You lot'll accept a amend run a risk at receiving money for college if you avert several common mistakes when filling out yourFree Application for Federal Pupil Aid(FAFSA®) grade, such as not completing information technology on time, not filling information technology out correctly, or forgetting to sign and submit.

i

We hear all kinds of reasons for not completing the FAFSA form: "The FAFSA grade is as well hard." "It takes too long to consummate the form." "I'll never qualify anyway, so why does it matter?" Information technologydoes matter. For one, contrary to popular belief, youmay qualify for federal pupil assistance because it doesn't have an income cut-off. It takes into account factors like the size of your family and your year in school. As well, the FAFSA form is not only the application for the Federal Pell Grant. It'southward also the application for Federal Work-Study funds, federal student loans, and even scholarships and grants offered by your country, school, or a private organization.

If you want to become the most fiscal aid possible, make full out the FAFSA grade right abroad. Many states have express funds, so they may accept early on FAFSA deadlines.

The FAFSA course doesn't take too much time to consummate, and information technology includes help text for each question. Exist sure to sign and submit!

Yous could potentially miss out on thousands of dollars to help you pay for college if you don't consummate the FAFSA course on fourth dimension.

2

You should fill up out the FAFSA form as shortly equally possible, merely you lot should DEFINITELY fill information technology out earlier your earliest FAFSA borderline. Each state and school sets its own deadline, and some are very early.

List of FAFSA state deadlines with a color coded map of the United States signifying deadline ranges
Be certain to complete the FAFSA form before your state borderline.

iii

It's important to get a StudentAid.gov account username and password (FSA ID) before filling out the FAFSA form. Why? When you annals for an FSA ID, y'all may need to await up to iii days earlier you tin use it to sign your FAFSA class electronically. You AND your parent (if you're considered a dependent student) will each need your own separate FSA IDs to sign the FAFSA form online or on the mobile app. Exercise NOT share your FSA IDs with each other! Doing and so could cause problems or delays with your financial help. Don't wait!

4

When you begin your FAFSA class, y'all will need  to identify yourself as ane of the post-obit:

  1. I am the educatee
  2. I am a parent
  3. I am a preparer

If you're the student, you should choose the first pick. Why? When yous do, some of your personal information (name, Social Security number [SSN], appointment of birth, etc.) will automatically load into your awarding.  This will prevent you lot from running into a mutual error that occurs when your verified FSA ID information doesn't lucifer the information on your FAFSA grade. Also, you won't take to enter your FSA ID once again if you transfer your tax information from the IRS or sign your FAFSA form electronically.

Screenshot of FAFSA form login page to select whether you are student or parent
When you make full out the FAFSA form, select whether you are student or a parent.

5

Ane of most difficult parts well-nigh filling out the FAFSA class is entering the financial data. Merely thanks to a partnership with the IRS, students and parents who are eligible can automatically transfer necessary 2020 tax data into the 2022–23 FAFSA form using the IRS DRT. It's the fastest, near accurate way to enter your revenue enhancement return information into the FAFSA course, so if you're given the option to "LINK TO IRS" push, accept advantage of it!

Screenshot of a FAFSA form page with a button linking to the IRS DRT.
he FAFSA form can automatically populate your information using the IRS DRT.

6

When it comes to completing the FAFSA form, you'll want to read each definition and each question advisedly; sometimes the FAFSA class is looking for very specific information that may not be obvious.

Here are some items that accept very specific (simply non necessarily intuitive) definitions co-ordinate to the FAFSA form:

  • Legal guardianship
    To determine your dependency status, the FAFSA grade asks, "Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?" Many students incorrectly respond "yes" here. For this question, the definition of legal guardianship does non include your parents—fifty-fifty if they were appointed past a court to be your guardians. Besides, you lot cannot be your ain legal guardian.
  • Parents
    The FAFSA form hasvery specific guidelinesabout which parent's information to study.Spoiler alert: Information technology has cipher to practise with who claims y'all on their taxes. The FAFSA form may ask, "As of today, what is the marital status of your parents?" You can utilize this guide to assist you figure out which parent to report on the FAFSA course.
Infographic to help readers think through determining who is the parent when completing a FAFSA form.
Learn how to make up one's mind who is the parent when completing a FAFSA form.
  • Number of family members (household size)
    The FAFSA form has a specific definition regarding how y'all should determine your family size. Read the instructions advisedly. Many students incorrectly written report this number, particularly when the student doesn't physically live with their parent.
  • Number of family unit members in college
    Enter the number of people in your (or your parents') household who will nourish college at the aforementioned time as you lot. Don't forget to include yourself, but don't include your parents in this number, even if they're in higher. This number should never be greater than your number of family members.
  • Net worth of investments
    Nosotros've outlined some specific items that should and shouldn't be included as investments on the FAFSA form. For example, a higher savings programme like a 529 account is considered an investment* while the value of the home in which you reside and the value of your retirement accounts are non.
  • Taxable college grants and scholarships
    For this question, you written report just higher grant and scholarship amountsreported to the IRS as income. That means y'all should not use the corporeality listed on your 1098-T; you should report the amount listed on your tax return. Do not employ the number in the adjusted gross income (AGI) field.  Hither are the tax line numbers you should reference when asked this question. If you didn't file taxes, yous should enter cypher.

* If yous're a dependent student, you should report the value of whatever college savings accounts as a parent nugget and not a student asset.

seven

Here are some examples of common errors we see when people complete the FAFSA® class:

  • Confusing parent information with student information
    We know many parents will fill out the FAFSA course for their children, but call up, it is the student's application. When the FAFSA class says "you" or "your," it'due south referring to the student, so brand sure to enter your (the student's) data. If the form is request for your parent's information, it will specify that in the question.
  • Entering data that doesn't lucifer your FSA ID data
    Subsequently you create an FSA ID, the Social Security Administration receives and verifies your information (proper name, SSN, engagement of nascence). If you enter a different proper noun, SSN, and/or date of nativity on the FAFSA form, you'll receive an fault message. This is oftentimes the consequence of either a typo or mixing up student information and parent information. Avoid delays by triple-checking the data you entered.  If you encounter an error indicating that the information is non matching, learn how you can resolve the error.
  • Corporeality of your income tax
    The FAFSA class is asking for your assessed income tax liability, non the amount of income tax withheld and not your adjusted gross income. We know this can be complicated. To avoid this mutual error, either transfer your tax information to the FAFSA form using the IRS DRT or  find out which taxation line number you should refer to when answering this question. (Note: It volition depend on which IRS form you filed.)

8

  • Parent data
    Even if you fully back up yourself, pay your own bills, and file your own taxes, you may still be considered a dependent student for federal student aid purposes. If so, yous must provide parent data on your FAFSA® form. Dependency guidelines for the FAFSA grade are determined by the U.S. Congress. They are different from the IRS dependency guidelines. Find out whether you need to provide parent information by answering these questions. If you lot're considered a dependent student and don't provide parent information, nosotros may not process your FAFSA form and/or you may authorize for unsubsidized loans only.
Infographic to help readers think through determining who is the parent when completing a FAFSA form.
Learn how to determine who is the parent when completing a FAFSA grade.
  • Additional financial information
    If you follow our recommendation and use the IRS DRT, most of the financial data required on the FAFSA form will be filled in automatically for you. However, the IRS DRT doesn't populate everything; some numbers, including many items in the "Additional Financial Information" section, must be manually entered. If you used the IRS DRT, you lot'll see that some boxes in that section are prechecked and the fields prefilled with "Transferred from the IRS." Even so, other items, such equally "Payments to revenue enhancement-deferred pension and retirement savings plans" and others, cannot transfer from the IRS. You must review manually each particular in the list, select the box if information technology applies to you, and enter the appropriate amount by referencing your relevant financial records. In the example of payments to taxation-deferred pension and retirement savings plans, you tin can find that information on your W-two form.
Screenshot of the Student Financials page of the FAFSA form.
Be certain to written report all required data in the FAFSA form.

9

Unless you're applying to only one college or already know where you're going to school, yous should include more than one. Colleges tin't see the other schools you've added, so y'all should add ALL colleges y'all are considering to your FAFSA® grade, even if you aren't sure whether you'll apply or exist accepted. You tin add upward to 10 schools at a time. If yous're applying to more than 10 schools,  follow these steps.

It doesn't hurt your awarding to add more than schools. In fact, you don't fifty-fifty have to remove schools in which you decide not to use. If you don't end up applying or getting accustomed to a schoolhouse, the school can just condone your FAFSA form. Nevertheless, yous can remove schools at any time to make room for new schools.

NOTE: If yous're a resident of sure states, the order in which you lot list the schools on your FAFSA form might matter. Detect out whether your state has a requirement for the order yous list schools on your FAFSA form.

10

And so many students answer every single question asked but fail to sign the FAFSA® form with their FSA ID and submit the form. This happens for many reasons—maybe you lot forgot your FSA ID or your parent isn't with you to sign with the parent FSA ID—and then your application is left incomplete.

Screenshot of the Sign and Submit page of the FAFSA form.
Don't forget to sign and submit the FAFSA class.

Don't permit this happen to you.

  • If you don't know your FSA ID, select "Forgot My Username" and/or "Forgot My Password."
  • If you don't have an FSA ID,  create one.

If you're not able to sign with your FSA ID, take advantage of the option to mail a signature page. If you lot would similar confirmation of your FAFSA form submission, y'all can check your status immediately afterwards you submit your FAFSA form online.