CSS Profile "How Many Businesses" ?!

Paying for College
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<p>I am an artist. I have always declared myself self-employed on my taxes, and have filed Schedule C. I receive no income from 1099s.</p>

<p>I have no incorporated business, no business license, and as instructed by Schedule C, simply list my name as my "business".</p>

<p>How should I answer "How many businesses, corporations, or partnerships do the students parents (me) own all or part of?" ?.</p>

<p>Note the preceding question "Are you self-employed?"(paraphrased), I of course answered "yes" to.</p>

<p>Thanks for any answers!</p>

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<p>OK, so how DID you get access to the super secret questions asked on the CSS Profile?! (just following the question you posted earlier…
“Try as I might, I can’t seem to find the CSS Profile questions in any format (PDF Screenshot, html) on the internet. Why is that? The FAFSA form was available, and it was a great help. Does anyone have a link to the actual questionnaire?”</p>

<p>I called CollegeBoard for a planning document, and she referred me to the “Student Guide” which is not helpful at all; it advises you to have your 1040 handy…</p>

<p>I asked if I could sign up for the 2011-12 and look at the questions there to get an idea of what would be on the 2012-13 profile, and she said “not to bother” because it “could change dramatically” in terms of what they will ask for (?!) </p>

<p>I recommended they add something like the FAFSA forecaster… she said she would send that in. I’m not holding my breath.</p>

<p>I would really like to have a detailed checklist of the specific info they require for small business/farm - anybody know where to get that?
Thanks!</p>

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<p>Here is the business/farm supplement from last year. The new one should be out next week, but I can’t imagine it will change much…</p>

<p><a href=“Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC) – CSS Profile | College Board”>Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC) – CSS Profile | College Board;

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<p>Under your situation I would say that the answer is 0. The colleges will see that you are self employed and make further inquiry if they want. </p>

<p>In other words, you are self-employed but do not own any “business” – because you simply work as an independent contractor for others.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that CSS is private organization that collects information for colleges that subscribe to its services, but does not set their financial aid policies. Under FAFSA standards, a person doesn’t have a “business” unless they have 100 employees. So its hard to see where a college would turn around and decide that a self-employed person with no employees, no business license, no separate business tax return, has a “business”. </p>

<p>Now a college may take a different position. But the result would be that the financial aid office would ask to submit tax returns or a business and farm supplement, you wouldn’t be in trouble because you decided to interpret the word “business” in reasonably stringent fashion.</p>

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<p>The new Profile form is now available…have at it!</p>