<p>Hi again, hmf123.
It sounds like you’ve got things figured out and all taken care of now.
What I meant by “right up front” in my earlier post is this –
At least 2, maybe 3, of my son’s schools required him to submit a copy of my tax returns and a copy of my W2 (that’s your income statement, of sorts, from your employer, used to fill out your income taxes) right away, directly to the school, as part of that school’s financial aid application process. Other schools required him to simply fill out the FAFSA and NOT submit those other supporting documents unless/until selected to participate in the verification process. So, if any of your schools require these documents (your dad’s W2, for instance), whether it’s right away, as part of that school’s application process for financial aid, or whether it’s later as part of the FAFSA verification process, those schools will see your dad’s W2, which will show the amount withheld from his takehome pay for contribution to his 401k. That’s all I meant – the fact that some schools require you to send the supporting documents in right away as part of the process (yes, in the mail, in addition to the FAFSA that you’re doing on line).</p>