How to Order a Tax Transcript for College
All colleges are required to audit a percentage of all of the financial aid forms. This is called Selected for Review. As a college student you may or you may not be selected.
If you are Selected for Review and the college requires official tax data the best option is to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA.
In some situations a student or parent may not be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). The other solution is to order a federal tax transcript. It may be necessary to order a tax transcript for the parent(s) and the student.
When a college asks for something specific, provide exactly what the college requests.
Requesting a Tax Return Transcript
Tax filers can request a transcript, free of charge, of their federal tax return transcript for the current academic year required from the IRS using one of the four methods below.
NOTE: Please do not request to have the tax return transcript sent directly to the college as a third party request because colleges cannot identify who the tax return transcript belongs to. Remember to write your student's name and student ID# on each page! If an individual college has specific procedures follow those guidelines.
Get Transcript
Get Transcript is an IRS online service that provides an electronic copy of an official IRS transcript.
- by mail delivers transcript in 5-10 calendar days via postal mail to the address of record. (https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof-tra/start.do;jsessionid=yF5v3UYgCbmg4Z8ComN09Pya)
- displays PDF version of transcript for users to view, print, and/or save. Additional authentication is required to establish a user account. A tax filer who is not able to successfully register for the Get Transcript Online will be able to request a tax return transcript using one of the other methods. (https://sa.www4.irs.gov/eauth/pub/login.jsp)
To use the new Get Transcript Online tool, the user must have:
1). Access to a valid email address
2). A text-enabled mobile phone (pay-as-you-go plans cannot be used) and
3). Specific financial account numbers (such as a credit card number or an account number for a home mortgage or auto loan)
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 U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
- Select Option 2to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript and then enter the year you are requesting.
- 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 five 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
IRS Form 4506T-EZ should be used instead of IRS Form 4506-T because it is sufficient to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript. (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506tez.pdf)
- Download atgov/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 U.S. 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.
***Please be aware that it will be difficult for The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to match a parents incoming IRS Tax Return Transcript to the aid applicant, as the two names may be different.
- On Line 6, enter the year you are requesting to receive IRS tax information.
- 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 Form4506T-EZ to the appropriate address (or FAX number) provided on Page 2 of Form 4506T-EZ. (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506tez.pdf)
- 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 form4506T-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.