<p>Since I am not living with either of my parents, getting financial aid information has been pretty difficult. </p>
<p>Especially since I found out today that my father has lost all his 2009 tax returns when he was moving. (His earlier returns too are nowhere to be found either.) Is there a way for him to get new copies, or will I have to contact all the colleges to see what to do?</p>
<p>If he used someone to prepare his returns, an accountant, or H & R block, the preparer usually keeps a copy. There is a fee, but you can get a copy… If he did it himself, by computer, with something like Turbotax it is still there.
If not… the IRS will be able to provide a copy. They do charge a fee and can take a while so if that is the path you need to take, get going on it. Good luck.</p>
<p>I work in a financial aid office. All we require is the tax transcript, which is free. You will need to check with the school’s aid office to see if the transcript will be acceptable for their purposes. Again, this is free (compared to a copy of the tax return, which costs $57). You can ask to have it faxed, which they do right away, but it has to be faxed to a secure fax (not a copy store or the like). Otherwise, you can have it mailed to you, which takes longer. Here is the info from the IRS website:</p>
<p>Most needs for tax return information can be met with a computer print-out of your return information called a “transcript”. A transcript may be an acceptable substitute for an exact copy of a return by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and lending agencies for student loans and mortgages. A “tax return transcript” will show most line items contained on the return as it was originally filed. If you need a statement of your tax account which shows changes that you or the IRS made after the original return was filed, however, you must request a “tax account transcript”. Both transcripts are generally available for the current and past three years and are provided free of charge. The period in which you will receive the transcript varies from within ten to thirty business days from the time the IRS receives your request for the tax return or tax account transcript.</p>
<p>You can obtain a free transcript by calling 800-829-1040 and following the prompts in the recorded message or by completing and mailing a request for a transcript to the address listed in the instructions.</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much! This was amazing to hear, and I let my dad know right away. I think he was almost annoyed he can still participate in my financial aid process, but nonetheless, he said he will look into all of this. </p>
<p>Kelsmom, I know you helped me when I didn’t even know who to claim on CSS/FAFSA, and I appreciate your help once again. =)</p>