I came to this understanding because, once again, the IDOC non-filer statement reads “Please submit supporting documentation for all income sources below…” This led me to believe that I would either have to submit with documentation or troubleshoot with the College Board. I have not invoked FAFSA or the IRS verification once in this thread. Colleges that I am applying to require that tax documents are submitted via the College Board’s IDOC website. This website has its very own non-tax filer statement. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like you are unfamiliar with the IDOC and the financial information that it does, in fact, require for non-tax filers.
Report the income. You don’t have any W-2 to submit. IF, and it is a big IF, you are selected for verification for the $100 or the $400, you just tell them “I worked for the city of Springfield in the summer of 2018 and didn’t receive a W-2.” They will believe you. MANY 15 year olds babysit or cut grass or walk dogs and do not get W-2s. In the big picture, that $500 won’t matter. Just answer when schools ask for info.
I will submit another form reporting the income. Do you suggest that I email each school explaining which non-tax filers form on my IDOC is correct or will they figure it out by themselves?
You’re right in that I have never personally used IDOC (all the colleges I dealt with that required financial documents thankfully did not use IDOC and asked that documents be sent directly to their FA office), but I know how the system works. Each college that uses IDOC independently determines which documents need to be transmitted through IDOC. So, IDOC does not require anything in particular from the applicant; that determination is made by each school. The bottom line is that if you had income in 2018, you need to report it, period. This shouldn’t be a hard concept for anyone to wrap their head around. If you are running into problems with what a school is asking you to submit through IDOC, contact the school or schools that have the requirement that presents a problem for you. That will probably be much less frustrating for you than dealing with strangers on an internet forum.
Lost track of how many times I have said this: I have no issue reporting the income. I am going to report the income. Every single school that I have applied to requires the non-tax filer form on IDOC that I have been talking about this entire thread. I was simply trying to determine how to go about this considering I had already submitted a statement that I cannot remove. Perhaps, I will need to contact every school, but I figured that I would stop here and see if anyone had any insight - evidently, a miscalculation.
In your first post:
In your most recent post:
Do you see the disconnect here?
(Edited to add: also, see the title of the thread.)
As I’m sure you have learned, IDOC is just a transmission mechanism. I’m sure you have also learned that the colleges that use it determine what kind of information needs to be transmitted through IDOC and in what format. Talk to the colleges. IDOC people can only help you with processing issues.
Just counted it out, and in my last 5 (five) posts, I have been clear that I am no longer debating whether to report the income or not. That is why I was confused when you suggested that I am struggling to understand the need for me to report the income. You are correct to assume that I understand what IDOC is. Unfortunately, IDOC does not account for the potential of erroneous document submission (example: inability to remove a document or flag it as incorrect). So, as I said in my last post, I will have to contact the colleges. Thanks for your help.
Well, it’s good that your understanding is now crystal clear. Best of luck getting everything straightened out, and with all your applications.
After hearing from so many applicants the trevails that have come about from trying to work through the IDOC process, I am glad that I never had to personally deal with it.
Lesson learned: keep your paystubs from any employment until you receive the W2 and compare that the information is correct.
Follow up with the employer in February if you haven’t received a W2.
You might want to file a tax return to get any federal withholding back, even if you are not required to. Then you don’t have to do the whole nonfiling verification.
If you are considered to be an independent contractor, instead of an employee, then you won’t get a W2, but a 1099 instead. The 1099 does have a minimum dollar amount that it has to reach before it has to be issued, I think $600.