is used, and to clarify that IRS data cannot be changed.
Publication Date: 11/26/2025
Theresa S | 12/3/2025 12:33:33 PM
Never mind...found it!
Theresa S | 12/3/2025 12:29:34 PM
Where is the PDF version located?
Kathleen R | 11/26/2025 11:0:09 AM
The pdf version is marginally better.
Maria G | 11/26/2025 9:48:13 AM
Agree with Anthony P. This looks like something from my 1970's high school typing class. Can it be updated?
Evelyn C | 11/26/2025 9:31:15 AM
I was under the impression that we did not have to request documents for Foreign Income Exempt from Federal Taxation, that it was going to be used by default in the SAI calculation. Do we now need to request it?
Anthony P | 11/26/2025 8:55:38 AM
Is there a copy that doesn't look like it was done on an ink depleted typewriter?
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