This article refers to the 2023–24 FAFSA® form. Log in at fasfa.gov to start your 2024–25 FAFSA form now.
Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is the first step to obtaining federal student aid to help pay for your college or career school. Follow these eight simple steps to set yourself up for success and submit the form on time.
1
Create an FSA ID.
- Student: An FSA ID is your account username and password. You need it to sign the FAFSA form online. If you don’t have an FSA ID,you can create an FSA ID online to complete federal student aid tasks. It takes about 10 minutes to create an FSA ID.
- Parent:If you are the parent of a dependent student, you need to create your own FSA ID to sign your child’s FAFSA form online. As a parent, you’ll be able to use your FSA ID right away.
Create an FSA ID
Some of themost common FAFSA errorsoccur when the student and parent mix up their FSA IDs. If you don’t want your financial aid delayed, it’s extremely important that each parent and each student create his or her own FSA ID and not share it with anyone, including each other.
2
Start the FAFSA® form at fafsa.gov.
You should complete the FAFSA form as soon as it’s available. Some states and schools run out of financial aid early and have limited funds. So, don’t wait until the last minute to apply!
Start the FAFSA
- If you are the student: Select“I amastudent and want to access the FAFSA form.”Then, log inusingyour FSA ID.
- If you are theparent: Select“I am a parentfilling out a FAFSA form for a student.”After selecting the parent role, you willneed to provide your child’s name,their date of birth,and theirSocialSecurity number.
Tip: If you’re the parent, read “8 Easy Steps for Parents Completing the FAFSA® form.”
Choose the 2023–24 FAFSA form if you will be attending college between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
Tip: If you’re a returning applicant and see the option to complete a “renewal” FAFSA form, choose that option. When you choose to renew your FAFSA form, your demographic information from the previous year will repopulate into your new application, which saves you some time.
Create a save key.
Unlike the FSA ID,you can sharethe save key. A save key is a temporary password that allows you and your parent(s) to “pass” the FAFSA form back and forth. It also allows you to save the FAFSA form and returnto itlater. The keyis especially helpful if you and your parent are not in the same place.
Remember, the FAFSA form is not a “one-and-done” event. You must complete a FAFSA form for each school year.
3
Fill out the Student Demographics section.
The Student Demographics section includesyour name, date of birth, etc. If youeithercompleted the FAFSA form in the past or loggedinto the FAFSA form with your FSA ID,mostof your personal information will prepopulate to save you time. Make sure you enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your Social Security card. (That’s right, no nicknames.)
Parents: Remember that the FAFSA form is the student’s applicationandnot yours. When the FAFSA form says “you” or “your,” it’s referring to the student (unless otherwise noted). Pay attention to whether you’re askedto providestudent or parent information.
4
List the schools that will receive your FAFSA® information.
In the School Selection section, add every school you’re considering, even if you haven’tsent your application or received an acceptance letter. It doesn’t hurt your application to add more schools.School officialscan’t see the other schools.
In fact, you don’t even have to remove schools if you later decide not to apply or attend. If you don’t end up applying or getting accepted to a school, the school can just disregard your FAFSA form. However, you can remove schools at any time to make room for new schools. You can add up to 10 schools at a time.If you’re applying to more than 10 schools, you have a few options to add more schools to the FAFSA form.
5
Answer the dependency status questions.
In the dependency status section, you’ll need to respond to aseries of specific questionsto find out whether you’re a dependent or independent student. The answers to these questions will determine whether you need to provide parent information on the FAFSA form.
- The U.S. Congress sets the dependency guidelines. They are different from the guidelines the IRS uses.
- Even if you live on your own, support yourself, and file taxes on your own, you may still be considered a dependent student for federal student aid purposes. If you are a dependent student, you’ll need to report information about your parent(s).
- If you are an independent student, you won’t have to provide parent information, and you can skip the next step.
6
Fill out the Parent Demographics section.
Yourparent(s) willneed toprovide basic demographic information. Remember,it doesn’t matter if you don’t live with your parent(s); you still must report information about them if youarea dependent student.
Start by figuring out who counts as your parent on the FAFSA form.
We have specific guidance you can read about reporting your parents’ information as a dependent student and what to do if you’re not able to provide parent information due to special circ*mstances.
7
Provide your financial information.
Next,you and your parent(s) (if applicable) will provide financial information. This step is incredibly simple if you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). The IRS DRT allows you to import your IRS tax information into the FAFSA form with just a few clicks.Also, using this toolmayreduce the amount of paperwork you need to provide to your school. So,make sure to useit,ifyou’re eligible.
See the simple steps to transfer your tax information.
Once you have indicated that you have completed your taxes, you may be eligible to use the IRS DRT. If so, select the button to link to the IRS and follow the prompts.
8
Sign and submit your FAFSA form.
You’re not finished with the FAFSA form until you (and yourparent, ifyou’re a dependent student) signthe form. The quickest and easiest way to sign your FAFSA form is online with your FSA ID.
Note: If you (the student) logged in to the FAFSA form with your FSA ID at the beginning, you won’t need to provide it again on this page. But, if you’re a dependent student, your parent will still need to signitbefore you can completely submitthe form.
Sign and Submit Tips:
- If you or your parent forgot your FSA ID, you can retrievethe account username and password.
- Make sure you and your parent don’t mix up your FSA IDs. This is one of the most common errors we see. This mistakeiswhy it’s extremely important for each person to create his or her own FSA ID and not share it with anyone.
- Make sure the parent who is using his or her FSA ID to sign the FAFSA form chooses the right parentchoicefrom the options.
- Here’s what you should do if you getan error saying that your FSA ID information doesn’t matchthe information provided on the FAFSA form.
- If you have siblings, your parent can use the same FSA ID to sign FAFSA forms foreach child.Your parent can also transfer his or her information into your sibling’s application bychoosing the option provided on the FAFSA confirmation page.
- We recommend signing the FAFSA form with an FSA ID because it’s the fastest way to get your FAFSA form processed. However, if you and/or your parent are unable to sign the FAFSA form electronically with an FSA ID, you can mail in a signature page. From the“Sign andSubmit”page, select “Other options to sign and submit” and then choose “PrintaSignature Page.” Just keep in mind that your FAFSA form will take longer to process if you go this route.
I’m finished. What’s next?
Congrats on finishing! You’re one step closer to getting money for college. Now that the hard part is over,learn what you should do next after submitting the FAFSA form.
