<p>IDOC and other colleges require your parents 2008 tax forms/ w-2's etc, however, my parents have their 2008 w-2's but not their 2008 federal tax forms, and will not have them until probably the end of march. Should i send IDOC and the other colleges my parents' 2008 w-2 and 2007 federal tax returns or just 2007 fed tax returns and 2007 w-2's?</p>
<p>Also I am a twin, for IDOC i will be sending separate packets, but for the other schools (and we applied to all the same schools), i really dont want to make hundreds of copies of financial documents. Do you think I can send in my tax returns saying its for the both of us? Stanford said this was okay, but I sent my 2007 to cornell and they have that one of us as having sent the tax returns and not the other although we stated both our names on them.</p>
<p>I have just spent time copying documents for financial aid applications for my two kids, so I know how much of a pain it is. Still, if you want financial aid you need to get the information required sent in to the schools/IDOC. Since you and your twin are two different people, most likely you each have a different file at the schools. Why do you expect the school to copy the information for you so that each of the two files is complete? If your parents want you to apply for financial aid, they need to get their taxes done early enough that you can get things copied, sent in, and have a complete file by the deadline. If you have special circumstances, talk to your colleges. Not wanting to make the effort is not a special circumstances.</p>
<p>Lunar thank you for your response. Although we are two separate files, we are in the same exact financial situation, I dont see the difficulty of just rewarding one child the same as the other (nor does Stanford or Yale)… I already have made the effort, and as a questbridge finalist I was put under more stress not only with the application process, but with financial documents than the majority of students. I have spent hours just addressing envelopes, and have spent literally $400 on stamps. However, I have made hundreds of copies of financial documents, but the main issue is which year’s documents I should send in?</p>
<p>You might not be the same academically, same major, same everything else.</p>
<p>Again, it may be a pain for you, but it is also a pain for the university. Your file is a manilla folder that sits in a box on someone’s floor. There is no guarantee that your twin’s file will be reviewed at the same time. Someone may see your file as thin, and think it is not complete, and let it sit there for a while. By the time they get to your file, who knows where your twin’s file is?</p>
<p>The point is to make it easy for the person to do their job. If you have to make them think, then you have just lost a few brownie points with them. Too bad, so sad that you had to do that much copying. But, that implies you applied to a lot of schools. That’s the choice you made, now deal with it.</p>
<p>OP, it IS a VERY big deal to send one set of info for two students. I realize that you don’t understand the work flow involved with the thousands & thousands of pieces of paper that come into a financial aid office & must be linked to particular students - but trust me, it is not as easy as you seem to think. It is far easier for you to make 2 copies of everything & turn it in. Time to grow up - you will often be expected to do things in life that are a bit of a pain for you in order to make things a bit more workable for others.</p>
<p>I was able to do all the copying/addressing of financial aid documents for my kids. Is there anyone you could recruit to help out with this task? Can your twin copy half of the materials? Perhaps some schools such as Yale and Stanford have enough resources (or special resources for Questbridge applicants) to assist you in this process, but most schools will not. </p>
<p>You need to send to IDOC/colleges the complete set of materials requested. So if 2008 tax returns+2008 W-2s are on the list as well as 2007 tax returns+2007 W-2s, you need to send all of that.</p>
<p>Each college student should be copying their OWN items. To the OP…you do yours…and then your twin does his/hers. The colleges need to have this information SEPARATELY for each of you. It doesn’t matter how much effort you have expended for other applications, what your twin did or does, what your friends are doing or what other college kids in your family or neighborhood have done. Do what you need to do for YOU…and your twin should do what he/she needs to do for himself/herself.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I understand why this is an issue.</p>
<p>This isn’t really an issue- instead of helping out most of you are just telling me to grow up- which is immature in itself because none of you guys know anything about me.
I said i would make copies in my last post- so please lets just drop the issue, and stop being so nasty about it.
The issue was which years tax forms I should send since I dont have the 2008 ones.</p>
<p>Kalsmom, I do understand the enormity of the whole process, as someone who deals with thousands of files myself on a daily basis (with only my twin brother to assist me), I understand how complex paperwork is. And thank your for telling me to grow up, you really know everything about me.</p>
<p>Instead of anyone’s post being helpful, with the exception of Lunar_Eclipse, everyone seemed to go on a diatribe, which is exactly what I wanted on a Financial Aid help forum.</p>
<p>You need to send the ones requested by IDOC. If they are requesting the 2008 completed tax forms, you need to send those. As posted in many threads…the year before your freshman year in college…it is very advisable to get the taxes done EARLY so that these deadlines can be met. For financial aid renewals, your deadlines are later.</p>
<p>If getting these tax forms completed is an issue, call the college(s) and ask them what to do. They will tell you. I’m sure you are not the only one whose parents are doing these taxes at this time.</p>
<p>Anon,
What is holding up your parents from completing their 2008 taxes? They really need to get them done ASAP for you to meet your deadlines for financial aid. Most all of us parents hate having to do them so early, but that’s what it takes senior year of high school to meet the deadlines (once you are in college the deadlines are later so it’s not such a problem). Is there anything you can do to help them get that process rolling? Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with asking for help if you’ve got too many balls in the air or are feeling overwhelmed just now, so if you have helpers around let them help you. You’ll be done soon!</p>
<p>Although i am not 100% sure because I can not verify this again from my mother because she is not in the US right now, I think she said because she works for the government that she cannot do them until later for some reason.</p>
<p>Anonymous…do the best you can. If you NEED financial aid, this might be the incentive your family needs to get those taxes completed SOON. Also…truthfully, the only workers who might have an issue with completing taxes by the deadlines are contracted workers who get 1099 forms, and self employed folks who sometimes have difficulty meeting the deadlines.</p>
<p>You say your parents have the W-2’s etc. That is what is needed to complete the taxes. Of course, I don’t know your mom’s particular situation, but I can’t think of any reason why being employed by the government would slow down the tax completion process.</p>
<p>Can you ask your Dad (or are the parents divorced)?</p>
<p>Anonymous, there is a place on the form where you can check off that the tax return will be submitted by _____ date. Looks to me like if you check that off, then fill in the income information from the W-2’s, you should be ok until your parents get their returns completed. You can always email IDOC and ask them how to handle it.</p>
<p>I dont see the difficulty of just rewarding one child the same as the other (nor does Stanford or Yale)… I already have made the effort,</p>
<hr>
<p>No, I don’t know anything about you. However, I was responding to the tone of this comment. If it’s just frustration on your part, then I understand venting. But it struck me as more than simple frustration. It seemed more like an assumption that the colleges should give you a break because you already did what you felt you should have to do. Sorry if I misread that.</p>
<p>Yes Jude_36 i also want to know where that check off place is…</p>
<p>I guess ill just wait till I can get the 2008 tax info in. My mother returned home today, and said she got her tax info back the day before she left so she was not able to send it to her accountant. </p>
<p>Thank you for the consideration Lunar and Jude</p>
<p>It seems like every 3rd post on the FA forum is this same question. What was new about your post is not wanting to make copies because you are twins.</p>
<p>Glad your mom is back home safe and sound and can get those tax forms moving. The tippy-top schools to which you are applying (at least Yale and Stanford) promise to give you your financial aid award information at the same time (around March 30) that they give you an acceptance letter (so you can make an informed decision about where to attend by May 1). In order to make sure that they can keep their side of the promise, they tell you when they must receive all your materials. They have requirements (school rules and legal rules) to verify financial info. before they hand out the various types of financial aid. Help them be generous to you and your brother. Now that mom is home you can get them what they need, in the format that they request, ASAP. Best wishes…</p>