
Frequently Asked Questions
Verification
The 2024-2025 academic year requires 2022 income information.
- Independent Students: If you (and your spouse, if married) earned income from work but did not file taxes, submit copies of all W-2 forms and an IRS Verification of Nonfiling letter for the applicable year (see note above). If you are unable to obtain a Verification of Non-filing from the IRS you may provide a signed statement instead of an IRS Verification of Non-filing that certifies the following:
- Your signed letter must contain a statement certifying that you attempted to obtain a Verification of Non-filing from the IRS (or a foreign tax authority if you are a foreign nontax filer); and
- Your signed letter must contain a statement certifying you (and your spouse, if married) have not filed and are not required to file an income tax return; and
- Your signed letter must contain a listing of all the sources of income earned by you (and your spouse, if married).
- Dependent Students: If you earned income from work but did not file taxes, submit copies of all W-2 forms for the applicable year. If you did not earn income from work you are not required to submit an IRS Verification of Nonfiling letter. Follow the directions on the Verification form to complete the form and upload the requested documents (if applicable).
- Parents of Dependent Students: If your parent(s) had earned income from work but did not file taxes, submit copies of all applicable W-2 forms and an IRS Verification of Non-filing letter. If your parent(s) did not earn income from work an IRS Verification of Non-filing letter is required, follow the directions on the Verification web form to complete the form and upload the requested documents. If your parent(s) are unable to obtain a Verification of Non-filing from the IRS they may provide a signed statement instead of an IRS Verification of Non-filing that certifies the following:
- The signed letter must contain a statement certifying that your parent(s) attempted to obtain a Verification of Non-filing from the IRS (or a foreign tax authority if you are a foreign nontax filer); and
- The signed letter must contain a statement certifying your parent(s) has/have not filed and is/are not required to file an income tax return; and
- The signed letter must contain a listing of all the sources of income earned by your parent(s).
Students (and parents if applicable) selected for verification must confirm the data reported on the FAFSA is accurate. If you earned income from work but did not file taxes, submit proof of your income and provide a letter from the federal tax authority in your country that verifies you did not file taxes or that you were not required to file taxes. If you did not earn income from work you must also provide a letter from the foreign federal tax authority that verifies you did not file taxes.
The minimum requirements for the letter of non-filing for foreign non-filers are:
- The document must be from a federal tax authority, letterhead is preferred, and
- Must indicate whether or not the non-filer filed taxes for the applicable verification year, or
- The federal tax authority has no record of filing for the applicable verification year, or
- The federal tax authority indicates the non-filer was not required to file taxes for the applicable verification year
- Annual income verification is also required (this may be a separate document from the employer)
Yes. Currently, the Department of Education permits us to accept copies of a signed tax return (1040) for verification purposes.
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Eligible Programs & Courses
It depends:
- The course will not be counted in the federal financial calculation because the program requirement has already been satisfied by the previous course.
- However, the course may be counted if the student’s program allows for elective credits and the student has room for more electives.
It depends:
- The course will not be counted in the federal financial calculation if the program requirement for electives has already been satisfied by the previous courses.
- However, the course may be counted if the student’s program allows for elective credits and the student has room for more electives.
- The course will not be counted in the federal financial calculation if the course has already met the program requirement (generally if the course grade is a ‘C’ or better).
- However, the course may be counted if the student’s prior attempt didn't meet the program requirement and the number of attempts does not meet the federal repeat rule.
It depends:
- The course will be counted in the federal financial calculation if the course is listed as a program requirement.
- The course will be counted in the federal financial calculation if the course is a remedial course needed for a course listed as a program requirement.
- The course will not be counted in the federal financial calculation if it is a remedial course but it is not listed as a requirement for a course in the program.
Students have many options to determine if a course is eligible. It is important to know which version of the catalog you are enrolled under and use that catalog for reference.
MyDegreePlan tracks student progress towards graduation. Also, the College recommends that students meet with an Academic Advisor periodically and toward the end of the program for an unofficial graduation check.
Federal Work Study
The Federal Work Study (FWS) program offers employment opportunities for both on-campus and off-campus locations. We have five campuses: Desert Vista, East Campus, West Campus, Downtown Campus, and Northwest Campus.
Additionally, we have four off-site campus locations, the District Office, El Rio, the 29th Coalition Center, and El Pueblo Learning Center. We also work with several nonprofits in Tucson: Habitat for Humanity, Literacy Connects, Pima Animal Care Center, and United Way, just to name a few.
Employment positions are posted to the MyPima financial aid tab. To access the positions and apply online:
- Log on to MyPima
- Click on the Financial Aid tab
- Scroll down to Work Study Jobs.
Yes, at the start of each new academic year, all students must reapply for their positions and go through the same hiring process. This is to be consistent with Pima Community College’s equal opportunity policies. All positions for the new academic year begin posting in July.
If you have any additional questions about this process, please contact the Work Study Programs at fws@pima.edu.