Financial Aid Eligibility FAQs

You and any contributors must consent to the sharing of Federal Tax Information. If you enter income and tax details manually, the FAFSA will request information from a specific prior tax year, which depends on the FAFSA year you are completing.

For the FAFSA, you typically don’t need to submit documents upfront, but you do need to have certain tax and financial records ready to complete the application accurately.

📄 Tax documents you may need:

• Federal income tax return (Form 1040)
  – For you (and your spouse, if married)
  – For your parent(s), if you’re a dependent student
• W-2 forms
  – Shows wages earned and taxes withheld
• Schedules or additional tax forms (if applicable)
  – Such as Schedule 1, Schedule C (self-employment), etc.

💡 Important note:

If you give consent, FAFSA will usually automatically import your tax info from the IRS, so you may not need to enter anything manually—but it’s still good to have your records on hand in case:

• The data can’t be transferred
• You need to verify or correct something
• You’re selected for verification later

📊 Other financial info (non-tax):

• Records of untaxed income (e.g., child support received)
• Bank account balances
• Investments (stocks, real estate—not including your primary home)
• Business or farm records (if applicable)

📅 Which tax year?

FAFSA uses the “prior-prior year”:

• Example: 2026–2027 FAFSA → uses 2024 tax return

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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No, a student must be registered in a graded course that counts for credit toward his/her program of study.

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.

It depends:

• 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.

A student who has met all program requirements is not eligible for further federal financial aid under that program of study. In this scenario, the College recommends that students apply for graduation.

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.

Students can make registration changes as needed before classes start. Registering and planning early helps ensure students have time to make changes if needed. If students plan to change registration or program of study, they should contact an Academic Advisor for assistance. Students should also refer to the important financial aid dates listed for each term or payment period.

The financial aid office may need to reevaluate the financial aid eligibility, depending on the type of change and when the schedule change occurs. Students should contact an Academic Advisor prior to making any schedule changes. Schedule changes could affect the eligibility potentially resulting in the student owing a balance.

Students who receive an approved course substitution by an advisor prior to the start of a term or prior to the Pell Recalculation Date (PRD) of the current term shall have their substituted course counted in their program of study and Title IV eligibility recalculated if required for that term. If a course is retroactively granted a substitution approval by an advisor it will not be counted for Title IV eligibility for prior terms or prior aid years.

Yes, a student may register for a course that is not required. However, that course will not count toward the student’s financial aid enrollment status.

Changing your program may affect your financial aid eligibility. Also, there are deadlines by which students can change their program. You'll find additional details, including the deadline, on the Program of Study page.

The best way to find out if you are eligible is to apply for a position. Positions are posted via the MyPima financial aid webpage. Students are eligible if they are: in good academic standing, demonstrate financial need, and are enrolled in or attending classes.

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.

All Federal Work Study students earn at least the Arizona minimum wage or the Federal minimum wage, whichever is greater. If a position pays more than minimum wage that information will be available on the job posting.

You will be paid by the hour for the hours you work by submitting a timesheet. Payroll disbursements occur bi-weekly (every other Friday).

Yes, direct deposit is available and the form is available online at www.pima.edu. For assistance or questions, please contact the Employee Services Center at (520) 206-4945.

Students can work a maximum of 19.5 hours a week during the academic school year. It is important to remember that the amount you earn cannot exceed the total Federal Work Study award.

Yes; however, work study students must be supervised at all times. Work study students may not work when regular College employees are not working.

FWS student employment positions end at the end of the spring term unless otherwise specified by the FWS department. Yes, students must be enrolled to be eligible for work.

Employment positions are posted to the MyPima financial aid tab. To access the positions and apply online:

1. Log on to MyPima
2. Click on the Financial Aid tab
3. Scroll down to Work Study Jobs.

Yes, you can apply for more than one position and are encouraged to apply for all positions you might be interested in. As with most jobs, applicants do go through an interview process. If you need help with the interview process, contact any campus career center or the Human Resources Office at hr@pima.edu.

No, FWS funds are limited and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Positions are available as early as June 1st of each year, but you must apply for a job to be considered for employment.

No. If a student is offered more than one FWS position, the student must choose where he/she want to work.

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.