How do I verify my information using Plaid?

MAF uses Plaid software to verify your identity and income more quickly, which speeds up the overall enrollment process for MAF programs. To use Plaid, you need to have an active checking account in your name.

Plaid requires you to log into your bank’s website and accept certain terms. Once you have connected your checking account to Plaid, Plaid sends MAF the specific details needed for application review and to send/receive money from your connected checking account once you are enrolled into a program.

Neither Plaid nor MAF will have direct access to your bank login information, such as your username or password. This information is transmitted securely and never saved.

Verifying with Plaid with one of the banks below

If you are a customer of Chase Bank, Capital One, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, USAA, or US Bank, please follow the steps below. 

If you are a customer of a different bank, please read: How do I verify with plaid with a different bank?

Steps to follow:

1. Click or tap the Verify with Plaid button in the Verification section of the application.
   
   
2. A popup window for Plaid will appear, read the description, and click or tap Continue. 
    
   
   
3. Select your bank from the list. If you don’t see it there, search for it at the top of the popup. Plaid supports the vast majority of all U.S. banks, but in case you can’t find your bank, your institution may not be supported by Plaid. This means you will need to verify manually.
    
   
   
4. After you have selected your bank, you will be asked to confirm that you want to authenticate with your account. You will be redirected to your bank’s website to log in there. Click or tap Continue to proceed.
   After clicking Continue, you will be directed to your bank’s website in a new tab – but only if you are a customer of Capital One, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, USAA, or U.S. Bank. If you are not a customer of one of these banks, proceed to the next section (or refer to How do I verify with plaid with a different bank?).
   
   If you are on your smartphone, are a Chase customer, and have the Chase app installed, you will be directed to the mobile app instead of a webpage. Please be sure to use your phone’s default browser to complete your MAF application (usually Safari if you have an iPhone, Chrome if you have an Android phone) to prevent any issues in redirecting from the Chase mobile app on your phone.
   
   
5. The screens you see after being redirected will look different, depending on your bank. See the images below for what to expect on mobile.
   
   In all cases, you will need to (1) enter your username and password, (2) confirm two-factor authentication if you have this configured, such as a code sent by text message, (3) accept your bank’s terms, and (4) confirm you want to connect to your account to Plaid.
   
   Chase
   
   
   Capital One
   
   
   Bank of America
   
   
   WellsFargo
   
   
   USAA
   
   
   US Bank
   
   
   
6. Once you have completed your bank’s authentication flow and clicked or tapped Continue, you will be automatically redirected back to the MAF application where you started the verification process.
   If you are on your smartphone and you are not automatically redirected, it is possible you are using your phone’s non-default browser, such as Chrome on an iPhone, while connecting your Chase account with the mobile app. If this is the case, you will need to try again, making sure you are starting verification from your default browser. Before switching browsers, be sure to click Save for Later in the application to not lose your progress.
   
   
7. When you are redirected to your MAF application, where you began your Plaid verification, you may see the system completing its process. It looks like this:
   
   
   
8. Once the system has registered that your authentication was successful, you will be prompted to confirm the information you are sharing with Plaid for MAF once more. Click or tap Allow to proceed.
   
   
   
9. You will briefly see a blue screen as the system refreshes.
   
   
10. Next, choose the checking account number from the drop-down that you want MAF to use for automatic payments or disbursals, if applicable to the program for which you are applying, and click or tap Confirm.
    
    
11. This was the last step in your Plaid verification: you did it!
    If you are applying for a program that will send or receive money from your bank account, you will now see your account information entered in your application.
    Continue to the next step of the application once you’re ready. Depending on which program you’re applying to, you will either see the option to Continue or Submit Form if all other application questions have been filled.

If you encounter any error messages, read What do I do if Plaid is unable to verify my information?