SO WHERE DO I START? IT ALL STARTS WITH FILLING OUT THE FAFSA FORM!

Creating an Account We strongly recommend you create your account before starting your FAFSA form. Your account username and password combination, called your FSA ID, gives you access to certain information online and allows you to sign your FAFSA® form and promissory notes electronically. While you can get your FSA ID as you’re completing the FAFSA form online, getting it ahead of time and using it to fill out the FAFSA form on fafsa.gov cuts down on errors and delays. Find out how to get an FSA ID and what to do if you forget your FSA ID.

Important note: If you’re a dependent student, one of your parents whose information is reported on the FAFSA form will also need an FSA ID so that your parent can sign your application electronically. If your parent doesn’t have a Social Security number (SSN), your parent won’t be able to create an FSA ID (which requires an SSN). This means you’ll have to select the option to print a signature page when you get to the end of your FAFSA form on fafsa.gov. Creating your FSA ID before you begin the FAFSA® form only takes a few minutes and could prevent processing delays. Tip: Use your FSA ID to start your FAFSA form. When you create your FSA ID, be careful to enter your name and Social Security number exactly as they appear on your Social Security card. Then, if you go to fafsa.gov to start your application and indicate that you are the student, you will be given the option to enter your FSA ID or to enter your “identifiers” (your name, date of birth, and SSN). If you log in with your FSA ID, certain information (including your name, Social Security number, and date of birth) will be automatically loaded into your application. This will prevent you from running into a common error that occurs when your verified FSA ID information doesn’t match the information on your FAFSA form. Additionally, you won’t have to provide your FSA ID again to sign your FAFSA form electronically or to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) if you’re eligible. The student is the one applying for financial aid, so be sure it’s the student entering their FSA ID in the “I am a student and want to access the FAFSA form” section. Do not start the FAFSA form by supplying the parent’s FSA ID in the student role. Gathering the Documents Needed to Apply The FAFSA questions ask for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and about your financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, whether you’re a U.S. citizen or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the FAFSA application: Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!) Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student Your driver’s license number if you have one Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen Federal tax information, tax documents, or tax returns, including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student: IRS Form1040 Foreign tax return or IRS Form 1040-NR Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you and for your parents if you are a dependent student Keep these records! You may need them again. Do not mail these supporting records to us. Try This Resource 2023–24 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet—Provides a preview of the questions students and parents may be asked while completing the FAFSA form. One thing you don’t need for the FAFSA® form is money! The FAFSA form is FREE, so if a website asks you to pay to fill it out, you’re not dealing with the official FAFSA site. Remember, this is a government application, so it’s on a .gov website. Getting Help If you need help filling out the FAFSA form, use these free tools: In the online FAFSA form, select the white question mark icon next to a FAFSA question to view a “tool tip” that provides information about how to answer that question. You can visit the “FAFSA Help” page, where you can view trending FAFSA topics, browse FAQs, search for more information, or select “Contact Us.” Once you select “Contact Us,” you’ll have the option of emailing us with your question or, during business hours, chatting (in English or Spanish) with live technical support staff. Contact the financial aid office at the college or career school you plan to attend. Starting Your FAFSA® Form and Providing Your Basic Personal Information The FAFSA form is available on Oct. 1 for the next school year. We encourage you to fill it out as soon as possible on or after Oct. 1 to meet FAFSA federal, state, and school deadlines. FAFSA® Filing Options You may choose any of these methods to file a FAFSA form: Log in at fafsa.gov to apply online Complete a FAFSA PDF (note: you must print out and mail the FAFSA PDF for processing) Request a print-out of the FAFSA PDF by calling us at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243); then fill out the form and mail it for processing If you are starting the application for the first time on fafsa.gov, select “Start Here.” Your name and Social Security number must match those on your Social Security card. Follow this tip to avoid getting a notice that your information doesn’t match the Social Security Administration’s records (or your FSA ID account). Your registration status with Selective Service no longer affects your eligibility to receive federal student aid. For general information about registering, call Selective Service toll-free at 1-888-655-1825 or visit sss.gov. The following are tips for filling out the form online: Near the beginning of the FAFSA application, you’ll create a “save key,” a temporary password that you’ll use if you start your FAFSA form, save it without finishing it, then want to open it again later to finish it. One benefit of the save key is that students and parents can use this function to access the FAFSA form if they are completing the application in separate locations. (Unlike with the FSA ID, which needs to be kept private, it’s okay to tell your parent what your save key is.) If you are applying for a summer session, contact the financial aid office at your college to find out which school year you should select when you complete your FAFSA form. If you filled out a FAFSA form last year and want to renew it, select “Log In” on the FAFSA home page, select “I am the student and want to access the FAFSA form,” enter your FSA ID, and be sure to select “Renew my FAFSA Form” once given the option. That way, many of the (nonfinancial) questions will be prefilled for you. Just be sure to update any information that has changed since last year, including the financial questions. Only the student can start a FAFSA renewal using their FSA ID. If you’re a dependent student and your parent helps you with your FAFSA form, you should start the FAFSA renewal, save it, and give the save key to your parent so they can access your FAFSA form. Listing Colleges and/or Career Schools While completing the FAFSA form, you must list at least one school to receive your information. The schools you list will use your FAFSA information to determine the types and amounts of aid you may receive. Use the Federal School Code Search to find the colleges you’re interested in including on your FAFSA form. For federal student aid purposes, the order of schools for your college list does not matter. However, to be considered for state aid, some states require you to list schools in a particular order (for instance, you might need to list a state school first). Find out whether your state has a requirement for the order in which you list schools on your FAFSA form You can list up to 10 schools online or up to four schools on a FAFSA PDF. (You can add more schools to your FAFSA form later.) Schools you list on the application will automatically receive your FAFSA results electronically. Note: Schools will not be able to see which other schools you listed on your FAFSA form. You should add any school that you plan on applying to, or that you have applied to, even if you haven’t been accepted yet. In most cases, once a school accepts you, they will then work on developing your aid offer. Determining Your Dependency Status The FAFSA form asks a series of questions that determine whether you are a dependent or independent student for purposes of applying for federal student aid. If you are a dependent student, you must report parent information, as well as your own information, on your application. If you’re curious, you can find out now whether you’re a dependent student. Try This Resource Who Is My "Parent" When I Fill Out the FAFSA® Form? fact sheet—Helps dependent students determine which parent's information to include in the FAFSA form. Reporting Parents’ Information If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need to report parent information on your FAFSA form. Visit our page on reporting parent information to find out who counts as your parent, what to do if you don’t live with your parents, and what to do if you don’t have access to your parents’ financial information. FOR COMPLETE ARTICLE SEE:https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out