<p>Hello,</p>
<p>The CSS Profile instructions say:</p>
<p>"International Applicants</p>
<p>If your country's tax year does not follow the calendar year you should collect the information listed above for your country's last tax year that ended or will end before April 1, 2013, and the year previous to that. If, for example, your country's tax year runs from April 1 to March 31, collect the information for the tax year that ended or will end March 31, 2013 and the tax year that ended March 31, 2012. If you country's tax year runs from July 1 to June 30, collect the information for the tax year that ended June 30, 2012 and the tax year that ended June 30, 2011.
Throughout the application, wherever you are asked for information from "your country's most recent tax year," report information from your country's last tax year that ended or will end March 31, 2013."</p>
<p>Since the Indian tax year is from April 1 to March 31, I assumed that questions on the 'most recent tax year' refer to the year that ends in March 2013, and that I'll have to estimate figures and enter.</p>
<p>However most of the people I talked to say that they refer to the tax year that ended in March 2012.</p>
<p>Does anybody know for sure which year has to be taken into consideration?</p>
<p>In my opinion, It does mean tax year ending March 2012. The tax details that have already been submitted and deducted, which would be actual. And since March 2013 is two months away, those calculations would be an estimate. Also if any of your documents are amiss you will get an email from the college regarding the same.</p>
<p>But I emailed Princeton and Yale, and this is what they said.</p>
<p>Princeton:</p>
<p>“You should use your best estimates of 2012 income (April 2012-March 2013) when completing the PFAA. Also you will need to send us a copy of the tax documents when they become available in March.”</p>
<p>Yale:</p>
<p>" The tax year should be the most
recent year. “Current year” should refer to the year ending in March 2013,
and since those returns are not yet filed, you may provide copies of the 2012
returns (prior year), and update us with 2013 once filed."</p>
<p>So I guess the 2012-2013 tax year has to be taken into consideration!</p>
<p>I think it is clear, 2011-12 already filed and 2012-13 when available.</p>
<p>"You should use your best estimates of 2012 income "</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>“update us with 2013 once filed.”</p>
<p>I think what they mean is, use estimates of income earned in 2012-2013 while filling in the CSS, but send 2011-2012 returns for now.</p>
<p>I emailed Amherst and THEY said something different! :o</p>
<p>“Also, please use the financial information for the income earned in 2011-2012 and submit copies of their income documentation and their tax returns filed this March 2012.”</p>
<p>Also, I am thinking it might be a better idea to enter info from the tax returns already filed, cause the 2012-2013 returns won’t be filed till Sept/Oct 2013…?</p>
<p>Can somebody who’s been through the process give some definitive advice, please?</p>