<p>Well, my parents and I are new to the entire financial aid process, so I was hoping if some people could answer two questions:</p>
<p>1) If my parents do not file their taxes until after February 1st, could I still meet the February 1st deadline for some colleges if submit the FAFSA under "will file?"
2) My parents usually don't file their taxes until early March because they have to wait for their bank statements. Would this date be too late?</p>
<p>You will need to file an estimate. The actual "revised" submission later on will be used for actual aid.. so the more accurate your estimate, the more acturate your aid ultimately.</p>
<p>Right. Meet the deadline, check 'will file'. Then after your folks file taxes in March, you go into FAFSA, do a correction, and change 'will file' to 'have filed' and insert the correct amount from the tax forms.</p>
<p>Not a problem at all. The initial aid package will be based on the estimate-- and will probably be adjusted based on actual numbers. But it gives both you and the school enough info to make some decisions.</p>
<p>Suggest you estimate income conservatively. And do what you can between now and February to get your finances squared away to maximize your aid.</p>
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Suggest you estimate income conservatively
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<p>Yes, shoot a little overboard with the income estimates, so when the actual numbers are evaluated you are presently surprised.... better to be getting as much or more aid than you expected then to have a plan in place with tuition costs and then be sabotaged by a drop in actual aid.</p>
<p>1) If my parents do not file their taxes until after February 1st, could I still meet the February 1st deadline for some colleges if submit the FAFSA under "will file?"</p>
<p>You can file the FAFSA anytime after January first as "will file". You will estimate your income and your parents' incomes based on the last paycheck they receive in December. After they complete their taxes, you will go online and amend your FAFSA indicating that your tax return is complete.</p>
<p>2) My parents usually don't file their taxes until early March because they have to wait for their bank statements. Would this date be too late?</p>
<p>It's not too late, but why don't they do this in February? What happens special in March? You want to file your amended FAFSA as soon as possible after receiving all of your W-4 forms which is at the end of January. The year you are a freshman in college is NOT the year to delay filing your taxes. You will not receive a final financial aid award until your taxes are filed. </p>
<p>Agreed...estimate your income as realistically as possible.</p>
<p>Also, don't forget to get PIN numbers for one of your parents and yourself.</p>