<p>Okay, so do you need your parents W2 form or income tax return to fill out the FAFSA? Because, my dad told me his W2 is given in January but his income tax return form would be back in February. So, why would they post the FAFSA in Jan. if you can't fill it out until Feb?</p>
<p>You can use your dad's last paycheck of the year - you can estimate taxes with that. Once the taxes are actually completed, any changes can be made online.</p>
<p>If your schools don't have an early deadline, you can wait until the deadline is closer to fill it out & submit it. Just don't miss any deadlines!</p>
<p>Ohh okay, so its is possible to do it ON Jan. 1st? I want to get it in as soon as possible and I thought waiting until Feb. would be too long. How long does it generally take to hear back?</p>
<p>It probably depends on the school. We always file early with estimated amounts. But neither of our schools have ever given us any award information until we finalize the information and confirm that we have filed our taxes. We are always selected for verification so I don't know if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>We still file early in the hopes that that puts us in line for any funds that are limited such as SEOG and Perkins. And we make sure our taxes are files ASAP - usually early Feb when all the bits of paper have arrived. Ironically the last things to arrive last time were the 1098Ts from one kids school.</p>
<p>I don't think we generally hear much before March.</p>
<p>Okay so you can file it with estimated amount and then change it later with actual amounts?</p>
<p>Yes. Your school may (or may not if they are like our 2 schools) give you an estimated award based on the estimated amounts. None of your aid will be finalized until you submit actual amounts.</p>