Quality Assurance

Federal Quality Assurance Program 2013-2014

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the Quality Assurance program?
  2. Do I have to participate in the Quality Assurance program?
  3. What are the required documents that I must submit to the Financial Aid Office?
  4. I am a dependent student whose biological or adoptive parents are separated or divorced. Which parent(s) should complete the filing requirements for the Quality Assurance program?
  5. How do I obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript?
  6. Will the IRS send my tax transcript directly to the Financial Aid Office?
  7. What if I am unable to order an IRS tax transcript?
  8. What if I or my parents did not file a federal tax return for 2012?
  9. How should I submit my required documents?
  10. I already submitted a copy of my federal 1040 tax return for tax year 2012 to the Financial Aid Office. Do I still need to obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript?
  11. I already submitted copies of my W-2 earnings forms for 2012 to the Financial Aid Office as part of my original aid application. Do I need to submit new copies now?
  12. How can I track whether I have met all of the requirements?
  13. When is the deadline?
  14. If I have more questions, what should I do?

1. What is the Quality Assurance program?

In order to maintain institutional eligibility for federal student aid programs, the Stanford Financial Aid Office must complete an analysis of data reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by a random sample of our students who have been offered need-based federal student aid funds. Students (and their parents, if applicable) in the sample group must verify income and household composition originally reported on the FAFSA. The results of this Quality Assurance review process may influence our procedures and policies for future academic years.

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2. Do I have to participate in the Quality Assurance program?

We have randomly selected 350 students with federal financial aid eligibility to participate in this program. Participation is mandatory for these 350 students. Please be aware that if you do not complete the requirements in a timely manner, you will lose eligibility for future financial aid disbursements, and a hold will be placed on your Stanford registration.

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3. What are the required documents that I must submit to the Financial Aid Office?

  • Quality Assurance 2013-2014 form, completed and signed by the student, spouse (if any), and a parent (dependent students only). A blank Quality Assurance 2013-2014 form is available from our Forms page.
  • IRS Tax Return Transcript for tax year 2012 for the student/spouse (if a tax return was filed) and for the parents of dependent students (if a tax return was filed). Please include the student's name and Stanford ID number on all documents. The IRS Tax Return Transcript does not need to be signed. Instructions for requesting the IRS Tax Return Transcript are provided in item #5 on this page.
  • Copies of all W-2 earnings forms received by the student/spouse and by the parents of dependent students for 2012. If you previously submitted these documents to the FAO, you do not need to submit new copies. Please include the student's name and Stanford ID number on all pages. The W-2 forms do not need to be signed.
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4. I am a dependent student whose biological or adoptive parents are separated or divorced. Which parent(s) should complete the filing requirements for the Quality Assurance program?

The parent you lived with more during the past 12 months, and the current spouse of that parent (if any), should complete the requirements. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, the parent who provided more financial support during the past twelve months, or during the last year when you actually received financial support from a parent, and the current spouse of that parent (if any), should complete the requirements. This should be the same parent(s) who completed the parent sections of the 2013-2014 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

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5. How do I obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript?

There are three ways to obtain a free IRS Tax Return Transcript:

  • Online Request
    • Go to the IRS Transcript request page at http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Order-a-Transcript 
    • You should see green and blue icons for Steps 1, 2 and 3
    • Under Step 3, click on the link to Order a Transcript
    • Click OK on the warning pop-up message
    • Enter the tax filer’s Social Security Number, date of birth, street address, and zip or postal code.  Use the address currently on file with the IRS. Generally this will be the address that was listed on the latest tax return filed. However, if an address change has been completed through the US Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
    • Click “Continue”
    • In the Type of Transcript field, select “Return Transcript” (NOT "Account Transcript")
    • In the Tax Year field, select “2012”
    • Click “Continue”
    • If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address included in their online request, within 5 to 10 days from the time the on-line request was successfully transmitted to the IRS.
    • IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested online cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.
  • Telephone Request
    • Available from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-9946
    • Tax filers must follow prompts to enter their Social Security Number and the numbers in their street address. Generally this will be numbers of the street address that was listed on the latest tax return filed.  However, if an address change has been completed through the US Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
    • Select “Option 2” to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript and then enter “2012”.
    • If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address that was used in their telephone request, within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives the request.
    • IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested by telephone cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.
  • Paper Request Form
    • IRS Form 4506T-EZ should be used instead of IRS Form 4506-T because it is sufficient to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript.
    • Download at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506tez.pdf  
    • Complete lines 1 – 4, following the instructions on page 2 of the form.  Note that line 3 should be the most current address as filed with the IRS. It is the address where the IRS Tax Return Transcript will be sent. If the address has recently changed, include the address listed on the latest tax return filed on Line 4. However, if an address change has been completed through the US Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
    • Line 5 provides tax filers with the option to have their IRS Tax Return Transcript mailed directly to a third party by the IRS.
    • On line 6, enter “2012” to receive IRS tax information for the 2012 tax year.
    • The tax filers (or spouse if requesting information from a joint tax return) must sign and date the form and enter their telephone number. Only one signature is required to request a transcript for a joint return.
    • Mail or fax the completed IRS Form 4506T-EZ to the appropriate address (or fax number) provided on page 2 of Form 4506T-EZ.
    • Tax filers can expect to receive their transcript within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives and processes their signed request. NOTE: Processing form 4506T-EZ means verifying/validating the information provided on the form. If any information does not match the IRS records, the IRS will notify the tax filer that it was not able to provide the transcript. 
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6. Will the IRS send my tax transcript directly to the Financial Aid Office?

If you use IRS Form 4506T-EZ to request the tax transcript by mail, you can enter the Financial Aid Office's name and address in the recipient section on line 5 of the form. However, we recommend that you instruct the IRS to send the form to you first, so that you can clearly indicate the student's name and Stanford ID number at the top of the transcript before submitting it to the Financial Aid Office.

If you submit your tax return transcript request to the IRS online or by phone, the IRS cannot send the transcript to a third party. Once you receive the transcript, you should indicate the student's name and Stanford ID number at the top before submitting it to the Financial Aid Office.

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7. What if I am unable to order an IRS tax transcript?

Please send an email message to the Quality Assurance Coordinator at FinancialAidQA@stanford.edu with an explanation of your situation.

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8. What if I or my parents did not file a federal tax return for 2012?

On the Quality Assurance 2013-2014 form, mark an X on the line that says "Did not file a federal tax return for 2012." Please note that even if you did not file a tax return, you are still required to submit copies of any W-2 earnings forms that you received for 2012.

If you filed a Puerto Rican tax return or a foreign tax return, please submit a signed copy of the tax return to the Financial Aid Office, preferably with U.S. dollar equivalents indicated.

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9. How should I submit my required documents?

  • You may fax your documents to the Financial Aid Office at (650) 725-0540.
  • You may mail your documents to the Financial Aid Office, Montag Hall, 355 Galvez St., Stanford CA 94305-6106.
  • You may drop off your documents at the Financial Aid Office, Montag Hall, 355 Galvez St.
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10. I already submitted a copy of my federal 1040 tax return for tax year 2012 to the Financial Aid Office. Do I still need to obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript?

Yes. Unfortunately, for purposes of the Quality Assurance program, a copy of the tax return itself is not sufficient. This is due to a recent change in federal regulations for student aid programs.

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11. I already submitted copies of my W-2 earnings forms for 2012 to the Financial Aid Office as part of my original aid application. Do I need to submit new copies now?

No. We will use the copies that you have already submitted.

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12. How can I track whether I have met all of the requirements?

Your remaining requirements for the Quality Assurance process will appear as To-Do items on the Student Center tab in AXESS.

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13. When is the deadline?

All required documents must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office by October 15, 2013. If you need to request an extension, please send an email to FinancialAidQA@stanford.edu.

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14. If I have more questions, what should I do?

You can send an email to FinancialAidQA@stanford.edu or call Jeff Shelby, Quality Assurance Coordinator, at (650) 725-0251.

Updated on August 14, 2015 8:21 AM