Roughly one in five FAFSA filers is selected for verification: the college asks you to document what you reported. Selection is often random and is not an accusation of anything.
What matters is the consequence. No aid package is issued until verification clears. A family that leaves it three weeks watches every other applicant receive offers while theirs is still pending, and then has to make a May 1 decision without complete information.
Through the college's own financial aid portal, not by email. Check the portal for every school the student applied to, this week. Different schools select independently, so being cleared at one says nothing about another.
Gather documents the day you are notified. If a tax transcript is needed, request it immediately at irs.gov — delivery takes days, and it is the single most common cause of a stalled file.
Log back into the FAFSA and check:
Job loss, reduced hours, divorce, a death, or large medical costs are not reflected in a return filed on prior-prior year income. File a professional judgement request with each college's aid office, in writing, with documentation. Aid officers have real discretion here and use it — but only if asked. This is a separate process from an appeal against an offer, and it can be started before offers arrive.
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