What is the FAFSA?
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What do I Need to do to File a FAFSA?
TIP #1: CREATE AN FSA ID
What is an FSA ID?
The Federal Student Aid ID is a username and password used to complete many federal student aid tasks, including filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and managing loans given by the Department of Education. It is your legal signature and should not be used by anyone other that the person whose Social Security number was used to create it.
Who needs to create an FSA ID?
Both students and parents going through the financial aid process must create an FSA ID. The only exception is if the parent does not have a Social Security number. Students and parents may not share an FSA ID.
Store your FSA ID and password somewhere safe! You'll reuse this ID every year you request financial aid in college.
Store your FSA ID and password somewhere safe! You'll reuse this ID every year you request financial aid in college.
When Should I Create my FSA ID?
It is recommended you create your FSA ID in the fall before the FAFSA is available on October 1. However, it is possible to create your FSA ID and use it right away to sign your FAFSA.
HOw DO I CREATE MY FSA ID?
Go to studentaid.gov and click "Create Account." Be prepared to provide certain demographic information, such as your full name as it appears on your Social Security card, date of birth, Social Security number, email address and/or mobile phone number. Tip: You will need to access to your email and/or mobile phone in order to complete the verification step.
Can I edit my FSA ID?
Yes! If your personal information changes or you would like to update the email address linked to your account, studentaid.gov you can make changes by going to studentaid.gov, logging into your account, and clicking “Update Your Contact Information.”
What if I Forget my FSA ID username or password?
You can retrieve your username or password by having a secure code sent to your verified email address or mobile phone number or by correctly answering your challenge questions. If you use the challenge question option to reset your password, you will have to wait 30 minutes before you can use your FSA ID.
What Do I Do If I need help?
See your counselor/advisor or contact the FSA Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.
Credit: TxCAN, Texas OnCourse & uAspire
TIP #2: Preview the Questions on the application
These screenshots show an overview of the questions that students fill out on the FAFSA!
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Credit: TxCAN, Texas OnCourse & uAspire
Here are some documents with some or all of the questions listed so that you can find the right paperwork among your files!
Tip #3: Determine Your (Child's) Dependency Status
Some students do not need to provide their parents' information on the FAFSA. If a student can answer yes to any of the following questions, they do not have to provide parent information. Ensure you have the documentation to verify that this information is correct!
There are some special circumstances in which students may not be able to get information regarding their parents but may be able to receive a dependency override from their college or university. They include:
- When parents are incarcerated
- When the student has fled from an abusive family environment
- When the student doesn't know where parents are or how to contact them
TIP #4: Determine from Which parent you'll need information.
TIP #5: Gather Your Documents
Here are some of the documents, in addition to your FSA ID, that you will need to answer the questions on the FAFSA. These apply to both PARENTS and STUDENTS!
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Social Security Number (SSN) |
Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen) |
2021 Federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned |
Bank statements and investment records, if applicable |
Records of untaxed income, if applicable |
Some families will be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to transfer their information from their tax return to their FAFSA. The following video provides an overview.
TIP #6: Follow Up on your application
Watch the following video for a quick overview of what happens after the FAFSA is submitted.
STUDENT AID REPORT
After you submit your FAFSA form, you’ll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that summarizes the data you submitted. If you provided a valid email address in your application, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to access an online copy of your SAR within three days (if you apply at fafsa.gov or through the myStudentAid mobile app) or three weeks (if you mail in a paper FAFSA form).
When you receive your SAR, review it to make sure you didn’t make any mistakes on your FAFSA form.
The information in your SAR will be provided to the schools you listed on your FAFSA form. You will receive an aid offer from the schools at which you were accepted for admission.
When you receive your SAR, review it to make sure you didn’t make any mistakes on your FAFSA form.
- If you don’t need to make any changes to the information on your SAR, just keep it for your records.
- To find out how to correct mistakes or make updates to your FAFSA form, visit StudentAid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/review-and-correct or contact the school to which you are applying.
The information in your SAR will be provided to the schools you listed on your FAFSA form. You will receive an aid offer from the schools at which you were accepted for admission.
FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER
The schools you listed on FAFSA will send you a financial aid award letter. It is important to compare these letters to determine which college provides you with the best value. Look at:
- how much was given in scholarships and grants (free money that does not have to be repaid) and what the requirements for maintaining these year-to-year
- how much was included in federal work-study (money that is earned through a job) and what the student needs to do to apply for a position
- how much was offered in loans (money that must be repaid), what kind of loans--subsidized or unsubsidized--and whether the full amount of the loan is necessary
PROVIDE REQUIRED VERIFICATION
You might see a note on your SAR saying you’ve been selected for verification; or your school might contact you to inform you that you’ve been selected. Verification is the process your school uses to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA form is accurate. If you’re selected for verification, your school will request additional documentation that supports the information you reported.
Don’t assume you’re being accused of doing anything wrong. Some people are selected for verification at random; and some schools verify all students' FAFSA forms. All you need to do is provide the documentation your school asks for—and be sure to do so by the school’s deadline, or you won’t be able to get federal student aid.
If you used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) when filling out your FAFSA form, you may not have to verify income or tax information. In the following cases, however, your school may require you to submit an IRS tax transcript or a signed copy of your income tax return as part of the verification process:
Don’t assume you’re being accused of doing anything wrong. Some people are selected for verification at random; and some schools verify all students' FAFSA forms. All you need to do is provide the documentation your school asks for—and be sure to do so by the school’s deadline, or you won’t be able to get federal student aid.
If you used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) when filling out your FAFSA form, you may not have to verify income or tax information. In the following cases, however, your school may require you to submit an IRS tax transcript or a signed copy of your income tax return as part of the verification process:
- You didn’t use the IRS DRT.
- You used the IRS DRT and reported rollovers.
- You used the IRS DRT but also amended your tax return.
Reporting CHANGES IN FAMILY INCOME
If your family has gone through a dramatic loss in income since the tax year being reported, and your financial aid award is lower than what your family can currently afford, it is recommended you submit an appeal to the financial aid office for your university. See your counselor or academic advisor for more assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my parents are unwilling to provide their information on my FAFSA form?
It is important to remember that when parents provide their information for their child's FAFSA, it does not mean they are committing to pay for their child's education.
You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with the FAFSA form. Still, we do understand that in some cases, the parents are not supporting the dependent student at all and refuse to provide their information on the student’s application. If you’re in that situation, here’s the process for filling out the FAFSA form online:
You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with the FAFSA form. Still, we do understand that in some cases, the parents are not supporting the dependent student at all and refuse to provide their information on the student’s application. If you’re in that situation, here’s the process for filling out the FAFSA form online:
- When the FAFSA form asks you to provide information about your parents, select the “I am unable to provide information about my parent(s)” option.
- You will then be provided with an explanation of what’s considered a special circumstance. After reading through the options, select the one that says you don’t have a special circumstance, but you still can’t provide parent information.
- The application explains that if your parents don’t support you and refuse to provide their information on the application, you may submit your FAFSA form without their information. However, you won’t be able to get any federal student aid other than an unsubsidized Direct Loan—and even that might not happen. The decision is up to the financial aid office at the college or career school you plan to attend. If you agree to this, you may submit your FAFSA form without parent information.
- Your FAFSA information will be sent to the colleges you list, but you won’t get an EFC.
- You must immediately contact your school’s financial aid office to discuss the possibility of getting an unsubsidized Direct Loan. The financial aid office may ask for a written statement from your parents, indicating that they refuse to provide their information on the FAFSA form and that they no longer support you. (Forms of support include allowing you to live in their home, including you on their car or health insurance, providing a car to drive on a regular basis, and payment of your tuition or fees.)
- The financial aid office will look at your situation and decide whether you may receive an unsubsidized Direct Loan. That decision is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.
What if my parents are concerned about providing their information because of their citizenship status?
Your parents’ citizenship status does not affect your eligibility for federal student aid. In fact, the FAFSA form doesn’t even ask about your parents’ status.
How should we report information about my noncitizen parents on my FAFSA form?
Here are some tips for students with noncitizen parents:
- If your parent does not have a Social Security number (SSN), you should enter all zeroes for your parent on the FAFSA form where it asks for that information. Do NOT enter a Taxpayer Identification Number in the SSN field.
- If your parent doesn’t have an SSN, your parent won’t be able to create an FSA ID (which requires an SSN) and therefore won’t be able to sign your FAFSA form electronically. From the online form, you’ll need to select the option to print a signature page when you get to the end of the application. Print the page, have your parent sign it, and then mail it to the address indicated so that your FAFSA form can be processed.
- If your parent doesn't live in the U.S., select "Foreign Country" from the dropdown box for the question that asks about the parents' state of legal residence.
- If your parents live and file taxes in a foreign country and don’t file U.S. taxes, you’ll have the opportunity to indicate that they have filed their taxes.
- Then, when the FAFSA form asks whether your parents filed a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return, you should select “Yes."
- Convert the amounts on the foreign tax return into U.S. dollars as directed by the FAFSA help.
- If your parents live in one of the Freely Associated States, they should enter the amount of wages earned from their Freely Associated States tax form in the field where the FAFSA form asks for adjusted gross income.
