Important news from the IRS and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid:
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool on fafsa.gov and StudentLoans.gov is currently unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. However, at this time, the IRS anticipates the online data tool will be unavailable for several weeks.
The online FAFSA and IDR application tool itself remains operational — it’s just the IRS’s DRT portion, which provides tax data that automatically fills in some of the financial information on the application. The income information needed to complete the FAFSA form and apply for an IDR plan can be found on your tax return. If you didn’t keep a copy of your tax return, you may be able to access the tax software you used to prepare your return or contact your tax preparer to obtain a copy (please note that many preparers charge a small fee for a copy, since you should be saving the pdf they send you in a safe, easily retrievable place).
If you are unable to get a copy of your tax return, visit www.irs.gov/transcript to view and download a summary of your tax return, called a tax transcript, at Get Transcript Online. You must verify your identity to use this tool — review the rigorous identity authentication requirements for Secure Access before attempting to register. You also may use Get Transcript by Mail or call 1-800-908-9946, and a transcript will be delivered to your address of record within five to 10 days.
While the Data Retrieval Tool is offline, the IRS offers other ways for students and families to find the tax information they need to complete student financial aid applications.
As part of a wider, ongoing effort at the IRS to protect the security of data, the IRS decided to temporarily suspend the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) as a precautionary step following concerns that information from the tool could potentially be misused by identity thieves.