FSA has announced that starting August 31, 2025, institutions are to use the FAFSA Partner Portal to report results for students selected by the FAFSA Processing System (FPS) in the Verification Tracking Groups V4 or V5 who have been asked to provide identity verification documentation.
Once active, aid administrators can filter and sort lists of students flagged V4 or V5 by name or SSN, and report each identity verification outcome directly through the portal interface. The portal should not be used when the school itself has selected the student for verification of identity.
Award year availability:
- 2025–26 award year: Reporting through the portal becomes functional by Aug. 31, 2025.
- 2026–27 award year: Functionality will be ready at the start of that processing cycle.
No retroactive requirement:
- Institutions are not required to report identity verification for the 2024–25 award year in the portal
Reporting Deadlines
- Standard timelines still apply: Schools must report verification results within 60 days of requesting documentation and within 30 days of becoming aware of changes.
- However, given the delay in the portal’s availability, institutions may submit their reports within those typical timeframes—or within 60/30 days of when the portal becomes available, whichever is later.
How To Report
Results of identity verification can be submitted individually or in batches by uploading a .CSV file with the data for up to 2,000 students. Each row in the file must contain only one record and have the following elements, each in its own column:
- Applicant’s nine-digit Social Security number
- Last name
- Verification of identity result numeric code (described below)
- Identity Verification Results Numeric Codes
Use one of the following numeric codes to report the results of identity verification for each student:
- 1 – Verification completed in person; no issues found
- 2 – Verification completed remotely; no issues found
- 3 – Verification attempted; issues found with identity
- 5 – No response from applicant or unable to locate
Institutions should use numeric code 1 for reporting identity verification completed in person by an institutionally authorized individual. Identity verification completed in any way other than in person by an institutionally authorized individual, including through NIST IAL2, in-person notary, video call, or by a correctional facility representative should use numeric code 2. Institutions should use numeric code 3 when they do not receive acceptable documentation.
Note: Numeric codes 4 and 6 are reserved by the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) for possible future use.
Additional information can be found in the official announcement linked below.
SOURCE: (GENERAL-25-36) Verification of Identity Reporting Availability in FAFSA Partner Portal