It’s CSS Profile filing time! (Okay, that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like “It’s pumpkin spice latte season!”) It doesn’t have as much of a heady aroma either, but there’s still good news here: You can drink as many PSLs you want while you fill out the CSS Profile.

Whether you’ve been armed with your pen, paper and laptop since the beginning of your child’s senior year (heck, junior year!) or you’re completely bewildered by the CSS Profile, we’ll catch you up. 

We’ll also give you some top tips on filing the CSS Profile and in the process, will remove any last bit of confusion you have about the CSS Profile. Let’s dive in!

What is the CSS Profile?

The CSS Profile, administered by the College Board, is an online application that assists colleges or universities to determine your child’s eligibility for non-federal financial aid. 

Filling out the CSS Profile can boost your child’s financial aid award using the college’s own (institutional) funds. Here are a few quick facts about the CSS Profile:

• Not every college requires you to fill it out. Take a look at the College Board’s website for the full list of colleges and universities that require the CSS Profile application.
• The first application costs $25. Reports for additional schools cost $16 each. You may be able to get a fee waiver if your family’s annual household income is $45,000 or less.
• You can file now. Get going on the CSS Profile as soon as you can because aid is distributed from each school on a first-come, first-served basis.
• The opening date for the CSS Profile is the same as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): October 1 every year. The FAFSA differs from the CSS Profile in the way it calculates certain assets. Filling out the CSS Profile does not take the place of the FAFSA — you should file both.

Why Fill Out the CSS Profile?

First of all, you want to fill out the CSS Profile because you’re a supportive parent and you want to help your child with every financial opportunity to attend college, right? The CSS Profile zeroes in on lots of factors that affect you and your child’s ability to pay for school and ultimately, this deep look could help your student get more aid for college. 

The CSS Profile requires you to take a deeper look into your family finances compared to the FAFSA. It even dives into, for example, things like household and medical expenses. The CSS Profile also considers the costs of caring for a disabled child, a job loss or other financial hardships.

When to Fill Out the CSS Profile

Unlike the FAFSA, which is due by June 30 of each year, the CSS Profile’s deadline varies. Most schools’ deadlines land between January 1 and March 31. Check with the admission counselor or financial aid professional at the school that your child applies to and get those exact deadlines. 





How to Fill Out the CSS Profile 

It’s a great idea to break the CSS Profile into just a few steps. (Anything’s easier when you break it down!)

Step 1: Create a College Board account.

It could be easier than you think: Your child may already have a College Board account if he or she has already taken the SAT. Sign in or create an account by going to the College Board website.

Step 2: Gather documents and your student’s information.

Gather a few materials before you even sit down at your computer: 

• Previous year’s federal tax returns
• W-2 forms or other records of income for the previous year
• Records of untaxed income for the previous year
• Bank statements
• Mortgage information
• Investment information, including savings, stocks, bonds and trusts
• Other information about other assets like your car, businesses and more (if applicable)

Gathering documents and your child’s information ahead of time can lessen the amount of time it takes to file.

Step 3: Complete and submit the CSS Profile.

The CSS Profile asks basic questions about your taxes and filing status, private awards your child has received and includes a section about Student Expected Resources. In this section, you must input information about any financial help you expect to give your student (or which other relatives plan to give), as well as any money your student may earn during the next year.

Note: If you’re divorced or separated, the custodial parent must fill it out. This is the parent your child lived with the most during the past 12 months. If you’ve got joint custody with your ex-spouse, make sure the parent who provided your child with the most financial support during the past 12 months fills out the CSS Profile. The college may require you to fill out the CSS Profile for Noncustodial Parents. The CSS Profile participation link indicates whether you need to fill that out or not.

Check your work before you submit the application. Unfortunately, you can’t change your answers electronically once you hit the “submit” button. You’ll need to print out your application summary form and make your corrections, then fax, email or mail them in to each financial aid office of every school on your child’s list.



Dos and Don’ts for Filling Out the CSS Profile

When you fill out the CSS Profile, you know it’s serious business. Your child’s financial aid package is at stake. Here are some tips for filling out the CSS Profile.

Tip 1: Don’t get in a hurry.

Plan for plenty of time so you can concentrate. It takes roughly 45 minutes to two hours to complete, and know that it gets easier each year! Get comfortable and relax. Spend as much time as you need to on each section.

Tip 2: Do something you enjoy while filling it out.

Remember that PSL mentioned earlier? Grab one, sip on it and enjoy — or grab something else. You’re probably not having the time of your life as you file the CSS Profile (who does?) but you can do something you enjoy. Watch a favorite TV show, eat a snickerdoodle, Zoom with a friend who’s doing the exact same thing.

Tip 3: Don’t try to fill out the FAFSA and the CSS Profile at the same time.

You’ve got it all planned out: You want to knock out the FAFSA and the CSS Profile all at once. You’ve got three screens set up and you’re intent on zipping between both. It sounds like a good idea, but it’s important to know that the FAFSA and the CSS Profile involve two very different processes — they’re two completely different applications. You may get overwhelmed and end up spending more time on both than if you’d just done them separately.

Set aside time to do each one separately — preferably on different days. 

Tip 4: Don’t wait till the last minute to fill it out.

As mentioned, most schools’ CSS Profile deadlines land between January 1 and March 31. You’d hate to spend New Year’s Eve scrambling for tax documents, wouldn’t you? 

At Quatromoney, we believe that now’s a great time to complete the CSS Profile, before the craziness of the holiday season begins. 

Take Care of the CSS Profile

You’ll need to fill out the CSS Profile every year, so how you approach the first year could set the stage for the next years to come. If you approach it with dread, it might hang over you next year like a lead blanket.

Grab that PSL (and maybe a cookie or two) and enjoy!