FAFSA/CSS Profile Questions

Paying for College
1

<p>Okay, I have never filled these forms out before and nor has my mother or anybody else for that matter. And my counselor, you're gonna love this, has never heard of the CSS Profile. </p>

<p>I'm just wondering, when you fill out the FAFSA and Profile forms and, like right now, have not yet filed for your 2005 taxes, what do you do when you have? Do you return to the FAFSA website and fix the numbers? I heard something about mailing copies of the 2005 taxes to the colleges I am applying to. And what about the CSS Profile--I am ready to submit the application online, but it says to not submit until everything is correct because I can't do any corrections online. Does that mean I have to wait until the 2005 taxes have come back? Can we submit it now? </p>

<p>My mother hasn't even received her stuff to do her taxes, and neither have I. At this point, we won't receive the stuff back for about another two months. Is that everyone's situation? What should I do about the CSS Profile? Also, do they process the form with 2004's numbers, or do they wait until they have 2005's numbers? If they wait, doesn't that cheat me out of finaid because everyone else may have gotten their stuff in earlier? Could someone please explain to me how the finaid process works please? I don't have any help on it so I'm so incredibly lost.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<br>


<br>

<p>Actually unless there is some extenuating circumstance, you should have everything you need to complete your taxes by Jan 31. Some colleges do want you to submit the forms before that time. If you do so, you use your income information from the 2004 taxes. You complete the FAFSA online and then once your taxes are complete for 2005, you go and amend the submitted FAFSA. The Profile is different. If your school has a priority deadline before Feb 1, you would do the Profile using estimates based on 2004 also...but the Profile cannot be corrected online once submitted. You need to print out a copy and make the changes by hand and mail them to the schools (at least that is what the schools we submitted to told us to do...you would need to check). Regardless...this is not the year to delay completing your taxes. You and your parents should complete them ASAP after Jan 31. This is not the year to wait until April 15 to do those taxes. By doing estimates, it alerts the schools to your application for finaid and sort of "holds your place in the line" so to speak. But getting the final numbers to the schools quickly is very important. One other note...check the deadlines for FAFSA and Profile for all of your colleges. They vary WILDLY from school to school.</p>