Online FAFSA Data Sharing

by Steven
(St Louis)

Online FAFSA data sharing with the IRS is just an invitation to trouble. It will be much more likely that anyone who does this will have their application picked for verification. This is because it will be a lot easier for the schools to verify someone's application, if they already have this information from the IRS.

It will completely make a mockery of the verification process which was supposed to be even-handed and random. Students who opt for importing data will be unfairly targeted. They will suffer the delays in their financial aid when their applications are picked. And if federal income tax returns are already available, they will dig into other information, which they never bothered to before.

Instead of making the application process easier and automated, this option will lead to even more probing of families' personal information, because resources will be freed up to allow it to happen.