I live in louisiana and have not filed my taxes for 2 years, how do i get financial aid?

Question

I work for a private attorney who recently left his firm when i begin to work for him. Because of this he never had to worry about paying secretarys and such so i was his first. The first year he took out the proper taxes from my check but didn't set up seperate accounts like he was suppose to per the government so to avoid penaltys he just wrote me a check for all my withholdings and didn't claim me, therefore i didn't file for taxes. The second year, pretty much the same thing happened, he tried to do it right but to no avail so again, i wasnt given a w2 or any other forms to file my taxes. He's on the right track this year because he has hired an accounting firm to do his payroll. But due to the mistakes made the prior 2years i have ran into trouble applying for financial aid (especially fasfa) because i have not done taxes in two years and now i won't be able to start school until May when i file this years taxes. If any one knows of any other options i may have at this point HELP!

I've been to the financial aid office already, the lady there told me that there was really nothing i could do but wait till May when i file my tax return for this year...however several friends have told me i could just say i've been unemployed which is an option this lady really wasn't about me "lying to the federal government"

Answer 1

It doesn't matter, unless you meet the qualifications for being an independent (over 25 (I think), in grad school, married, that sort of thing). If you are independent, you probably need to go to the financial aid office of the school you want to go to and explain the situation. They should know what to do. Good night!

Answer 2

There is an option on the FAFSA that says "Will Not File" when asking you about your income and tax status for 2006. Simply choose that option and move on. If you are doing it on line, I believe the program will skip all the questions about your adjusted gross income, as you didn't have any since you didn't file. If it doesn't skip this question, then leave it blank or enter a 0.
Then, where it says, "How much did you earn from working (wages, salaries, tips, combat in 2006? (Answer this question whether or not you filed a tax
return.)" Enter what you earned from Mr. Squeaky Clean Lawyer for the year. Say it's 25,000.
You definitely CAN file without having done taxes... it happens all the time. Now, here is the catch... You will likely be selected for verification from the Dept of Education because you said you won't file a tax return. This means you must prove to the fin aid office at the school that all the information on your FAFSA is correct. Including the 25,000 in income. You will be asked to fill out additional paperwork verifying number in household, assets, income, etc Usually they ask for signed tax forms to verify.

But, since you didn't file taxes you are going to have to produce documentation to confirm that 25,000. W2's would be ideal. Since you don't have that, the second best thing would be copies of your cancelled paychecks or the little stub that goes with them. I'm sure you can get access to these or Mr. Squeaky Clean Lawyer has access to them to turn into the fin aid office. If he can't, which there is no reason why he shouldn't unless he has something to hide, then ask him for a letter on his letterhead with his signature confirming the 25,000, attach one of his business cards. The fin aid may, or may not accept this, but I'd personally hold out for the check copies - I'm sure the financial aid office won't refute this.

You may find out that Mr. Squeaky Clean Lawyer thinks all this is too much trouble. So ask him to "make it right" for the past two years and issue you a real W2 by contacting the accounting company that is working for him now.


On a personal note, aside from everything above, You do realize Mr. Squeaky Clean is"buying you off" right? Just be aware, you are required to file taxes on your income regardless if your employer provides you a W2 or not.

Answer 3

If you didn't make over $6K they OWE YOU MONEY but you have to claim it by filing. After 3 years they will no longer refund. If you made under $6K you need only get a 1040EZ for the years in question (you can find it at the IRS web site), get copies of your W2s, list how much you made, how much they witheld if you mader under $6K and NO ONE TOOK YOU OFF THEIR TAXES (like PArents) you are entitled to all witholding tax back for both years.

Answer 4

Melissa,
u need to find a cpa tax lawyer today.
u didn't file for 2 yrs?
u have a tax problem that will put u on the street or in jail.
don't worry about finacial aid u got IRS legal problems that need to be fixed today!

Answer 5

you could try to hire an accountant or a tax attorney to help sort out this mess, but that could be costly...or you could try talking to your school's financial aid office and explaining your predicament.

Answer 6

may be you need a tax attorney. For Louisiana I found interesting information about your answer, college loans,SCHOLARSHIPS, college grants here. http://all-student-loan-consolidation.blogspot.com/2007/07/scholarships.html Good luck!