CSS Profile deadline in 3 days - College financial aid office not responding - urgent help needed
I'm totally panicking! My daughter got accepted Early Decision to her dream school and we need to submit the CSS Profile by November 1st (that's just 3 days away). I emailed the financial aid office last week with specific questions about reporting our rental property income and my self-employment deductions, but they haven't responded at all. I've called twice and just get voicemail. With ED being binding, I NEED to get this financial aid stuff right or we could be on the hook for the full $76,000/year! Does anyone know how rental properties should be reported on the CSS? And how detailed do I need to be with business expenses? Any advice from parents who've dealt with CSS Profile for Early Decision would be incredibly helpful right now!
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Amina Bah
I went through this last year with my son's ED application. For rental properties, CSS wants you to report the net income after expenses (mortgage, repairs, taxes, etc.) in the "Other Taxable Income" section. They'll ask for the property value separately in the assets section. For self-employment, they want your Schedule C net profit, not gross revenue. Make sure you're consistent with what you reported on your taxes or they might flag you for verification. Don't panic about the financial aid office not responding immediately - they're probably swamped with early deadline questions. As long as you submit by the deadline, you can always provide clarifications later if needed.
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Paolo Longo
•Thank you so much! One more question - we have a rental property that's actually operating at a small loss right now (-$3,200/year). Do I report that as negative income or just put zero? And do schools actually verify all this information against tax returns?
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Oliver Becker
OMG the CSS is THE WORST!!! I submitted one last week and it took me like 5 hours to figure everything out. Their website kept crashing too!! I think ur overthinking it tho, just put whatever matches ur tax forms and move on. That's what I did lol
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Paolo Longo
•That's reassuring to hear it's not just me struggling! Did your financial aid office actually verify all the details you submitted? I'm worried about making a mistake that could cost us thousands in aid.
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CosmicCowboy
For rental property reporting on the CSS Profile, you should enter the net income (or loss) exactly as it appears on your Schedule E. If you're showing a loss of $3,200, enter it as a negative number. The CSS Profile, unlike FAFSA, does allow for negative income in certain categories. Regarding business expenses for self-employment, report the net profit from Schedule C, line 31. Don't try to recalculate or adjust these numbers - use exactly what's on your tax return. Schools that require the CSS Profile typically do verify this information, especially for Early Decision applicants. Many will request copies of your complete tax returns including all schedules during their verification process.
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Oliver Becker
•Wait they can ask for ur WHOLE tax return??!! Nobody told me that! I might have rounded some numbers... am I gonna be in trouble?
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Natasha Orlova
I had the same issue last yr w/ my sons ED school not responding to CSS questions. Ended up filing it based on my best guess and turns out I reported our home equity completely wrong!! Had to go thru a whole appeal process later. So stressful!!!
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Paolo Longo
•Oh no, that sounds awful! Did the appeal affect the amount of aid he received? I'm worried about making mistakes since this is our first time with the CSS Profile.
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Javier Cruz
Im filling out CSS for my daughter too and its SO CONFUSING!!! Why do they need all this info anyway?? FAFSA was bad enough but this is like 10x worse. Good luck getting through to financial aid offices this time of year lol
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Emma Thompson
If you're struggling to reach the financial aid office, you might want to try Claimyr. I was in a similar situation last year when my son applied ED to Northeastern, and I couldn't get anyone on the phone for days. I found this service at claimyr.com that got me connected to a human at the financial aid office in less than 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how it works. It really saved me when I was up against that November 1st deadline and had questions about reporting my divorce settlement on the CSS Profile.
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Paolo Longo
•Thanks for the tip! At this point I'm desperate enough to try anything. The deadline is so close and I really need to speak with someone who can give official answers.
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Malik Jackson
The whole financial aid system is DESIGNED to be confusing!! Colleges want you to make mistakes so they can give you less money. And Early Decision is the WORST because you're locked in no matter what aid they give you. The CSS Profile is just another way for these already-rich schools to squeeze more data out of families. They don't need all this information - they're just being nosy about your finances!
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Amina Bah
•That's not entirely accurate. While the CSS Profile is more detailed than FAFSA, it's designed to create a more complete financial picture, which can actually benefit families with complex situations. Many schools use it to award institutional aid that goes beyond federal funding. Early Decision does require commitment, but most reputable schools have policies allowing students to be released from ED agreements if the financial aid package truly makes attendance impossible.
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Oliver Becker
Hey does anyone know if u have to report ur bitcoin on the CSS Profile?? I forgot to put that on mine lol
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CosmicCowboy
•Yes, cryptocurrency holdings need to be reported as investments on the CSS Profile. If you've already submitted without including them, you should contact both the College Board and the financial aid offices at your schools to provide updated information. Failure to report assets can result in penalties or loss of aid eligibility if discovered later.
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Natasha Orlova
When I finally got through to someone at the financial aid office, they told me the CSS profile is just a starting point and we'd have a chance to explain our specific financial situation after submitting. That made me feel better about the whole thing.
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Paolo Longo
•That's good to know! How long did it take between submitting the CSS Profile and hearing back about your financial aid package? I'm worried about timing since ED is binding and we need to know the aid amount before fully committing.
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Amina Bah
To address your concern about timing: most schools will send preliminary aid offers with your ED acceptance letter in mid-December. You'll typically have until May 1st to make your final decision, and schools understand that financial aid is a crucial factor. If the package is truly unworkable for your family, you can appeal or potentially be released from the ED commitment. For the CSS Profile specifically, just make sure you're reporting information exactly as it appears on your tax documents. For your rental property loss, enter it as a negative number. And don't forget to report the property value in the assets section as well. The most important thing is consistency with your tax returns.
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Paolo Longo
•Thank you for the detailed information. I think I understand better now how to report our rental property. One last question - do we include the mortgage balance when reporting the property value, or just the current market value minus what we owe?
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