<p>(Or why I will never be an accountant),</p>
<p>So, After applying to many schools, with many forms and many essays, I now have to do financial applications. However, while the CSS form and FAFSA are generally the only ones required (Stupid unique form-Princeton), as well as taxes, they all have different ways to fill them out, different deadlines, and different views on 2003 vs 2004 returns as well as estimates.</p>
<p>So, any words of wisdom or cries of misery?</p>
<p>UUggh!!! MISERY!</p>
<p>My advice, double and triple check everything before hitting that submit button! Making corrections, especially on the CSS is horrible!</p>
<p>make all your estimated numbers rounded off with zeros, like:
25,000 not
24,567
then you'll know in looking that it was an estimate, noit the final number!
this saved us time spent thinking and trying to recall what we had done, for sure, especailly in subsequent years!</p>
<p>Hey somemom what do you mean by that. If I have now done my taxes, shouldn't I imput the real data. I am in the process of redoing the darn things, fafsa and css because I did make a big mistake. I don't know if that will change the efc, maybe. But I am making sure right now before I make changes that everything is absolutely correct and I have read this thing about "rounding." What gives?</p>
<p>Definitely update your fafsa, I don't think that you can make corrections on your CSS profile. However it will all flesh out when you get the IDOC from the college board and you send in your supporting documentation</p>
<p>When you are doing the FAFSA in January, to reserve your place in line, you must estimate, as you likely ahve not yet done your taxes and would not even have your 1099/W2/etc. So, make those early numbers end in ,000..........then when it is time to update you can tell, for sure, that it is an estimate. This was not critical the first year, as you know what you've done, but in subsequent years, with multuplie students, anything that can simplify helps!</p>
<p>Also, keep notes on how you derived your various numbers (assets, etc) and save them each eyar, so thst you can easily be consistent over time.</p>
<p>Have you folks noticed that the FAFSA on the Web asks for parents' tax return information in the STUDENT section? It comes out in Step 4 (parents information )when you print out the copy, but asks for it in what seems to me to be an illogical place. Not like the paper FAFSA. Man.</p>