CSS profile questions

Paying for College
1

<p>I am trying to complete the CSS Profile for Regular Decision schools right now. Since my parents won't need to file a tax return form for 2014, we thought we'd just go ahead and submit the CSS now instead of later. I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions.. </p>

<p>On the registration section, it asks for your parents' current country of residence. Does this mean the country you are currently living in physically, or your country of permanent residence (passport country)? </p>

<p>If I submit CSS now, and later on the numbers change, will I have to update those numbers? </p>

<p>Does it matter if the numbers on the CSS are slightly different from those on the FAFSA? </p>

2

<p>I don’t know for sure, though the word “current” to me indicates where are they living now. </p>

<p>It depends upon the school as to whether you are asked to update the PROFILE. Some schools will do the updates themselves with the FAFSA info which may require verification, have IDOC or other verification processes, or a questionnaire to cover the gap. It’s up to the school as to how they want to proceed for verification. Be aware that without being able to use the IRS verification tool, you are likely to have to come up with other proof of income. Each school will tell you what is needed.</p>

3

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It is because your

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4

<p>Are you sure your parents won’t need to file a 2014 US return. Are they US citizens? I’m not an expert at all in this area but there are requirements for citizens living overseas to file a US return. They may not owe any tax but they may need to file.</p>

5

<p>Are you a US citizen or GC holder? Are they citizens or GC holders? Are you expecting actual financial aid or is this just a requirement for an application??</p>

6

<p>One parent is a GC holder, the other is a US citizen. Our income is going to be low enough so we won’t need to file a 2014 tax return form… we’ve filed forms up till this year (last year our tax was 0). I am a US citzen, just living outside the US. So I believe I should get some aid o.o</p>

<p>What is the IRS verification tool? </p>

7

<p>Make sure your family isn’t losing out on the Earned Income credit. If their income is so low that they don’t need to file a tax form, they may qualify for that credit and get money back. I am no tax expert, so please check out what I’ve just written. </p>

<p>It might simply things for you if your parents file a return. Verification can be more difficult without one; with a return, what’s on the tax form serves as verification. </p>

8

<p>I went and checked, we aren’t eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit haha. </p>

<p>"It might simply things for you if your parents file a return. Verification can be more difficult without one; with a return, what’s on the tax form serves as verification. "</p>

<p>Oh, I see. Thanks! </p>

9

<p>

Your parents may want to file tax returns anyway, as verification is much easier with tax returns filed.</p>

10

<p>If your parents had any federal income tax money withheld from earnings, they will want to file to get that money back.</p>

11

<p>The customer service of College Board for the CSS profile is excellent and should be able to answer all your questions [ (305) 829-9793. To speak with a College Board representative, please call Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern)]. The Financial Aid office of the school you are applying to will be able to answer the questions too.</p>

12

<p>IMO, filing a tax return is valuable for a number of reasons, even if you don’t have to do so. It provides instant verification of a lot financial questions for a number of things,including financial aid for college. I’ve been helping a bunch of folks in your parents situation and when going for any number of programs, it often comes down to either getting IRS return verification or a whole lot of paperwork that is a pain in the neck to gather.</p>

13

<p>And for your GC parent who is now non resident, filing a tax return is an imperative, Especially if he or she is the major financial player in the family and hopes for readmission. You really don’t want to make this more complicated than it needs to be if you are expecting financial aid based in citizenship. You are already OOS for all schools, so getting it right seems really important. Does it hurt your parents in any way to do the tax return? </p>

14

<p>I asked my parents to file a tax return for 2014, they said it wouldn’t be a problem, so we’ll be doing that then. </p>

<p>“And for your GC parent who is now non resident”
Doesn’t holding a green card = permanent resident status?</p>

15

<p>In order to keep Green card status, filing federal tax forms is just one thing that must be done.</p>

16

<p>If your green card-holding parent is residing permanently outside the US, he/she risks losing permanent resident status.
<a href=“https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/820/~/can-a-u.s.-lawful-permanent-resident-leave-multiple-times-and-return”>https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/820/~/can-a-u.s.-lawful-permanent-resident-leave-multiple-times-and-return&lt;/a&gt;

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17

<p>The GC is no longer a travel document. Living overseas for any significant period (like a year or more without reentry permit) can mean loss of GC. Failing to have a tax return is going to confirm that that the GC has rescinded US residency. It is a permanent residence status when the person is actually resident. </p>