MOScholars - Documents Needed

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Purpose	Learn what documents are needed for Missouri's Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program.

What documents do I need?

Depending on your responses to application questions, some or all of the following documents may be required.

Taxable Income

Copy of U.S. Individual or Joint Income Tax Return for applicant and/or co-applicant. To obtain a copy of your tax return, you can go to www.IRS.gov.

2024 IRS Federal Form 1040 pages 1 and 2

1040 Page 1	1040 Page 2

Nontaxable Income (If Applicable)

Note

Documentation must contain the recipient, amount received, frequency, and dates. The nontaxable income dates must be from the same year as the tax return you will be providing (if applicable).

Learn about nontaxable income items such as alimony, housing assistance, social security, welfare benefits, and workers' compensation.

Nontaxable Income items and descriptions

Item	Description
Alimony Received	Court-ordered legal documents or a letter from the provider of the alimony.
Housing Allowance	A benefit statement or enrollment and payment letter.
Other Nontaxable Income	All documentation available to substantiate income reported on the application.
Social Security Income	SSA-1099 or SSI statements/letters for all family members receiving benefits.
Welfare	A budget letter or notice of benefit from the appropriate agency.
Workers' Compensation	A Workers' Compensation award letter.

Other Documentation

Learn about additional documentation and submission methods for active-duty status, address verification, dyslexia diagnosis, IEP/ISP, limited English proficiency, military dependency, proof of enrollment, school enrollment, sibling verification, and student age verification.

Other Documentation items and how to submit

Item	Description
Active-Duty Documentation	Please submit documentation confirming active-duty military status. Documents may include military orders or military ID showing active status. The name on the document must match a name on the application.
Address Verification	Please submit one current form of address verification matching the residential address listed on your application from the following list of approved documents: Utility Bills (gas, electric, water, etc.) Government Issued Mail (TANF, SNAP, tax documents, voter registration card, tax assessment, etc.) Mortgage Statement Driver’s License or State Issued ID Current active-duty military orders showing relocation to Missouri
Dyslexia Diagnosis Document	Please upload the diagnosis provided by a credentialed, licensed professional.
IEP/ISP	Please submit an IEP developed under the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Act(IDEA) as defined in 20 U.S.C. §1414(d)(I)(A)(i); or an ISP that is developed in cooperation with a local educational agency under the IDEA, specifically those provisions pertaining to parentally placed private school children found in 20 U.S.C. §1412(a)(10). Document(s) must be dated within 36 months of the student’s application to the program and list the cooperating local education agency and its representative.
Limited English Proficiency Document	Please provide documentation to support the student's enrollment in the school district’s limited English proficiency program. Documentation may include educational records or WIDA screening (as developed by DESE) results.
Military Dependent Verification	Please provide the most recent tax return or legal documents listing the name of the applicant and/or co-applicant, as well as the student. Legal documents may include foster paperwork, adoption papers, divorce agreements, or a birth certificate.
Proof of Enrollment	Please submit a school-level document containing the student's name as it appears on the application, school name, school term from within the last 12 months, and verifiable attendance of at least 12 weeks. A report card from the student's school containing the above information and showing at least 2 quarters, 2 trimesters, or 1 semester of grades to verify 12 weeks of attendance will meet this requirement. Troubleshooting If this is unavailable, please see the School Enrollment Letter option.
School Enrollment Letter	Please follow this link to access the approved document that a school official can fill out and print, on school letterhead, to override the Proof of Enrollment document requirement. Document must contain all pieces in the template and be on the school letterhead to be valid. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12mW...usp=drive_link
Sibling Verification	Please submit one legal document verifying the student is a sibling of a current returning awardee. Document must contain the name of the applicant and/or co-applicant that matches data for the returning awarded sibling as well as the new student, as they are listed on the application. Legal documents may include adoption papers, a birth certificate, or the most recent tax return (Professionally prepared 2024 or 2025 Form 1040). Note We will allow a tax filing as proof of sibling only if the relationship is between parent and child. If any other relationship (i.e., grandchild, niece, nephew, etc.) shows on the tax filing, the applicant will need to provide official adoption or birth records.
Student Age Verification	Please follow the link to view the accepted documents for student age verification. You must submit one document that verifies the student's date of birth, ensuring it matches the student's name as listed on your application. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n0Q...ew?usp=sharing

How do I submit Documents?

Upon submitting your application, you will be automatically directed to your Application Summary. There is a Required Documents section that will list out document requirements specific to your application. You will also receive an email listing the required documentation. That email has a link to bring you directly back into your Application Summary. Please allow two weeks for processing your document. Once documents have been processed, you will receive a notification asking for additional documentation if there was an issue with the prior documents, or that you are complete if all required documents have been received.

Click Upload your required documents at the top of your summary to upload documents.
OR
Click Upload in the Required Documents section to upload documents.
Select which document you are uploading. Pay careful attention to the tips.
Click Ready to Upload.
Select PDF to upload a PDF of the document.
OR
Select Images to upload an email. The image must be vertical, as horizontal images are not accepted.
Click Upload.
Click Upload another Document to continue uploading documents to your application.