For a few years, people submitting their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) have had a valuable time-saving resource at their fingertips. It’s called the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). By using the DRT that’s available in the electronic FAFSA, students can request an automatic transfer of the data from their tax returns. This means less people will have to supply proof of income to their financial aid offices, because the information is transmitted straight from the IRS. When using the DRT, FAFSA filers will need their tax return information from two years prior to the academic year for which they’ll need federal financial aid. For example, the 2020-21 FAFSA will require income and tax information from 2018.
To see if you’re eligible to use the IRS DRT, check out this helpful publication from Federal Student Aid. Be sure to submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after October1; some types of aid are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Go to FAFSA.gov to set up your FSA ID and begin your application.