<p>What do you do if your FAFSA is due before you have all of the tax info to fill it out? Should you estimate stuff like taxes paid?</p>
<p>The 2012-2013 FAFSA became available for online submission on January 1, 2012. You should do it in keeping with the deadline for the schools to which you are applying. If the school has a January deadline…here’s what you do.</p>
<p>File your FAFSA using a “will file” status which means you WILL file your taxes but have not yet done so. Use the BEST possible estimates based on your end of year pay stubs, interest statements etc. Then submit it to the school(s).</p>
<p>Do your taxes as soon as reasonably possible after Feb 1 when you have all of your 2011 documentation. Go back IN to the FAFSA website and amend your FAFSA to reflect the figures from your 2011 completed tax return and resubmit to the college(s). Change your status to “taxes completed”. </p>
<p>This is the year you want to get your taxes done as soon as possible. It is NOT the year to wait until April 15th to complete your taxes.</p>
<p>The important thing is to “get your place in line” – and you can “fix details” later. </p>
<p>So some parents stayed up late on New Year’s Eve to fill out the FAFSA and secure an early “place in line” – they used their best guess on the numbers and then will go back and amend the numbers as the tax information becomes available. </p>
<p>The first year we filed a FAFSA, I amended it Eight times. Don’t worry! It is fine to do so. </p>
<p>Your college will look at the forms in the order in which they were submitted – so get the FAFSA filed by Feb 15 for sure – and, as thumper1 says, do the taxes as briskly as possible and go back and amend the details. </p>
<p>be sure to print and keep a copy for your files as you will need it if you have questions over your situation later in the spring.</p>