<p>Alright so I'm a senior, got accepted to my top school, and now comes the complicated part:</p>
<p>How do I do anything for fafsa? I don't understand tax returns, nor do I ever pay attention to my parents' tax, so I don't know what it looks like, where to get it, anything. Also, I've had a job as a cashier since august, but I don't know if I'm supposed to do tax returns as well since I'm only 17 and this is my first job.</p>
<p>Do we send them tax stuff from the last year, or file new ones?</p>
<p>Honestly I don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to dumb stuff down, thank you I really do appreciate it.</p>
<p>Have your parents grab their tax info and sit down together to do the FAFSA. There is a parent portion (and they will have their own pin number) and the student portion (you will have a different pin number). No one says you have to or can “go it alone.” </p>
<p>The FAFSA you need will be based on the 2011 tax year. If your parents can get their 2011 taxes done this month and before any financial aid deadlines (check your college website for deadlines) then it’s best. You will also get a W-2 from your job that shows how much income you made, what was taken out of taxes, etc. Sometimes you can get the information from your last paycheck in 2011. If your parents cannot get the 2011 taxes done you all can estimate the numbers based on 2011, but you STILL have to go back when the taxes are done and correct any inaccuracies and resubmit your FAFSA before your financial aid will be final. Any financial aid numbers you get from estimating will also be estimated. Be sure your college doesn’t have an additional financial aid forms that need to be filled out in addition to the FAFSA.</p>
<p>You may want to start with this website. It explains the process of filing the Fafsa pretty well.</p>
<p>[FAFSA</a> and Pell Grants | The Heart Of The Financial Aid Process](<a href=“Top 175 Scholarships for College Students”>Top 175 Scholarships for College Students)</p>