Do you need to file your tax return before filing out a FAFSA application?
97856
No, you do not need to file your tax return first, although it would be more helpful.  Just fill out the FAFSA with rough estimates (use last year's tax return to estimate).  When you do file your tax return, you can go back to FAFSA and edit your info.  So don't worry. =)
5993
It completely depends upon your income (if independent) and/or the income or your parent or guardian (if you are their dependent).  As far as FAFSA is concerned, becoming independent means that there is no one else besides you that can be held responsible for the costs of your education.  Therefore, you could stand to make out pretty well with government loans if your personal income is less than that of your parents.  \nI was just going through making this decision myself because, although I am financially independent, FAFSA still considers me my parents' dependent because I am not yet 24 (when you turn 24 you become an "Adult Student" in the eyes of FAFSA, whatever that means...).  I would get much more financial aid if I could file independently, but they will not allow me to.
321143
Yes, you must file a state return unless you live and work in a state that does not have state income taxes. Those states are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Otherwise...your stuck.
21935
There is a website that I have used in the past to see how much money I will get before I filled out the lengthy FAFSA application that might help in your situation.  You just enter your financial information in the boxes and then gives you your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) as well as the amount you will receive from the pell grant.
974366
First submit your FAFSA- everyone is "approved" by fafsa- the amount you will receive in loans and scholarships is based upon your financial need- and that of your parents if you are not considered an Independent student.  If you qualify as an independent study, (you would have to prove that you supported yourself for one year prior to being admitted into college) you would then qualify for the MOST in subsidized and unsubsidized stafford loans.  Apply for FAFSA online, list the school/schools you are interested in.  *you will need your income tax info for last year from you and your parents.  And NO, you do NOT need to be accepted to a college first-it is better to submit the form before you commit to any college- you will then get EFC-expected family contribution $$$ so you can foresee what colleges you can truly afford to go to--- Good luck- again, google fafsa, there will be many other sites to help look for other scholarships.
389878
Stafford and Perkins, two of the loans that you might obtain upon filing the FAFSA require NO CREDIT CHECK.  Your college Financial Aid administrator will used your FAFSA results to determine your eligibility for these funds. Federal grant aid (Pell and SEOG) and non-loan Federal self-help aid (such as work-study) are also awarded without regard to a student's credit rating.\n\nOnce you have exhausted your options for Federal Aid, look to your school for other types of funding. You would do yourself a disservice if you didn't go to your college for Financial Aid information!  The Financial Aid/Financial Services staff will have additional information about scholarships, fellowships, and other types of financial aid that you can apply for through them. Many schools even have their own non-credit-based no-interest (or low-interest) loan programs. If you don't ask, you will never know.\n\nIf you must borrow a private/alternative loan to supplement your Federal and institutional aid package, ask someone with *good* credit to co-sign the loan with you.  By doing so, you could be approved AND obtain a better interest rate.  if you have no co-signer, there are still other loan companies out there that offer loan products to students with poor credit.  Here, too, is a place where your school's Financial Aid office can help.  Even if they don't have a list of loan companies for you to look at, they should at least be able to tell you whether the loan companies that you are considering is reputable.
1171793
You should complete a financial aid application at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  The grants and loans awarded through this application are not based on your credit.  You will need your tax returns to complete the application.  Contact your financial aid office for the timeline on what you must do after the application is recieved.  \n\nDO NOT pay for a scholarship search!  Search at www.fastweb.com this is a free scholarship search.
6465
If you received the pell grant by filling out the FAFSA and then decide not to go to college for a semester you don't have to pay the money back as long as you don't enroll yourself in any classes.  If you already enrolled but the semester hasn't started yet contact the college and drop that semester to avoid having to pay back your pell grant.  If the classes have already started, but you can still drop the classes, then do so as soon as possible.  If the classes have already started, and it is too late to drop the classes, you will have to pay a portion of your pell grant back to the government.  You can still withdraw from the classes to avoid getting an "F" in every class, but since the deadline to drop the classes has passed your transcript will still show a "W" in every class, which is considered as failing as far as your financial aid is concerned.  Your best bet is to talk to your college financial aid office to see what options are available.
65893
OK, I just took a Federal Income Tax class so I hope this helps.\n\n- If your parents claim you as a dependent (you are  under 19 or a student and under 24), you will have file a return if you earned more than $6,250 for the entire year (for 2005).\n\n- If your parent do not claim you as a dependent, then you must file if you make more than $8,200 if you're single and $16,400 if you're married filing jointly (all amounts are for the entire year).\n\nSo, assuming you meant $911.88 for the entire year, you do not have to file unless federal taxes were withheld from your paycheck and you want a refund to get it back.\n\nIf $911.88 was a bi-weekly or weekly paycheck, then you will need to file in either case.  You can use a Form 1040EZ to file your taxes if you don't have a bunch of tax-related things going on (deductions, exemptions, dividends or interest income, student loan interest or educations credits, etc).
313795
If you live with your mother (and not your father) and your parents are divorced, you are only required to include your mother's income/asset information on the FAFSA.  Do not include your father's income.  Why? The Web application (or paper app) will ask about your parent's marital status.  If you say that your parents are divorced but then provide income/asset information for both parents, sometimes the FAFSA will be rejected.  So put down your mom only.\n\nIf your grandfather moves in with you and your mother, you will need to include him in the question that asks "number in household" -- but do not include his SSN or income/asset information on the form, as he is not considered a parent under federal regulations (read the FAFSA instructions as far as who is considered a parent; they are very clear cut).\n\nYour eligibility for Pell depends on many more factors than simply income.  You *will* need to report the alimony that your mother receives, as it is still considered income (whether it is taxed or untaxed).  However, if this $16,000 is all your mother has and she is supporting herself, you, AND your grandfather with it, you will likely be Pell eligible, assuming none of you have investments or savings to report.
314435
In theory, the only thing you need to do in order to obtain Federal Aid is complete the FAFSA with your school's code 6-digit code on it.  However, your school can require a number of other items from you before your application is considered complete, as follows:\n\nMake sure that your school doesn't have a separate institutional application. Many schools do have their own form on which they collect supplemental information.  If they have one, complete it ASAP for maximum consideration for financial aid.\n\nMany schools now require their students to submit copies of parent [if you are dependent] and student tax returns, W2s included.  Some schools require these items from you ONLY IF you are selected for Verification. Check the SAR (Student Aid Report) -- which will be sent to you by FAFSA Central Processing once your form is processed -- to see if you have been selected for Verification (this will appear in the Comments section).  \n\nIf you're been selected for Verification (or if your school is one of several that verifies ALL applicants), you will also need to complete a Verification Worksheet -- either the standard federal form or a form that the school has created.  This form will ask questions about your untaxed income, # in household, # in college, etc.  \n\nIf this is not your first time in college, you may need to provide your financial aid office with information about your old school. There are a few schools out there that require something they refer to as a "financial aid transcript." On this form, they might ask you for information about scholarships/awards that you received in the past.  (Sometimes your current school will confirm this data directly with your old school, so be honest).\n\nIf you are a dependent student with siblings in college, your school may actually require you to send a form to your sibling's school for his/her Registrar to certify your sister/brother's enrollment there.  (Why do they do this?  Because every sibling you have in school lowers your EFC and increases your eligibility for aid.)  These types of forms are more rare.\n\nLastly, if this is your first year in college, make sure your Admissions file is complete.  Many aspects of your Fnancial Aid award depend on this.  For example, your financial aid cannot be disbursed until your school has confirmed that you have earned a "qualifying degree" (i.e. they must have your final high school transcript that states that you officially graduated before you can get your money).\n\n[See the links below for examples of some of the types of forms mentioned above.]
464626
You do not get a "FAFSA check."  You get a list of loans and grants that you are eligable for.  Actually, your school will tell you what you are eligible for.  It could be nothing...it could be everything.
60918
Yes, but not all schools can accept funds from the government.  You will need to get the federal code from the school to complete the FAFSA correctly.  This will enable the government to send the results directly to the school.
236004
did u fill out your fasfa and they didn't even give you a loan option? have you talked about it with your school? I would first ask my school and listen to what they have to say because they typicaly know all the answers to that. I would also try for scholarships which can be found in great numbers at Fast web. hopefully this is somewhat helpful
1074564
yes you do. go to IRS.GOV and in the keywords enter 940 and 941 instructions. It said that you still have to file even if you have no taxes withheld unless you are filing a final return. I hope this helps you!
240836
you can file your state taxes first and then you can file your federal taxes.  i typically wait to file my federal return because i typically owe some money, so im in no hurry to give uncle silly my cash.
1009491
Ok this is when you go to the financial aid office and request a meeting or request an appeal with FAFSA. The best way to go about this is to speak with the head of your financial aid department and find out the procedure for your individual school. I am a college student and have gone through similar situations in the past. Just walk into your schools financial aid department and tell them your situation.