FAFSA & VITA GO HAND IN HAND Who else to better help a client with FAFSA than someone who does taxes?! Helping clients complete their FAFSA applications is just another service we can provide. 
What is FAFSA? Free Application For Student Financial Aid. This is the application that college, university, and trade school students need to complete to qualify for the Pell Grant, and now many scholarships also require this application to be completed.  Having said that, this isn't just for lower income families anymore.  Because so many people leave money on the table--meaning many who qualify for grants do not apply, or finish their application once its started, that now many merit based scholarships and student loans require the FAFSA to be completed as a requirement. 
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In the Fall: October 1st the new FAFSA applications opens up and it is recommended that students apply soon after. you see, schools also offer scholarships and some have limited funds so its more of a first-come-first serve basis and they look at FAFSA application date for some of these.  Anyways, many high schools hold FAFSA completion events and would welcome help during those events. Parents and students complete the application and sometimes just have questions about how to answer a question, especially during the financial section. This is where you could be  real asset--you know how to read a tax return! 
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 PDF of 2022-2023 Presentation--it has screen shots page by page for depended student and independent students 
https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08/Revised2324FAFSAPreviewPresentation.pdf
 Same as above but a Power Point
https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08/Revised2324FAFSAPreviewPresentation.pptx

FAFSA Resources For Volunteers, Parents & Students

From SWFL Community Foundation-Futuremaker's Coalition--FAF$A First! Campaign
DSemo Site: Get familiar with the FAFSA application by using their Demo Site-click image to learn out how.
SW Florida Community Foundation created the following resources to help parents & students. Feel free to share.
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You can contact me at maryvitataxes@gmail.com 
Please note: I, Mary Meador, AM NOT a certified accountant or tax law expert. I volunteer with VITA providing free tax preparation for individuals and families whose income is less than $66,000 a year. We deal with simple returns at our sites.  I cannot guarantee the accuracy of all the information on this site as tax laws change and I may not have a clear understanding of complicated issues. I am trying to provide basic tax preparation information for our volunteers to get started--remember Publication 4012 is your go-to resource for questions, as well as irs.gov and Publication 17.  I hope you find this information useful and easy to understand. Thanks for being a VITA/TCE volunteer!​