To Apply For Aid in Academic Year Parents’ Financial Statement 2011-2012 Instruction Booklet In this Instruction Booklet, you’ll fi nd guidance for completing the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) to apply for fi nancial aid for the 2011-12 Academic Year. Prepare to apply! ............................................................................Page 2 Complete the PFS fully ...................................................................Page 3 Sign your PFS and provide nonrefundable payment .................... Page 7 Mail your PFS to School and Student Services (SSS) .................. Page 7 SSS Codes ....................................................................................... Page 8 Terms and Conditions ...................................................................Page 14 Additional School Request form ..................................................Page 16 Submitting Additional Required Documents Many schools require that you submit documents in addition to your Parents’ Financial Statement. If the school(s) to which you are applying has instructed you to send additional documents to SSS, you may send them either with the PFS or separately, using one of the envelopes provided in this Instruction Booklet. Please help us identify and process the documents you send! • Include the Required Documents Cover Sheet (which is attached to the paper PFS). Indicate on the cover sheet which documents you are enclosing. Do not mail in photocopies of a PFS you previously submitted. • Include one copy (not the original) of each document you have been instructed by the school to send. For documents smaller than 8 ½” x 11” (e.g., some W 2s), copy each document onto a full size sheet of paper, or tape each one to a full size sheet of paper. Do not use paper clips or staples. • Write your telephone number in the top margin of each document. If any document does not have the name of Parent A, Parent B, or one of the student applicants, write Parent A’s name at the top of the document. • Mail to SSS (address on page 7) at least 10 days before the school deadline. For faster processing of your PFS, you can also opt to apply online at sss.nais.org/parents. Online applications are processed immediately upon submission. School and Student Services By NAIS • (800) 344-8328 • [email protected]/parents © 2010 National Association of Independent Schools Prepare to Apply! Browse the Frequently Asked Questions below. Th en gather the materials you’ll need to refer to as you begin your PFS, such as your W 2s and your IRS 1040 Tax Forms. What is School and Student Services (SSS By NAIS)? SSS is a fi nancial aid services provider. SSS is owned by the National Association of Independent Schools, a nonprofi t membership association. Many private schools and organizations across the country use SSS to help them assess a family’s ability to pay school costs. SSS helps schools make objective and equitable fi nancial aid decisions. Th e philosophy behind the SSS process is that parents are primarily responsible to fi nance their child’s education to the extent they are able. What is the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS)? Th e Parents’ Financial Statement is the cornerstone of your fi nancial aid application. When you submit your PFS to SSS, you are granting permission to analyze your fi nancial information. We analyze your income, expenses, and family assets. Th en we estimate the amount you can contribute to school expenses. We send that estimate to all of the schools you indicate in Section B. Schools use that estimate as a starting point to determine your family’s fi nancial aid package. Each school makes its own fi nancial aid decisions, taking into consideration its budget and fi nancial aid policies. Is my information safe? Yes. Th e process we use at SSS to protect your information meets the most rigorous standards. Schools that use SSS are also encouraged to keep your information private and to allow access to as few people as possible. Statements and other paper documents in the SSS confi dential fi les will be destroyed one year after receipt. How much does it cost to have my PFS processed and sent to schools? If you apply using the printed form, the cost is $47 to process the PFS and send it to as many schools as you indicate. Th e fee is nonrefundable. Please note that if you apply online at sss.nais.org/parents, the fee is lower, $35. If you cannot aff ord either fee, contact the school to which you are applying for information about the SSS Fee Waiver Program. How long does it take SSS to process the PFS? Please mail in the PFS at least 10 days before the school’s due date. Th is allows time for U.S. mail delivery as well as time for SSS to process your application. Why apply online? Most families (nearly 90% this past year) apply online. In addition to saving $12, families who apply online benefi t from tools that ensure accuracy. Information from online applications will also be delivered to schools more quickly. NOTE: Do not apply both in print AND online. You will not be reimbursed for duplicate submissions. Can I change the information after I submit the PFS? Yes. You can submit changes online at sss.nais.org/parents (no fee). Can I decide to send my information to additional schools after I submit the PFS? Yes. To do so, use the Additional School Request Form (ASR) included in this booklet or use the ASR online at sss.nais.org/go/additionalschoolrequest. Th ere is no fee to do so. Can I withdraw my application after I submit it? No. Once you have submitted and paid for your Parents’ Financial Statement, it cannot be withdrawn from the SSS system, and your fee cannot be refunded. Are there any other forms I must complete? Many schools require that you submit forms in addition to the PFS – such as tax forms or an SSS Business/Farm statement for those applicants who own businesses. Some schools have SSS collect those documents on their behalf. Check with the school(s) to which you are applying to see what is required, where you should send it and by what date. If you have been instructed by the school to send materials to SSS, see the cover page section titled Submitting Additional Required Documents. How do I know if SSS has received my PFS or other documents? If you provide an e-mail address in Question 1 of the PFS, we will use it to send you a confi rmation that your PFS has been received. You can also visit sss.nais.org/parents to track whether the documents you sent in have been received. (Allow 10 days for the documents to have been received and processed.) What if I am not the parent of the student applicant? If you are fi nancially responsible for the student, complete the PFS (fi ll in the section for Parent A). Th en, in Section F: Notes of the PFS, include a description of your relationship to the child. What if I have more than one child? You can use one printed PFS to apply for aid for up to three children and to send the results for these children to up to three schools each. If you wish to apply for aid for more than three children, ask the fi nancial aid administrator at each school whether you need to complete more than one PFS. What if I do not know the exact amount in response to a question? If you do not know an actual amount, give your best estimate. Enter a zero (0) if no other amount applies. Do NOT leave items blank. Do NOT enter symbols, such as >, <, ~, or N/A, or words such as “none,” “same,” or “unknown.” Round all fi gures to the nearest dollar. If you estimate, for any question, that your 2011 amounts will diff er by $5,000 or more from amounts for 2010, please explain in Section F: Notes. If I applied last year, do I have to fi ll out another PFS? Yes, you should fi le a new PFS for every year that you apply for fi nancial aid. Whom do I ask for help? SSS Customer Service is available at (800) 344-8328 or [email protected] at the following times to help you complete the PFS: November – December January – March Monday-Friday: 9:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. EST Monday-Friday: 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M. EST Saturday: 9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. EST Saturday: 9:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. EST If you have questions about your fi nancial aid award or about school requirements, call the school directly. 2 Complete the PFS Fully It’s critical that you complete the PFS fully and accurately. Use a pen and print clearly. Use this question-by-question guide below. While all fi elds on the PFS are required, the items marked below with an asterisk(*) are particularly critical. We cannot begin to process your application if you omit these fi elds. Note: References to tax form line numbers below may vary slightly from the actual line numbers on 2010 tax forms. A Household Information *1 Parent/Guardian A and B: Fill in the contact information exactly as you do on tax and other offi cial forms. If your name has a suffi x, put it at the end of your “Last Name,” separated by one blank space. Be sure to include a phone number, and preferably an e-mail address, so we can contact you if necessary. If either parent has more than one job, please list one in Question 1, then describe the other jobs in Section F: Notes.