Anyone else experiencing this? When we went to enter data manually it claimed that “money earned from work” was the sum of several lines; I remember a line on the return for that. This is a lot harder than it was supposed to be.
I’m confused. Did you link to the IRS DRT…or not?
The DRT would upload the info from your 2016 tax return…but you enter the amounts each parent earned. That isn’t ON your tax return.
Sorry I wasn’t clear. We were thinking about entering the data manually, and hit that stumbling block. I found out that the way it was worded made it seem more complicated than it was. When we tried to import the data we got a message that there were technical difficulties, so I was wondering if that was something others were running into.
Try a different browser…or wait until tomorrow. Really, using the DRT should make this easier!
We’re waiting until tomorrow; that’s a good suggestion about changing the browser as well. Looking at what they ask for it looks like importing the data would save a few minutes, but it’s not as if it would save us more than half an hour. We’ll see how it looks. It’s the CSS I’m not looking forward to, but we need it for a shot at merit and at a couple of schools where we would need it. The bad thing is that the main one that requires the CSS is also one where he’s not likely to be accepted, and it’s due on 11/15. Second choice just requires the FAFSA and is likely to give some grant and on top of a guaranteed scholarship.
Actually, importing the data WILL save you lots of time.
If you don’t use the DRT, you will need to get a tax transcript, and send that to each school. That can take time…both for the ordering of the tax transcript, and the sending.
We think using the DRT is WAYYYYYYY better than having to order a tax transcript.
What CSS Profile is due in 11-15? That would be for EA or ED applicants…usually…although of course you should check your colleges for deadlines. Is he applying ED or EA someplace?
ETA…is this for EA or ED to Fordham? Then yes…deadline for Profile is 11/14.
It is EA for Fordham. I wasn’t taking into account getting the tax transcript and sending it to the schools. If we can’t get on tonight we will try changing the browser. He’s actually applying EA for four schools, but only Fordham has such an early deadline. If they had a January deadline like the others we could hold off on the CSS until we knew if he was getting in or not.
People have reported having issues with DRT since the FAFSA opened on 10/1.
I don’t know if it’s a browser issue, having popup blocker on, or an address issue.
But we used DRT for three returns and two FAFSAs, and it worked flawlessly.
The DRT brings over AGI, tax paid, education credit, among a few other things.
But you still have to enter the parent 1 and 2 earned income manually, even if using DRT.
On a joint tax return, the income of both parents is added together, and AGI can contain other income as well.
For the FAFSA formula to calculate the soc sec tax deduction and employment expense allowance (if both parents work), the earned income of each parent separately is needed.
The FAFSA wants the income from specific lines of the tax return to be added to get the earned income.
One is the wages line, one self employment income, and one I think farm income.
People who are employees only would have wages, so that would be on each person’s W2.
After you fill out earned income for each parent, don’t forget to list any pretax retirement contributions made in 2016 in the relevant question under untaxed income (paper FAFSA question 94a I think).
They should be listed on W2 in box 12 with code D I believe. Since they are not taxed, they are not listed on the tax return, do DRT would not bring them over.
Make sure you have the tax return, and W2 in front of you.
And make sure address matches exactly what’s on the tax return.
The FAFSA help is available by chat function too, you can try that.
The CSS profile website has a tutorial video I think on how to fill out the profile, you might want to watch it before you start.
@mommdc, I have both a tax-deferred annuity and a teacher’s retirement fund that I pay into in lieu of social security. Combining the lines wasn’t necessary for us, since we only had wages. That wasn’t clear from the form, but I found a tutorial that showed what was actually on the lines. Hopefully we’ll be able to use the DRT tonight.
I think when you move through the FAFSA there is a box with info about the question you are working on.
This is what FAFSA says about pretax retirement contributions:
https://fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1819/help/faadef23.htm
Do you have anything listed on the 2016 W2 in box 12 matching these codes?
Yup, I have something in 12A.
Then you will have to enter that amount under untaxed income where it asks for pretax retirement contributions in the parent section of FAFSA.
Finished with FAFSA. CSS lurks, but the warnings of problems (no doubt due to approaching deadline) made us decide to wait a couple of days (but not too close to the 11\15 deadline).