<p>I am applying for financial aid at my community college. I don’t know how to make a copy of parents’ tax return? Do i photocopy each page of the whole thing?
I have never done this before. So please help me. Thanks. :)</p>
<p>Yes, each page should be copied, including the schedules</p>
<p>Yes photocopy the whole return. Check the place for a signature…if your parents efiled, they would not have written their signature on that return. They will need to do so before you mail it off to the college (and date it the date they FILED their return…because that is when the “electronically” signed it).</p>
<p>Also, I suggest writing YOUR name and SSN on the top of each page. That way if it gets dropped on the floor in the mail room when it is opened, they’ll know which file it belongs to.</p>
<p>Be aware that if you copy items at a commercial place like Staples that the copy machines have a chip in them that actually records what is being copied.</p>
<p>If you’re worried a common copier keeps a digital copy, ask them their policy. If they don’ t have one or don’t think it’s an issue and you do, don’t use them.</p>
<p>With that said we send this information electronically and keep it on our computers all the time…we leave sensitive stuff on our smart phones and leave them places. You are responsible for protecting the information. Shred any “bad” copies. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t write my SSN on the documents unless that’s the id the school is using for you. Instead I would write the student id if you can. </p>
<p>Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Re: SSNs and putting them on top of the tax return…the parents’ and student (and any siblings’) SSNs are ON the tax return itself. Required info.</p>
<p>Agree about using student ID, if one has it. But usually the first time a student goes thru this process is during application and student ID’s may not be issued until acceptance.</p>
<p>Yes, the parent’s SSN is on the parent’s return, but the parent is not applying for finaid. The student is, and the college finaid file is under the studdnt’s name.</p>
<p>If the parents declare the kids a dependents…the kid’s social security numbers are also listed ON the tax return.</p>
<p>Since they are there already…it wouldn’t be a problem to put them there again, one wouldn’t think.</p>
<p>HOWEVER…that being said…if the school has given the student an ID number to use, they should put that and their name on top of each page of ANYTHING sent to the college.</p>
<p>I am not a fan of putting the SSN on the tax return. In fact, I encouraged my families to black out the SSNs on the return. In the past, schools did require SSNs, but with identity theft a real concern, many schools do not require it. If our students did not yet have a student ID, we went requested the student’s full name and last four digits of their SSN at the top of EACH page submitted; otherwise, name and student ID were required on EACH page submitted.</p>
<p>And while I think about it … if your bank account number is on the return (for direct deposit of a refund), it is a good idea to black that out, as well.</p>
<p>Excellent advice from Kelsmom…perhaps using just the last four digits of the SSN would suffice if the student does NOT yet have an ID number from the school. </p>
<p>In any event…write your full name…and maybe your address.</p>
<p>I know that one of our kids had at least THREE other students with the same name in his class at his university. Thus the need for some kind of identifying thing in addition to the name.</p>