Is DRT Required?

Paying for College
1

This discussion was created from comments split from: FAFSA: Dad Unemployed?.

2

can a student opt not to use the Data Retrieval Tool? What if the parents filed jointly in 2015, then divorce in 2016, then at the time of filing the data will not be accurately represent the income?

3

@annamom, you should start your own thread on this topic because the OP had a question about unemployment.

4

New thread created.

5

@kelsmom, do you have any advice for this situation?

6

Either DRT or the school may requests your Tax Transcript / your parents’ Tax Transcript. See https://fafsa.ed.gov/help/irshlp9.htm

7

I am assuming the DRT and Tax Transcript provided the same information. The reason for my question is that parents have separated, but filed jointly, therefore the DRT (or Tax Transcript) will provide the same information, hence I am thinking opting out to use DRT…but if the requirement were to provide Tax Transcript, it will make no difference in using the DRT…then how can the student capture only the custodian parent’s income?

8

Were your parents separated when you filed the FAFSA?

9

The school could ask for the W2s, which will separate out each parent’s income.