I’m currently filling out the FAFSA application. I am a legal U.S. Born Citizen with a SSN but my parents aren’t, so I entered all zeros for SSN. They use an ITIN when filling out their tax returns. I am filling out the part that involves tax returns, but after finishing up their information and then mine, it gives me the following error:
You reported that the Parent 2 (Father’s/Mother’s/Stepparent’s) Social Security Number (SSN) is all zeroes (000-00-0000), and the Parent 1 (Father’s/Mother’s/Stepparent’s) SSN is blank or all zeroes. You also reported that the parents’ tax return status is filed or will file, and the tax return type is not a foreign tax return.
I’m not really understanding the issue here since it specifically says on the FAFSA website NOT to use the ITIN, but to instead use all zeros. If I use all zeros though, it detects an error since they both have all zeros since neither has a SSN. Is there a way to bypass this? :-/
You will have to file a paper application anyway because your parents are not eligible for a PIN (lacking a ssn) to submit electronically so they will have to mail in the signature page
You will not be able to use the irs data retrevial system because your parents do not have a valid SSN. put the information in manually. you will be flagged for verification. Be proactive and get a copy of the irs tax return transcript to turn in to schools that will ask for it in order to validate your income.
This thread is way old but I got an answer to my problem about a week after I posted this. All I had to do was keep clicking the continue/finish button (don’t remember what the button is actually called but it’s the one you click to finish your application after you have entered in all your information) until it goes through. It will give you an error a couple of times but it will eventually go through after a certain number of clicks. So NO you do not have to fill out a paper application if your parents have no SSN. As long as you are a U.S. citizen, you are able to do the application online. You DO, however, have to print out the signature page for your parents to sign and mail it out to FAFSA. Shoutout to my College & Career Readiness Counselor for helping out with this! =D>
If that is actually a photo of you, I recommend changing your avatar. You’re posting on an anonymous forum, and given the “sensitivity” around immigration issues these days, well… my advice as a parent: no one should use their photo here (or on any internet forum)!