FAFSA FAQs

The FAFSA form can be signed electronically if you have an FSA ID, a username and a password. FSA IDs can also be used to access the myStudentAid app, sign loan contracts, and access certain information online. It only takes a few minutes to create your FSA ID before you start the FAFSA form. Be sure to use your legal name when creating the FSA ID.

To complete the FAFSA, students (and, if required, their parent(s) or spouse) will need identifiers such as their Social Security number (SSN) or other eligible identifier, information about current assets (if applicable), and consent to transfer federal tax information from the IRS. The FAFSA generally uses income and tax information from two years prior to the academic year for which aid is requested. Additional information may be required depending on the student's individual circumstances.

You must meet the following requirements to qualify for federal financial aid:

• Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or eligible noncitizen
• Have your high school diploma/equivalency or be on track to get one
• Acceptance or enrollment in a Title IV eligible college or university
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or graduate school. Federal Grants and  loans are not avaiable if your GPA is too low or other SAP requirements are not met.
   

FAFSA applications typically open on Oct. 1 and close the following June 30.   Submit your FAFSA as soon as you are able after the release date, typically Oct. 1.

FAFSA forms are free to fill out. When you receive a call or email about paying for the FAFSA form, it’s either a scam or a company offering to help you complete it for a fee. If you need help completing the FAFSA, you can contact your high school counselor, a college financial aid office or the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243 for assistance at no cost.

On the FAFSA, you have to provide information about yourself (your legal name, address, date of birth, etc.) and your financial circumstances.

In filling out the application, you might need the following information or documents (for example, whether you’re a U.S. citizen or what tax form you used):

• You must enter your Social Security Number SSN correctly on the FAFSA form
• In the case of a dependent student, your parents’ Social Security numbers
• The number on your driver’s license, if you have one
• In the case of non-citizens, your Alien Registration number
• Information about your federal income tax returns, including IRS W-2s for you (and your spouse, if you are married) and for your parents (if you are a dependent student). US tax filer information is available via a link with the IRS through the FAFSA:
  • 1040 IRS
  • Tax return for foreign income, IRS 1040NR, or IRS 1040NR-EZ
  • The tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands or Palau
• Information about your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income and veteran’s noneducation benefits for you and your parents if you are a dependent student
• You and your parents (if dependent) will need to provide information about cash, savings and checking account balances, investments, stocks, bonds, real estate (but not your residence), business (if over 100 employees) and farm assets (unless the family lives on the farm)

The DDX automatically transfers tax information into the FAFSA form. This information will come directly from the IRS rather than from students and families. Use of the DDX is required to be eligible for Title IV aid even if you are a non-filer.

The FAFSA form asks a series of questions to determine whether you are an independent student or a dependent student. Answers of no to all of the questions result in being considered a dependent student. 

• Will you be 24 or older by Jan. 1 of the school year for which you are applying for financial aid? For example, if you plan to start school in August 2026 for the 2026–27 school year, will you be 24 by Jan. 1, 2026 (i.e., were you born before Jan. 1, 2002)?
• Are you married or separated but not divorced?
• Will you be working toward a master’s or doctorate degree (such as MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, etc.)?
• Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
• Do you have dependents (other than children or a spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a ward or dependent of the court?
• Are you an emancipated minor or are you in legal guardianship as determined by a court?
• Are you an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

When you finish filing the FAFSA, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). In this report, you will find a summary of all the information that you provided. Make sure all your information is correct and notify the Department of Education if anything is incorrect.  

To remain eligible for federal student aid, you must submit the FAFSA every year. 

If the information on your FAFSA form isn’t accurate as of the date that you initially signed and submitted your FAFSA form, and/or a correction was requested by a financial aid administrator, then you need to correct it.

Don’t make changes — including in the sections about financial information and marital status — unless the answers were incorrect on the day the FAFSA form was initially submitted.

You can also fix errors you made when filling out the form. Click “Make FAFSA Corrections” after logging into your account. Enter your FSA ID, make any necessary changes, and then click ‘Submit.’ The exception is if your SSN is incorrect. Contact your college’s financial aid office if you entered an incorrect SSN. It may be necessary for you to submit another FAFSA using the correct SSN.

Verification is a process used to verify the accuracy of the information submitted on the FAFSA. Some students are selected for verification by ED. Others are selected by the school. If you were selected by the Department of Education, you will be notified on your FAFSA FSS.

There are several possible reasons for being selected for verification. Keep in mind that more possibilities exist, but the following are the main reasons:

• You were selected randomly
• The submitted FAFSA application has incomplete data
• The data on the FAFSA application appears to contradict itself
• The FAFSA application has estimated information on it
• There is an apparent conflict regarding the applicant’s identity

After you receive notification that you have been selected for verification, you should first read any messages from ED appearing on the FSS. Contact your university counselor or student services counselor if you have any questions.

Next, please submit any documents requested via your Student Portal. These could include a variety of different documents such as any federal tax W-2s, transcripts, official identification documentation or verification worksheets. The type of documents required varies from student to student, and not all students selected for FAFSA verification must submit the same documents.

Once you have all the documentation requested, submit them through your Student Portal. Only turn in documentation that is requested, which will expedite processing. All information submitted must be used in the calculation of your awards and Student Aid Index (SAI).

After you turn in all required documents, the information is compared to your FSS. If errors are found, corrections are made. If the errors are significant enough to change your awards, you are notified of the changes through an updated financial aid offer which can be found on your Student Portal.

If you are selected for verification, you need to return the information and requested documentation as soon as possible. Processing usually takes 30 days but could take longer at the start of a new aid year. Because verification must be completed in advance of disbursing any money from any financial aid program, it is vital to send complete and correct information as quickly as possible.

Above all else, do not be upset because you were selected for verification. This is a process that is required by the federal government. (Errors discovered in your report could actually increase your eligibility for more aid.) You may also be asked to provide additional information/clarification.