<p>So, today, I completed my FAFSA with my parent's tax info.</p>
<p>However, I noticed that it seemed to be really short...</p>
<p>Everybody else was always complaining to me how long FAFSA was, but it didn't seem long to me at all.</p>
<p>I filled in all the student info, all the yes or no questions...then I entered my parent's info, income, and investments and the tax info it asked for...my financial info and all that...and then the sign your FAFSA page...</p>
<p>Does it sound like I missed something?</p>
<p>It didn't take very long to fill in, and I'm a little confused. I expected to be slaving over it for hours or something...</p>
<p>Same here. Maybe it’s the paranoia of getting entering the wrong figures (leaving out a 0) that gets at people. Now to hope that my FAFSA will get processed soon…</p>
<p>I’m sure you’re good. Some of the angst comes from trying to get our taxes done before we complete the form, otherwise we’ll have to also send corrections. Other worries come from the fact we REALLY want to get it done so we can see the REAL answer that we’ve been trying to estimate all this time. </p>
<p>But the biggest concerns have to do with the fact that many of us have VERY VERY complicated finances. We have a business, or two or three. We get W-2s AND 1099s, and if someone else doesn’t do our taxes, we just aren’t sure how to estimate because there is MUCH space for confusion as your finances get more complicated. Overseas accounts, annuities, distibutions, percentages of ownership, does this count on next year or this year, what about my prepaid tax…it goes on and on IF you have complex finances. Put a divorce, remarried, step this and live in that and every complication doubles. </p>
<p>If you don’t have any of those worries…then it’s pretty simple. Take your 1040EZ, or your W-2s and deduct taxes paid and add in that savings account interest and you’re done!</p>
<p>Yeah, well, it only took me like an hour total.</p>
<p>(My parents did a 1040.)</p>
<p>My info, parent info, parent financial info, my financial info, and sign with PIN. </p>
<p>…maybe it’s because my parents don’t have any investments or 529 accounts and we don’t do anything (child support, veteran pensions, etc.) on that big checklist? </p>
<p>I dunno…everybody just always talks about the long nightmare that is FAFSA…</p>
<p>Maybe it’s because it’s the online version? Or because my family is like…poor…so there’s not much info to enter?</p>
<p>Most of the stuff I entered was $0. </p>
<p>-shrug-</p>
<p>I just feel weird cause it was so short…</p>
<p>EDIT: Okay, thanks! Yeah, I guess our finances are just simple.</p>
<p>This year the FAFSA has skip logic, so based on certain answers you give it will skip questions that are not relevant to your situation. It was done in an effort to make the FAFSA less intimidating particulary to people with simpler finances who don’t understand what a lot of those more complex question are even referring to.</p>
<p>Oh good. See, I thought it would ask me every question like people always describe. I didn’t know the online version had been simplified, so I was like… “Wait? What?”</p>
<p>rockvillemom – I was just going to say that, as I am literally yanking out my hair as I fill out all these forms and hope I got everything right.</p>
<p>CSSP + FAFSA for 2 college kids plus info on their grad student brother, moved here w/in 5 years, change of addresses, lost PINs, their dad is in Iraq so we have been doing this over the phone (it is late in the evening in Iraq), where are D’s W2 and bank statements, hmm, why won’t Collegeboard input my S’s SSN and PIN…</p>
<p>So yeah! You are good – and also, I salute you, Rixs!! We are doing all this stuff for our kids, and you are doing it on your own. Good for you, and I wish you all the best in college.</p>