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Financial Aid Information Release Form and Policy

Updated

Effective for 2024-2025 Financial Aid Award Year

Starting with the 2024-25 award year, you and your spouse, and parent(s)/stepparent as applicable provided consent to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to retrieve federal tax information (FTI) directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This FTI is used to determine your eligibility and award amount for federal financial aid and is shared with Citrus College for the application, awarding, and administration of student financial aid programs (federal, state, and institutional).

Citrus College will adhere to federal regulations to ensure the appropriate use and disclosure of this sensitive data while safeguarding the privacy of your financial information and ensuring the security of your families' financial data. Therefore, to release financial aid information to an authorized individual, you must submit a Financial Aid Information Release Form on Citrus College Student Forms. 

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Definitions

Federal Tax Information (FTI)

FAFSA Data

Derived FAFSA Data

Discussion of FAFSA Information

Financial Aid Information Release Form

Permitted Access, Disclosure, and Use of FAFSA Data

Permitted Access, Disclosure, and Use of FTI Data

Prohibition & Further Disclosure Limitations of FAFSA Information with FTI

Discussion of FAFSA Information

  • A discussion of the information in your application (FAFSA Form), including federal tax information, of an applicant between Citrus College and the applicant may, with your written consent, include an authorized individual selected by you before participating in such discussion. 
    • Authorized individuals may Include
      • Contributor (Parent, Spouse, Partner, Legal Guardian)
      • Citrus College Faculty or Staff
      • Scholarship Organization
      • Federal or State Agency
  • An authorized person receiving information concerning an applicant shall not use the information for any purpose other than the express purpose for which consent was granted by the applicant and shall not disclose such information to any other person without the express permission of, or request by, the applicant.

Financial Aid Information Release Form

To release financial aid information to an authorized individual, you must submit a Financial Aid Information Release Form on Citrus College Student Forms. 

You may choose to release any of the following information:

  • Federal Pell Grant Eligibility and Award Amount
  • Student Aid Index (SAI) and Financial Need
  • Federal Tax Information (FTI)
  • All other financial aid information (Recommended for Study Abroad Students)

By completing this form, you authorize Citrus College to release your financial aid information to a designated third party.

Please note the following restrictions

  • Information will only be released over the phone or in person.

  • Citrus College will not release your financial aid information to a third party through electronic communication channels such as fax or email (except for Citrus College Faculty and Staff with a valid Citrus College Employee Email Address).

Definitions

Federal Tax Information (FTI)

FTI is any return or return information received from the IRS or any secondary source that is protected by the confidentiality provisions of Internal Revenue Code section 6103.

  • Includes any Federal return information received from the IRS by ED under the FUTURE Act Matching Program
  • Tax Filing Status (Yes/ No)

FTI Data Includes

  • Tax year (e.g., 2022 tax year information for the 2024-25 FAFSA);
  • Tax filing status;
  • Adjust Gross Income (AGI);
  • Number of dependents;
  • Income earned from work;
  • Taxes paid;
  • Educational tax credits;
  • Untaxed individual retirement arrangement/account (IRA) distributions;
  • IRA deductions and payments;
  • Untaxed pension amounts
  • Tax-exempt interest;
  • Schedule C net profit/loss;
  • Indicators for Schedules A, B, D, E, F, and H; and
  • IRS response code.
    • Tax filer and FTI provided to FTIM;
    • Not found at the IRS;
    • Found and a nonfiler; or
    • Found but IRS not able to provide information.

FAFSA Data Includes

  • You and your contributor's information provided on the FAFSA
  • Manually Entered/ Provided Income & Asset Information

Derived FAFSA Data

  • Student Aid Index (SAI)
  • Federal Pell Grant Eligibility (Yes/No)

Permitted Access, Disclosure, and Use of FAFSA Data

  • Application, Award, and Administration of Student Financial Aid Programs (federal, state, institutional)
  • Used for research that does not release PII on an applicant to promote college attendance, persistence, and completion
  • Disclosure external to the institution or agency requires written consent

Permitted Access, Disclosure, and Use of FTI Data

  • Application, Award, and Administration of student financial aid programs (federal, state, institutional)
  • Disclosure is permitted to other entities as defined by the student but only to apply for and receive Federal, State, local, or tribal assistance towards the cost of attendance.
  • Disclosure is permitted directly to the applicant upon their request

Federal Tax Information (FTI) is not considered FAFSA Data. FTI Data Access may only be granted to Citrus College faculty and staff solely to determine eligibility for, and the amount of, Federal student financial aid under a program authorized under subpart 1 of part A, part C, or part D of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. This includes Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Loans, FSEOG, and FWS.

According to IRC 26 USC 6103(l)(13), Citrus College may only access and share FTI Data solely for use in the application, award, and administration of financial aid awarded by the Federal government or awarded by state higher education agencies.

Use of the FAFSA information provided to Citrus College HEA 20 USC 1090(a)(3)(C). 

Citrus College:

  • Shall use the information provided to it solely for the application, award, and administration of financial aid to the applicant;
  • may use the information provided, excluding FTI, for research that does not release any individually identifiable information on any applicant, to promote college attendance, persistence, and completion; and
  • shall not share such educational record information with any other entity without the explicit written consent of the applicant.
    • Even with written consent, records containing FTI may only be accessed, disclosed, or used to assist the applicant in applying for and receiving Federal, State, local, or tribal assistance, that is designated by the applicant to assist the applicant in applying for and receiving financial assistance for any component of the applicant's cost of attendance at that institution

Prohibition & Further Disclosure Limitations of FAFSA Information with FTI

(HEA 20 USC 1090(a)(3)(D) AND (E))

  • (D) Prohibition.--Any entity that receives applicant information from an institution shall not sell, share, or otherwise use applicant information other than for the purposes outlined in subparagraph (C) (i.e., use of information provided to the institution).
  • (E) FAFSA information that includes tax return information.-- An applicant's FAFSA information that includes FTI may be disclosed or redisclosed (which shall include obtaining, sharing, or discussing such information) only in accordance with the procedures described in 20 USC 1098h(c).

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