@Mysonsdad I’m sorry about the breakdown. I’m pulling hairs here too. Just wish this process could be SIMPLE! ~X(
I did go through the website for every single one of S’s schols after reading that, verify deadlines, and update them on our financial aid spreadsheet. I’m not trusting the College Board for something this important.
I’m sorry for the stress so many of you are going through with this FA stuff. Hugs and chocolate to all! :x
I see what I am doing wrong. I am confusing the IDOC with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. I am assuming that the IRS Data Retrival Tool takes two weeks after your filed to submit information whereas as person can just can their 2015 completed IRS forms into the IDOC and send those off.
A minute to check in while D is clothes shopping and I see financial hell has broken out on the thread. 8-}
yes, yes, yes!
I so thought I was done with everything. DH checks things over & figures out we are still missing a 1099- ugh!!!
I think I can still submit the FAFSA but, the CSS is back on hold.
For the CSS, mine is 18 pages long including the information that only some colleges wanted. Do we only send in the pages that we have made corrections on? There are some things in the supplemental questions that I don’t want other colleges to see if they did not ask. m
@happymochi, it was more of a comical, incredulous breakdown than a holding-my-head-and-crying breakdown. lol
@Undercovermom1 pretty funny post
FAFSA=taxes must be complete and accepted by the IRS for a few weeks before the link will let you connect the two. You don’t have to correct your previous estimated taxes but you can make corrections and you must change from will file taxes to did file taxes to get the IRS link.
CSS=fill it in, can only make changes later by printing copies, writing them in, and mailing them in. Once colleges get the info they will send you an email to upload various documents to IDOCs. All colleges get all docs you submit so if 1 college only asks for 1040 and another asks for w2s the college asking for less info gets it all anyway. IDOCs took me just a few seconds to do; they just wanted scans or pdfs from your tax program. They do ask for signed tax forms which doesn’t happen with tax program pdfs so mine went in unsigned.
@mysonsdad if you are mailing in corrections to each school then yes you could theoretically send different info but I think the printout would still show the other schools.
@lknomad you can upload any old taxes you want as long as they are true, complete, and signed on IDOCs they don’t link to the IRS so for example if your taxes are done but you owe money and wanted to wait to officially file you could do that.
@palm715 There really is no way around giving this info. All the schools my son is applying to that require the CSS in bold print on their websites say they will only accept financial documents via IDOCs. It’s not even like you could mail them in. I liked that UChicago had us upload the tax form and w2 directly to them and had little 1 page form to fill out plus the FAFSA. I would much rather deal directly with the institution than the CB.
@dcplanner, what I was asking is, on the CSS Profile I only need to make corrections on the first 6 pages. Everything after (pages 7-18) is exactly the same. Can I just send in the first 6 pages to colleges that don’t use the IDOC? I guess for the colleges that use the IDOC they will get everything or can I scan most of the pages and then the colleges that have supplemental questions add that page later and send it after the others? Thanks for your help.
Also, I sent in the corrected FAFSA without waiting for the IRS retrieval tool to get my info. Does that matter? I figure they have my info and if they want it verified I will send it later.
@bookmom7- Not sure if someone mentioned this, but not all CSS schools require IDOC. S '16 has 8 CSS colleges and 2 require nothing other than the FAFSA as follow-up. One requires sending tax info after the FAFSA directly to the college. And these days they all seem to want the IRS data retrieval for verification. But one of the universities is not showing up on the IDOC because they do not want the information unless the student is admitted. I believe some have said Cornell has not sent out IDOC notification yet as well. You really need to google each school plus IDOC or check out the financial aid site closely. They can all be a bit different!
@Kat2013- Again, contact the schools and explain. They want you to run an estimate and submit the actual documents asap, but like I said before, they know things change. What they need the numbers for by the deadlines now is to give you a reasonably accurate financial aid package if and when your student is admitted. Whatever they give you number-wise will obviously be subject to change and that is why it has to be re-done every year anyway. Good luck!
Thank you @critter - did a quick search and all 3 do require IDOC uploads. More fun.
@bookmom7- Yipee! The fun never ends. And soon the threads will start about what to pack and how to ship items to college. I remember telling my brother before he started the process with his first one, you go through the trauma of all of the applications, which is semi-expected but just when that’s done, what really blind-sides people is the financial aid stuff. He too had never heard of the CSS or IDOC. But we used to have to make copies and send everything by snail-mail so at least there has been some improvement in the system!
We just got home. Chase really liked it. There were more students than we expected. I’m doubtful that Chase will be asked to join William Aiken, but he is in the Honors College and doesn’t seem too disappointed that his chances for WA are slim. They definitely rolled out the red carpet. All of the professors and Deans are very interested in the students . When Chase got to the CS department , there was a huge slide on the big screen with "
Welcome Dawn, Chase and Mackenzie" and the dean remembered him from the summer. They said we should here something by the end of the month.
@carolinamom2boys, that sounds really cool! Glad he enjoyed it and that he isn’t too stressed about getting or not getting to join William Aiken.
That’s great, @carolinamom2boys ! Always nice to feel wanted and remembered.
Just emerged from Financial Aid Hell. All I have left to do is send hard copies of the corrected CSS through snail mail…to eight schools. I shall go broke on postage for oversized first class mail…but it is finally done, thank heavens.
@readingclaygirl My S11 applied for accommodations with both…received it quickly from ACT. SAT denied him even with very compelling documented reasons for the accommodation, then we appealed with even more supporting info/documentation and they denied again. Psychologist, physician, GC and primary HS teachers were all stunned that it did not get approved.
Interesting to hear you had the exact opposite experience. I just assumed that ACT was more “user friendly” , “accommodating” and had more of a “heart” in looking at each individual situation since that was our experience, but obviously my generalization was not correct. Sorry to hear your experience with ACT was not good…and just when I was beginning to think they were the “preferred” testing service in the midst of all the controversy regarding College Board!
@carolinamom2boys Glad to hear it went well and you are home. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!