Your Dream Act application was picked for income verification: what to do

This page covers income verification for the CADAA. It is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. To file the application in the first place, see How to apply for the CA Dream Act.

Why was I picked?

The California Student Aid Commission requires a share of CADAA applicants to verify what they reported, according to Immigrants Rising's verification guide and CSUN's verification guide. Being picked is not an accusation. Many students are picked every year. Your college contacts you, usually by email or on its student portal.

What it means for you: your college cannot finish your aid until you complete it. CSUN says it cannot award aid, including loans, or send funds until all requested documents are received and reviewed.

What will my college ask for?

Usually two things, plus anything your college adds:

1. A verification worksheet. It asks about your household size, who lives with you, and income. Use the version your college gives you, for the right school year.
2. Tax information for the year your application used. For 2027-28 that is 2025. For 2026-27 it is 2024.

The College of Marin's 2026-27 dependent student worksheet is a real example. For tax filers it accepts either an IRS Tax Return Transcript or a signed copy of the return with all schedules filed with the IRS. Parents follow the same steps for their return. It also asks for student and parent signatures, says digital signatures are not accepted, and says photos of documents are not acceptable. Other colleges' rules differ, so follow the form in your portal.

After you turn everything in, the financial aid office updates your CADAA so the household size and income match your papers. Your aid may go up, go down, or stay the same.

Am I dependent or independent?

This decides whose information you send. On the CADAA, most students under 24 who are single, have no children or other dependents, and are not graduate students are dependent. Dependent students send their own information and their parents', even if they do not live with them (Immigrants Rising guide). Independent students send their own, and a spouse's if married.

Use the dependent worksheet or the independent worksheet. Using the wrong one is a common reason papers get sent back.

Divorced or separated parents? On the Marin worksheet, the household includes the parent who gave more support, and a stepparent if that parent remarried. Both parents count if they are unmarried and live together.

How do I get a tax transcript?

A tax return transcript shows most lines from the return as it was filed. It is free.

• Online: sign in to an IRS Individual Online Account at irs.gov/get-transcript. The IRS calls this the fastest way.
• By mail: use the Get Transcript by Mail tool, or call 800-908-9946. You need the address from your latest return. It arrives in 5 to 10 calendar days at the address the IRS has on file.
• Make sure it is the right kind. Ask for the tax return transcript, not the tax account transcript, as Immigrants Rising warns.

Parents who file with an ITIN: the IRS pages we read do not say whether the online tool works with an ITIN. If you cannot get a transcript quickly, check whether your college accepts a signed copy of the return with all schedules instead. Marin's form does. Ask the financial aid office before the due date, not after.

Just filed? Transcripts are not ready right away. Older guides say about three weeks after e-filing and longer for paper returns. Ask the aid office if you can send what you have while you wait.

What if my family did not file taxes?

That is allowed, if you were not required to file. Many families earn too little to have to file, or are paid in cash. On the Marin 2026-27 worksheet:

• Check the box saying you did not, will not, and were not required to file.
• Say whether you had work income or got W-2s or 1099s.
• If yes, list each employer or income source and the amount for the year.
• If you cannot get a W-2, attach a signed and dated statement explaining why.

Paid in cash? List it honestly. An older Immigrants Rising guide tells students to explain cash work on the worksheet if there is no W-2.

IRS non filing letter: the IRS can issue a Verification of Non-filing Letter, available after June 15 for the current tax year or anytime for the prior three years; older years need Form 4506-T (IRS transcript types). The College of Marin's 2026-27 worksheet does not ask for one. Only get one if your college asks.

If your parents were required to file and did not, talk to a free tax clinic before you sign anything. Free IRS VITA sites help ITIN filers. See Taxes and money, whatever your status.

How long does it take, and what happens next?

• Your part: turn in everything at once if you can. Incomplete packets get sent back. CSUN marks incomplete items on your To Do list and emails you what is missing.
• The college's part: older Immigrants Rising guides say about three to four weeks after all documents arrive. CSUN says review may take up to nine weeks, longer in summer.
• Deadlines: your college sets them. College of Marin's 2026-27 deadlines are May 7, 2027 for fall and spring and June 4, 2027 for summer, and its form says aid not verified by then is forfeited. Find your own college's date.

Keep filing everything else on time. The CADAA and Cal Grant deadline for 2027-28 is March 2, 2027, and September 2, 2027 for community college students (CSAC). Verification comes after you file. It does not replace the deadline.

What mistakes slow people down?

• Sending papers to CSAC instead of your college
• The wrong year of tax information
• The account transcript instead of the return transcript
• Missing signatures, or a typed signature where the form says digital signatures are not accepted
• Phone photos of documents when the college says they are not acceptable
• Mailing originals. CSUN warns it will not return original transcripts. Send copies.
• Leaving a family member out of the household count, or adding one who should not be there
• Waiting. Every week you wait is a week your aid is not paid

Do I have to share anything about immigration status?

The verification we describe here is about household and income. If a form asks for something that worries you, ask your campus Dreamer Resource Liaison before you send it. Every community college and Cal State campus must have one, and UC is asked to have one (Education Code 66021.8). For how colleges handle records, see ICE, college records and your rights on a California campus.

Questions people ask

I was picked last year too. Is something wrong? Not necessarily. Selection happens each year.

My parents are afraid to send tax papers. That fear is real. Talk with the Dream Center or Dreamer Resource Liaison first. Ask exactly who will see the papers and how they are stored. You can also ask a free legal helper. See Free legal help in the Bay Area.

I am a citizen and used the CADAA because my parents are undocumented. Same process? Your college will tell you which worksheet to use. If you filed the FAFSA instead, follow the FAFSA verification steps your college gives you.

Can I get help filling it out? Yes. Your college's financial aid office and Dream Center help. CSAC's free Cash for College workshops run October 1 to June 30 (Cash for College).

Who can help?

Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Your college's financial aid office and Dream Center or Dreamer Resource Liaison: the only people who can tell you exactly what your college needs.
• CSAC student support (California): (888) 224-7268, studentsupport@csac.ca.gov, Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (CSAC contact, checked October 18, 2026)
• Free tax help: IRS VITA sites serve ITIN filers. See Taxes and money, whatever your status.

Is there a checklist I can print?