About the IRS Data Retrieval System
Important Note: The planned 2024-2025 FASFA changes by the Department of Education will replace the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
Federal Student Aid and the Internal Revenue Service collaborated to develop a solution that simplifies FAFSA completion. The IRS Data Retrieval tool will allow Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the web applicants to request and retrieve their income and tax data from the IRS. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool allows students and parents to access the IRS tax return information needed to complete the FAFSA. Students and parents may transfer the data directly into their FAFSA. We highly recommend using the tool as it is an easy way to provide tax data and ensures FAFSA has accurate tax information.
Please note, if you do not use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to provide tax information, you may be required to obtain an official tax transcript from the IRS. This can take some time to receive the tax transcript. IRS Tax Transcript
When can I use the Data Retrieval System?
Electronically filed tax return information will be available online from the IRS site in 1-2 weeks after the return has been filed. Data from paper tax returns will be available in 6-8 weeks.
Who CAN & CAN'T use the Data Retrieval System
You CAN us the IRS Data Retrieval System if:
- Must have valid SSN
- Must have filed a 2020 federal tax return (within the time frames below)
- Must NOT have changed marital status since December 31, 2021
You CANNOT use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for 2022-2023 if:
- Parents with all zeroes for SSN
- SSN's that start w/666
- Puerto Rican tax returns
- Any student or parent with a marital status date of January 1, 2021 or later
- Any student or parent who indicated on the FAFSA they have not already filed a tax return or will not file a tax return.
- If the student (and spouse if applicable) or parent filed as Married filing separately tax returns. You CAN do the data retrieval for one (parent/student) and not the other (parent/student).
- The applicant, parent, or spouse, as applicable, who have filed an amended tax return
If you check off any of the situations that apply to you a pop-up response will tell you that you are ineligible to use the Data Retrieval Tool. See example below.
Eligibility
If you are not eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool then please visit the IRS Tax Transcript request website on how to obtain a Tax Transcript in lieu of the data transferring over.
How the IRS Data Retrieval Tool works:
- Enter your FSA ID and Password and click Link To IRS
- Your FAFSA will be saved and you will be transferred to the IRS Web site.
- On the IRS Web site, enter the requested information. Make sure you enter info EXACTLY as it would be on your tax return (example: if you filed as 2nd street don't enter in Second Street).
- Once the IRS has validated your identification, your IRS tax information will display. You can either transfer your information from the IRS, or choose to return to FAFSA on the Web from the IRS Web site. If you do not transfer your information or choose not to return from the IRS Web site, you will have to login to open your saved FAFSA.
- If you transfer your IRS tax information, questions that are populated with tax information will be marked with "Transferred from the IRS."