is that for college? scholarships? and all? cause that is the one that I named the lower quadrant of gray hair - but my boy got his first year totally paid for, was able to buy a clunker car, and get me a cool Paula Dean cookware set! lol write down all your passwords, and if you can PRINT screen them, so you have them. go slow, have potty breaks and celebrate with dinner out when it is done
You can always change things once you submit. It's not a once you hit submit, you can't fix an error kind of thing. I've done them the last two years and didn't think they were awful. You need your tax returns and it's a matter of filling in boxes.
Definitely apply for your pins right away. If I remember correctly both you and your child will need pin codes. Save your pin codes where you can find them next year. Have all your data and documentation handy. Printing a copy before you submit is helpful so when you panic about whether you filled everything in correctly you have a copy right there to check.
You'll need your federal pin number and your tax return. It's really pretty easy and you can import your tax return if you're given the option. They are pretty painless to fill out… it tells you where to find each thing (what box on your return).
Thanks. Any particular parts that are tricky to fill out? Meaning, FAFSA means something different for a box than you think it did?
It's VERY straightforward. And there are hints and things along the way to guide you. And then, there's always the auto-fill option, which I believe they recommend.
The problem with auto fill is you can't do it until the IRS accepts your return... and they're not accepting returns until Jan. 31. In the meantime, you want to get the FAFSA filled out as soon as you can. I just spent the last 90 minutes filling our taxes (federal, then state) and then doing the FAFSA for my DD who will be a freshman next year. I have the FAFSA filled out as much as I can for my son who will be a junior next year but we don't have either of his W2 for this year. I went ahead and submitted my daughter's FAFSA so her application will get in the queue to get processed at her school. Once the IRS accepts our return, I'll go in and connect them electronically.
Thanks so much, Miss Kim. I don't know if we can connect electronically since we have a preparer do our taxes. My husband went to see him last week and the news wasn't so good. Oye, we owe a lot of $$. Hubby never set aside $$ for taxes like I kept reminding him to during the year. We're going to start on it today. Frankly, I don't think my daughter's going to get any financial aid, but wth.
You can still connect it electronically -- and you should -- if you had a preparer do your taxes. Once it's processed, you can connect it. This will save you from having to get a transcript from the IRS and submit it to the financial aid office. Even if you don't think she'll get any, you should submit it. It's required for most scholarships. My kids only qualify for loans, not any grants, but we submit it each year. You never know. It's so easy. I did one for my dd using only our info, and then one for my son using our info and his info and I had it all done in an hour while watching TV.