<p>I submitted FAFSA application 27th Jan 2011. I am a first time tax filer. I e-filed my 2011 tax return in 24th Jan 2012 by using tax preparation service. I’ve already received my tax refund 2 weeks after filing. I owed money and I paid at the end of Feb. Then IRS withdrew from my check in 1st March. I thought I was all done with my tax return. I was able to use the Data Retrieval Tool but I can’t transfer my tax information yet. I tried so many times but IRS said they are unable to provide you with your tax 2011 information. But I didn’t give up. I ordered tax return transcript online and by phone but it didn’t work. Finally, I went to my local IRS office to get my tax return transcript but the officer told me that your application is not processing yet so they can’t retrieve your tax information. I really got shock because I’ve filed already so early than others. No luck for me. What to do next for me? I don’t know how long do I have to wait. I am really afraid of being behind my FAFSA position because FAFSA is first come first serve. Does somebody help to solve or advise my problem?</p>
<p>I actually DID owe taxes, and was able to use the retrieval tool about 4 weeks after filing. I also requested transcripts before using the retrieval tool (because I thought it would never work), and I have also received those.</p>
<p>The retrieval tool worked for us exactly 3 weeks after we mailed our check to the IRS. Done…finally!</p>
<p>bumpp, I’m in a similar position as geniusgirl</p>
<p>Sure wish I had found this thread a month or so ago…</p>
<p>We owe Federal taxes - efiled in mid-February, but were planning to hold off until later to actually cut a check. I had been checking the retrieval tool daily for both my son and daughter…and the link has not been available. I lalso requested a transcript - with a no go. My guess is its availability is contingent upon the tax return being acknowledged and accepted. I have waited on hold with IRS for up to 90 minutes on a couple of occasions to try to confirm, and the FAFSA help folks were clueless.</p>
<p>My son will be a returning Sophomore, and his college said as long as we updated our originally estimated FAFSA to reflect actual data from filed taxes, and fulfill our IDOC requirements by their 4/15 deadline… I can link to the IRS at a later date. They told me not to worry about it. My daughter is an incoming freshman… so I didn’t bother to call her top choices to inquire. I assume the same will hold true - they ill simply require verification of data, before releasing promised FA.</p>
<p>I was talking to parents of my daughter’s friends, who are in the same boat. One mother suggested the IRS processes refunds owed to taxpayers first as a priority, then they process payments received, then they process taxes owed but unpaid, etc. She suggested my return…filed February 17? isn’t even on the radar, as far as becoming available for the IRS link through FAFSA.</p>
<p>So last week I went ahead and cut a check to the IRS. I have reverted to checking my bank account daily, rather than the FAFSA/IRS Link. Once the check clears, I will resume my attempt to get the link to become available. Ya think the IRS underestimated the chaos that would ensue from this little exercise in futility? This is nuts.</p>
<p>@ saldana23
I think we need to wait 2 or 3 more weeks. I check my FAFSA everyday in my correction stage. It still doesn’t work. I have a copy of 1040 form printed by my tax preparation service. I am not sure that whether I can verify my tax return at the local IRS office or not by using this copy. Sometimes it is really frustrating. :(</p>
<p>I talked to the IRS and the lady mentioned that the school might accept a copy of the 1040 income tax form. She proposed that I visit a local IRS and get an official seal from them and see if they would accept it.</p>
<p>I am in a slightly different situation were my father had two dependents and requested their itin (individual tax identification number) and the processing time for that is minimum 10 weeks. On top of that, the lady mentioned that there be an additional 6-8 weeks to reprocess that 1040 form.
I’m looking at a potential 4 month waiting time. UCSB said they would ask me to provide the documents within 30 days after they request it, which would be by the end of April. </p>
<p>I’m scared I won’t get any money :/</p>
<p>My college’s financial aid deadline is April. But they still accept the students who are selected for verification to provide required documents if you have already submitted FAFSA application. Anyway, I am really concerned with my case. I think I am delayed because I am a first filer. The IRS local officer said my process may delay due to validity check. If it is true that he said, why the IRS accepted my tax application and sent me refund. Unfortunately, I can’t access my tax information even after withdrawing my cash form my check. It is very unfair for me. I don’t know why I am stuck with the IRS process. :(. Only if I get financial aid, I can go to college. I paid for my tax but I am stuck with that without having fruit of it.</p>
<p>I still get the error message when I try to transfer the data from the IRS page to the FAFSA site. It has been eight weeks of trying. I have ordered a transcript but that hasn’t shown up either. Sigh …</p>
<p>What kind of message? ‘What went wrong? We are unable to provide you with tax information’? If it is that message, it means that you tax return is not processed yet. So, You have to wait for an indefinite period.</p>
<p>Oh, I have no problem at all getting to the IRS page with the info. But when I check the box and hit the button for submit, it takes me to a FAFSA error page that says the FAFSA site has encountered a problem, or is undergoing maintenance, and if you continue to get this error message, to contact them. Which I did. Weeks ago. They cannot figure out why I keep getting sent to this page, and we have tried everything they could come up with – using different browsers, emptying the cache, using different computers, trying it at different times of the day (and night), working with cookies and all kinds of other things that might cause a problem, but nothing works.</p>
<p>Oh! so your situation is better than me. You can print your copy of tax return out at you local IRS office because your tax return is already processed.</p>
<p>Am becoming a big fan of the retrieval tool. Got my verification worksheet in the mail yesterday. Because we were able to use the tool, all I had to do was check “no” on the child support and federal assistance boxes, list the members of my household, sign, and return. Easy Peasy.</p>
<p>FWIW, the verification worksheet only allowed us to list household members who were claimed as exemptions on our federal tax return. A non-issue for my family, but I’ve seen a lot of quesitons about household size this year on this forum-does one include other relatives who live with you, etc. Looks like, at d’s school anyway, you don’t count them in the household unless you claim them on your taxes.</p>
<p>For everyone who is having trouble with the Retrieval Tool (and with Verification forms and procedures) I would highly recommend that you contact the schools directly. I think the schools are having just as many issues with these things as everyone who is trying to file. The Data Retrieval Tool is a relatively new process, and Verification is more stringent this year, too. Whenever something new is implemented (especially by the government) unforseen problems arise. You should all be in contact with your schools, so that you can get a straight answer about deadlines instead of stressing out about your grants and scholarships being cancelled because of these problems. A lot of you are seniors in high-school (or parent’s thereof), and you should be excited about graduation, not worrying so much about this.</p>
<p>Am a person who helps folks with the financial aid process and want to echo what three4three just posted…communicate with the schools! Make sure you understand what each individual school’s “tax form requirements” are! Each school is different – ranging from IDOC only to manual copies of tax returns/forms to required data retrieval. IF the school is requiring data retrieval only and you are having problems, be proactive and seek the school’s guidance and support…at a minimum send (and document that you sent) a manual copy of all required forms.</p>
<p>Looks like, at d’s school anyway, you don’t count them in the household unless you claim them on your taxes. </p>
<hr>
<p>That is not consistent with federal guidelines, and I would argue that if I had a child at this school & supported someone I didn’t claim on my taxes (for example, if I was divorced & had an agreement with my ex allowing him to claim the child even though she lived in my home).</p>
<p>We have had a similar problem here. S’s Dad did the retrieval tool and there was no issue. However, we have tried for three weeks to link S’s taxes and it does not work. We also tried to pull a transcript and that does not work. We called FAFSA and they were of no help…“you may need to wait longer or call IRS.” So we are calling IRS next.</p>
<p>I decided to have 2 of my kids file the 1040EZ, even though their only income was from scholarships and they weren’t technically required to file. (Their income fell below the filing threshhold). I decided to take the chance that it would be quicker and easier to use the Data Retrieval Tool to update their Fafsa for Verification purposes. Well, we filed their tax returns electronically (using the IRS Free Fillable Forms) on March 27, and I was able to access the Data Retrieval Tool on April 1st. I was SHOCKED that everything happened so fast! Maybe they got process fast because they were “0” tax returns; I don’t know. I’m just happy to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!</p>
<p>Thank you so much! This worked and I was able to transfer my data to FAFSA!</p>
<p>Oh, I was so happy to find this thread. I hope that someone can point me in the right direction. I have an email from FAFSA saying that my data is ready to be retrieved. We did our taxes a while ago. However, when I log into the site, I cannot find the link for the retrieval! The only way to log in is as a student. I can get into that part of the site, but there is no link to the IRS. Advice anyone?</p>