<p>So my mom is telling me that we are able to use our "2009 tax return report" for financial aid this year since the "they" as she puts it.. (the school/govern) cannot force us to file our 2010 tax reports this soon. (She said she is going to file an extension) So that means she is not gonna file the 2010 tax reports till after school starts at fall 2011.</p>
<p>Can she really replace the 2010 tax reports with the 2009 tax reports for my financial aid?
I'm worried that if that isn't the case, then I won't get any financial aid from my university since they are requiring proof documents by may. (I'm assuming that they want the 2010 tax return documents...not the 2009 one. But will the 2009 be acceptable?)</p>
<p>Please answer only if you are absolutely sure ! Because my Mom is convinced that she is able to do this and it will work out... but common sense tells me that she is still wrong. So I'm still very doubtful.</p>
<p>and as an extra note
My parents salary from 2009 and 2010 tax return report will be VERY different. <em>my mom made double than her usual salary</em> since shes a real estate agent, so her income is unstable.</p>
<p>I think your mom is wrong. Besides, even if she were right, as soon as she did file, the new numbers would be used, and your FA would be taken away since she made so much money last year.</p>
<p>I think your mom is thinking that if she does it “her way,” you’ll get aid, and when she does file, it will be too late because you’ll have your aid. It doesn’t work like that. Aid can be take away and you could owe the school money.</p>
<p>That said, I don’t think the school will process the aid package until she puts in the 2010 numbers. However, why not have your mom just call the school? She’ll have to believe them, right? </p>
<p>BTW…your mom is missing the major point. Yes, the gov’t can’t force her to file this early. HOWEVER, no one has to give you aid, either. So, if you want the aid, then you have to follow the FA schedule and get those taxes done. She can CHOOSE to file later, but then she’s CHOSEN to hurt your chances for aid.</p>
<p>If your mom’s salary has doubled, why do you think that you’ll get aid anyway??? Will you be going to UCSD? If so, unless you’re low income, you’re not going to get aid anyway.</p>
<p>Your mom is wrong. The schools can require anything they want and assign any deadline they want. You may get a financial aid preliminary quote with 2009 data but it won’t be final.</p>
<p>It is especially imperative that she NOT use 2009 financial numbers since she made substantially more. Even though they need 2010 info, seeing higher income may still affect what you may receive. Why open up a can of worms. She can actually submit an estimated 2010 FAFSA and make corrections when she does file. This is better than what she plans on doing. Remember though, the more delayed things are, the less you may receive.</p>
<p>Someone told me this too. She said she has always used the prior years returns on her kids FAFSAs (because she too always files an extension). Maybe it depends on the school? Or there is some misinformation floating around out there. I’ve always filed most recent tax year and thought she was incorrect…</p>
<p>You can put whatever you want in the FAFSA form … “they” don’t know – until after your taxes are filed. And then – yes it is adjusted. Legally, you can be held responsible for lying on the form if the figures are vastly different because they expect you to be estimating if the taxes are not yet done. </p>
<p>We got our taxes done as early as we could this year because we knew we’d be filing the FAFSA for the first time this year.</p>
<p>I’m sorry but your mom is wrong and may already have jeopardized your possibility to get as much aid as you are allowed. Some schools have a certain amount to give and when it’s gone, it’s gone.</p>
<p>She is wrong. You can use previous years taxes as estimates on FAFSA, but the estimates have to be corrected to 2010 figures. About 30% of FAFSAs are verified which requires you to provide copies of tax returns. A 2009 tax return will not be accepted for verification. When you completed FAFSA you would have put “will file” for tax status. This must be changed to filed one taxes are filed. Schools may give you an estimated aid package based on estimated tax data (my daughter’s school will not even do an estimated aid package until they see a copy of the tax return) but will not disburse aid until taxes have been filed and data has been corrected. </p>
<p>If you somehow slip through the cracks and do get aid based on incorrect data, you can be required to repay any aid received. Also the last part of FAFSA before you sign and submit it included this
</p>
<p>Also this year is the first year there is actually an interface between the IRS and FAFSA. I have no idea how it actually works though.</p>
<p>Son is at UC Berkeley. We filled out FAFSA at first using preliminary numbers (basically estimates from the prior year). We clicked the “will file” button because it was not based on an actual real filed tax form from the current year. </p>
<p>Basically our son’s aid was listed as “estimates” until we filled out the IRS tax forms, updated our FAFSA forms online. Our income shifted SLIGHTLY and our new/confirmed aid package from UC Berkeley shifted dramatically (several thousand dollars not in our favor). Our only guess is that we bumped over an invisible line in the sand.</p>
<p>It was a total pain to not have solid numbers because we delayed filing our taxes. Lesson learned.</p>
<p>Of course the colleges can’t force your mom to file before she is good and ready to file taxes. And of course, the colleges are under ZERO OBLIGATION to give you a confirmed financial aid package in the meantime. And of course, the government is under ZERO OBLIGATION to disperse any Federal Student Loans/Grants in the meantime, either.</p>
<p>Btw - we also were “lucky” and were verified/audited by UC Berkeley as well. I have no idea if our late filing helped trigger that, but it delayed things even more.</p>
<p>I’m actually relieved that we were verified … It makes me feel as though even if i made a mistake on the FAFSA - they’ll catch it and won’t offer the wrong aid package. I know I need to be responsible and not rely on “them” but …</p>
<p>Uum. This is not going to be a popular answer. You can use the 2009 numbers. You can use any numbers you want. You can just make them up. But you are committing fraud if you say those are the 2010 numbers. If they don’t ask for the return and they don’t ask for verification, you might get away with it. But until you state that the numbers you are using are 2010 numbers and if you are selected for verification, provide the 2010 proof, you won’t get the money. If your mother states that the numbers are indeed the 2010 numbers and when they come out, they are different, she and you can get into a lot of trouble. Like not get any more aid in addition to having to repay anything you got. It’s not ever a good thing to lie on forms but to fool around with the federal government that way is really risky, as they can shut you down very effectively if you are caught.</p>
<p>Oh gosh I thought so ! A lot of your answers makes sense (originally how I thought)… I’ve been warning my mom but she is too stubborn <em>sigh</em>. Well I will try to convince her to get the 2010 tax return done early, although IDK how ucsd is going to take it if we change the numbers dramatically, it might be too late.</p>
<p>I really don’t understand why people get extensions to file their income tax, especially when it will interfere with getting financial aid. Unless you have some unusual income sources (which may apply to the OP’s mom as a real estate agent), you should have everything you need (W-2, 1099, etc.) by January 31. How hard is it to find a few spare hours in 2 1/2 months?</p>
<p>Let me ask you this…if you use 2009 numbers, what is your EFC? If you use 2009 numbers, is your income under $80,000? </p>
<p>The problem I see is this…if you report a lower income and it qualifies you for Blue and Gold, then you’ll be awarded “free tuition (fees)”…and then your mom’s taxes get filed later with the much higher amounts, you’re all going to get in trouble AND you’ll owe that money back.</p>
<p>However, if your mom’s 2009 income is higher than $80k, then all of this will be for naught because you’re probably not going to qualify for any free aid anyway.</p>
<p>Is your mom doing this because she thinks you’re going to get “free aid” if she files later?</p>
<p>PLEASE have your mom all the school and ask her questions. She can give a phony name if she fears that she will be “exposing” herself or whatever…but she needs to hear the real answers from the “horse’s mouth”.</p>