Will Puerto Rican Tax Return Filers Be Able To Use the FA-DDX To Transfer Tax Data Into the FAFSA?

This AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&A was updated on January 22, 2024 to reflect guidance in the December 19, 2023  Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-23-118).

No. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) clarified at NASFAA’s 2023 National Conference and further confirmed in the December 19, 2023 Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-23-118), that a Puerto Rico tax return is considered a foreign tax return and will require manual entry of tax data into the FAFSA. According to the the December 19, 2023 Electronic Announcement, "The FA-DDX does not import tax information from tax authorities for the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. While U.S. territories are not foreign countries to the United States, individuals who file their taxes with a U.S. Territory tax authority will have the same FAFSA experience as someone who has filed with a foreign tax authority." Contributors who file a foreign tax return must still have an FSA ID and provide consent to complete the FAFSA online.

Also see AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&A, What Corrections Are Required When Someone Files a Tax Return With Both the IRS and a U.S. Territory?