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We have already filed the CSS Profile before November 1 due to early action applications at two universities.

Should we now:
1) Fill out the FAFSA on 01/01/2004 and make it match the numbers on CSS Profile.
2) Fill out the FAFSA on 01/01/2004 using current numbers and then amend the CSS Profile to match.
3) Fill out the FAFSA on 01/01/2004 using current numbers and don't worry about the differences.

Thanks as always for your advice.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - 01:30 pm: Edit

You can't amend the PRofile, however you can adjust the figures with your schools fin aid form.
Fill out the FAFSA on 1-1-04 using the correct numbers for that date.
After you submit application to schools they will undoubtably send their own (short) forms, with which they can adjust their figures to reflect your status.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 06:28 am: Edit

The FOLLOWING year, while your student is a freshman and you are applying for financial aid for their sophomore year, the filing schedule is much more relaxed---and makes better sense.

Then, you can file your tax return first. Then file the CSS Profile. File the FAFSA last---because the CSS provides a "FAFSA Worksheet" to pull the numbers off of. Doing things in this order will make all of your form's information agree.

The FIRST year, hardly any of the figures agree! The colleges know this is going to happen because you are doing a lot of estimating. Don't worry----the final financial aid determination for the school you will attend will be adjusted for actual figures. The college will actually sit down with your real tax returnand verified bank balances, take figures from them, and THEY will ammend YOUR FAFSA! In the middle of the summer you will receive a strange message from the Dept of Education thanking you for submitting ammended figures---"What? I didn't submit any changes!!!"---Don't worry, the college changed your FAFSA. That will change your EFC up or down and it will be that final EFC that the college will use to determine the amount of aid you get. Of course you will want to look at those changes and make sure you agree with them.