FAFSA Application Checklist: Here’s the List of Documents You Need to Apply

If you’re planning to go to college or graduate school, you’ve probably heard about the FAFSA. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid – and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a free application that determines your eligibility for financial aid. Completing the FAFSA is a crucial step because it’s the key to unlocking many forms of financial help for school, including:

• Grants: Free money for college, like the federal Pell Grant (which you don’t have to pay back).
• Work-Study: Opportunities for part-time jobs on campus that help you earn money for expenses.
• Federal Student Loans: Borrowing options with lower interest rates and more flexible repayment terms than private loans.
• State and School Aid: Many states and colleges also use your FAFSA information to award their own scholarships, grants, or tuition aid.

Filing the FAFSA is important for everyone, even if you think your family might not qualify for need-based aid. For one, some aid (like unsubsidized federal loans) isn’t based on financial need, and many scholarships require a FAFSA on file. Plus, you might be surprised by what you can get. Each year, thousands of students miss out on aid by skipping the FAFSA – in fact, nearly half of the high school class of 2022 didn’t complete it, leaving about $3.6 billion in Pell Grant money unclaimed. In short, not filing could mean leaving free college money on the table.

The FAFSA is available to fill out each academic year, and for the 2025–26 school year it’s more important than ever to prepare ahead. Why? There have been some big changes to the FAFSA this year, and the form is launching later than usual. Don’t worry – this guide will walk you through what’s new and help you gather everything you need to complete the FAFSA with confidence. Let’s get started!

What’s New for the 2025–26 FAFSA Form

The 2025–26 FAFSA comes with major updates thanks to the FAFSA Simplification Act. Here are the key changes and what they mean for you:

• Later start date: Normally the FAFSA form opens on October 1 each year, but the 2025–26 FAFSA was delayed and only became available in December 2023​. This one-time delay was to accommodate the new simplifications. (The FAFSA for 2025–26 is expected to return to an October 1 launch.) Because of this, you have a shorter timeframe to submit for 2025–26 – so plan to get it done as soon as you can, especially if your state or school has early deadlines.
• Shorter, simpler form: The FAFSA form has been streamlined dramatically. Instead of answering over 100 questions like in the past, the 2025–26 FAFSA will have significantly fewer questions (around 36 instead of 108)​. The online application is dynamic, meaning it will skip questions that don’t apply to you based on your earlier answers. This should make the process faster and less confusing.
• “Contributor” in place of “parent”: You’ll see the term “contributor” used on the new FAFSA. A contributor is anyone who is required to provide information on your application​. For dependent students, your contributor(s) will typically be your parent or parents (and it could include a stepparent if your parent is remarried). If you’re married, your spouse could be a contributor. The form will help determine who your contributors are through a series of questions. This new terminology is meant to be more inclusive of different family situations. Importantly, being a “contributor” does not mean that person is obligated to pay for your education – it only means they need to supply information for the form.
• FSA ID required for all contributors: In the past, a parent without a FAFSA account could fill in their section and sign a paper signature page. Starting with 2025–26, everyone who contributes info on the FAFSA will need to log in with their own FSA ID (Federal Student Aid account). That means you (the student) and your contributor(s) each need to create an FSA ID to access and sign the form. It’s a good idea to create these accounts well before you start the FAFSA, since verification with the Social Security Administration can take a couple of days​. (Don’t worry – even parents or spouses who don’t have a Social Security number can still participate by creating an account using other identifiers​.) The bottom line is: no more sharing one login; each person will need their own.
• EFC is now SAI: The FAFSA Simplification Act also overhauled how financial need is calculated. The term Expected Family Contribution (EFC) has been replaced with Student Aid Index (SAI)​. Practically, you might not notice a difference when filling out the form, but when you get your results, you’ll see an SAI number instead of an EFC. One notable change is that SAI can be a negative number (as low as –1500), whereas EFC couldn’t go below zero. This helps identify students with exceptionally high need. The change in terminology is mostly behind-the-scenes, but it’s good to know so you’re not confused by the new letters on your Student Aid Report.
• More schools can be listed: The online FAFSA will let you list up to 20 colleges to receive your FAFSA info (up from the old limit of 10)​. This is great if you’re applying to many schools – you can send your data to all your potential colleges at once. (If you use a paper FAFSA, you can still list only 10 schools, but you can always add more later online.)
• New rules for divorced parents: If your parents are divorced or separated, the FAFSA used to require information from whichever parent you lived with most in the last year. Now, it will require info from the parent who provided you the most financial support in the last 12 months, regardless of which parent you lived with​. If that “supporting” parent is remarried, their spouse’s information is also required as part of the FAFSA. This change may affect who needs to be a contributor on your application if your family situation is complex.
• No more sibling discount: Under the old formula, if you had a sibling in college at the same time, it would significantly lower your EFC (because the parent contribution was split among multiple kids). The new SAI formula no longer divides a parent’s contribution by the number of children in college. That means families with two or three students in college simultaneously might not get as much aid as before. (However, colleges may use their own discretion to consider multiple students in a family when awarding their institutional aid.)

These changes aim to make the FAFSA easier to fill out and fairer in determining aid. The bottom line: even if you’ve filed the FAFSA before, pay attention to these updates, because the experience will feel a bit different for 2025–26. Next, let’s ensure you have everything ready to actually fill out the form.

FAFSA Filing Checklist: What You Need Before You Start

Preparation is half the battle when it comes to the FAFSA. It’s much easier to complete the form when you have all the necessary information and documents at your fingertips. Below is a checklist of what you’ll need to gather before you sit down to start your FAFSA application:

Checklist Item	Details / What to Prepare
FSA ID and login info	Create your FSA ID (username/password) ahead of time. If you’re a dependent student, one of your parents will need their own FSA ID too. Set these up a few days early to allow for verification​. Make sure to use personal emails (not school emails) for account setup​.
Social Security numbers	You’ll need your SSN, and for dependent students, your parent’s SSN as well. Double-check these numbers. If a parent or contributor doesn’t have an SSN, they can still complete the FAFSA by using an alternative identifier (for example, entering all zeros for the SSN on the FAFSA, or creating an FSA ID with an ITIN)​.
2022 tax returns & income	Gather 2022 federal tax returns (1040 forms) for you (and spouse, if applicable) and your parents. Also have W-2 forms or any records of 2022 income. The 2025–26 FAFSA uses 2022 income information​. If applicable, have documentation of 2022 untaxed income (e.g., child support received, veterans’ benefits).
Current asset information	Know the current balances of bank accounts (checking/savings) and the value of investments for you and your parents. This includes stocks, bonds, 529 college savings plans, and any other investments. You do notneed to report the value of retirement accounts or your primary home equity on the FAFSA​.
List of schools	Make a list of colleges you’re considering. You can list up to 20 schools on the FAFSA form​. It helps to have the school names or codes handy. Listing a school doesn’t commit you to applying or attending, but it ensures they receive your FAFSA data.

As you can see, the FAFSA will ask for identification details, financial information from a specific tax year, and a list of schools. In the sections below, we’ll break down each of these categories and give a few extra tips for each.

FSA ID and Login Setup

Your FSA ID is your account username and password for the federal student aid system. You’ll use it to log in to the FAFSA form (at the Federal Student Aid website) and to sign your application electronically. If you’re a first-time filer, you’ll need to create your FSA ID, which you can do on the studentaid.gov website. This is usually a quick process, but it can take a couple of days for the Social Security Administration to verify your info, so do this step early. You will need an FSA ID for yourself (the student), and if you are a dependent student, one of your parents will need their own separate FSA ID as well. (A spouse, for independent students who are married, would also need their own FSA ID to contribute.)

Tips for setting up FSA IDs:

• Each person must use a unique email address and phone number when creating their account. You can’t use the same email for your account and your parent’s account. It’s best to use a personal email (one that you will keep long-term), not a school-issued email address that might expire​s.
• When creating the FSA ID, you’ll need to provide personal details like your Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, and your name exactly as it appears on your Social Security card​. Make sure to enter everything correctly to avoid verification issues.
• Write down or securely save your username, password, and the answers to your challenge questions. You’ll need your FSA ID each year you file the FAFSA and to log in to federal aid websites (like for loan counseling). Forgetting it can cause delays, so keep it safe – but don’t share it with anyone. (It’s your legal signature, after all.)
• Remember that your FSA ID is legally your signature on the FAFSA. Never allow someone else to log in with your ID on your behalf. If a parent or preparer is helping you, they should not log in as you. They can sit with you, but you (the student) should be the one signed in and pressing “submit” with your ID. Likewise, do not log in as your parent; they need to sign with their own ID.
• If your parent (or spouse) does not have a Social Security number, they can still create an FSA ID. The system will allow alternate identification (such as using an ITIN or indicating their foreign citizen status). In past years, parents without SSNs had to sign on paper, but the new system is designed to include them online​. If for some reason a contributor cannot create an FSA ID, the FAFSA form will provide a way for them to sign manually, but try to avoid that as it will slow down the process.

Once you and your contributor(s) each have FSA IDs set up, you’re ready to begin the FAFSA. The student (you) will log in with your FSA ID to start the form. During the process, you will be able to invite your contributor (parent or spouse) by providing their name and email. The FAFSA will email them a secure link, and then they will log in with their own FSA ID to fill out their portion and sign. Coordinating this might take a little extra communication, so let your parent or spouse know ahead of time that they’ll need to participate.

Understanding Contributors

Before you start filling out financial details, the FAFSA will determine who needs to be included as a contributor on your application. This concept can be confusing for first-timers, so let’s break it down clearly.

A contributor is anyone who needs to provide information on your FAFSA form. This can include:

• You, the student – You will always provide your own information.
• Your parent(s) – If you are considered a dependent student (which most undergraduates under 24 are), at least one parent will be a contributor. If your parents are married and living together, both of their financial details will be needed (though the FAFSA may designate one of them as the official “contributor” for signing purposes). If your parents are divorced or separated, the parent who provided more financial support to you in the last 12 monthswill be the contributor​. (If support was equal, then the parent with the higher income is used.) If that contributing parent is remarried, your step-parent’s information must also be reported.
• Your spouse – If you are an independent student and married, your spouse will likely be listed as a contributor. If you and your spouse filed taxes jointly in 2022, the FAFSA will use that joint information, but it may not require your spouse to separately log in as a “contributor.” If you filed taxes separately, then your spouse will need to log in and provide their financial info as a contributor.

In short, dependent students will have their parent(s) as contributors, and independent students will have a spouse contributor if married (or no contributor if single). The FAFSA will ask you a series of questions to determine whether you’re dependent or independent. If you’re unsure, it’s usually based on your age (24 or older = independent), graduate student status, military service, if you have children of your own, etc. Most students coming straight from high school are considered dependent on a parent for FAFSA purposes.

What information do contributors need to provide? Contributors will fill in the same types of information that you do for yourself – personal details and financial data. To invite a contributor on the FAFSA, you (the student) will need to enter some of their information. Make sure you have the following details for each contributor:

• Full name (as it appears on their Social Security card or other official ID)
• Date of birth
• Social Security Number (if they have one)
• Email address (the one they will use for their FSA ID account)

Having this info handy will allow you to quickly add your contributor and send them an invitation to log in. Once invited, they’ll get an email and can use their FSA ID to access your FAFSA and complete their sections.

Remember: Contributor does NOT mean “person paying for college.” Listing your parent or spouse as a contributor only means that their information is needed to assess your financial aid eligibility. It doesn’t obligate them to pay anything. The government uses household financial info to determine aid; it doesn’t create any contract or payment requirement for contributors. So, don’t hesitate to include a parent’s info due to fear they’ll be charged – leaving them off (when you’re required to include them) will only hurt your aid chances.

Special circumstances: If you truly cannot get parental information (for example, in cases of estrangement or other challenging situations), you can still submit the FAFSA without it and then work with your college’s financial aid office. The FAFSA will allow you to indicate that you cannot provide parent info. That will likely flag your application for a process called a dependency override, where you’ll have to provide documentation to the college to be considered independent. This is beyond the scope of this guide, but just know that if you’re in a tough situation, there are processes to handle it. For the vast majority of students, however, you should plan on involving your parent(s) and have them ready to help with the form.

2022 Federal Tax Information

The FAFSA form for 2025–26 will ask for financial information from the 2022 tax year. This is sometimes called the “prior-prior year,” meaning two years before the academic year for which you’re seeking aid. Using 2022 data allows most people to use filed tax returns rather than estimates. Here’s what to have ready:

• 2022 Federal tax returns (1040 forms): Have a copy of the 2022 tax return for you (and your spouse, if you’re married) and for your parents if you’re a dependent student. This includes all schedules and attachments – basically the full return as filed to the IRS.
• 2022 W-2 forms and income records: The FAFSA will ask how much you earned from working in 2022, as well as how much your parents earned. This information comes from W-2 forms (the wage statements your employer gives you) or 1099 forms for any independent contractor work. Even if you (or your parents) didn’t file a tax return, you still need to report any income earned in 2022, so gather those documents.
• Records of untaxed income (2022): Gather info on any money received in 2022 that wouldn’t show up on a tax return. This could be child support received in 2022, veteran’s non-education benefits, housing or food allowances for military or clergy, disability benefits, etc. If your parent pays or receives child support, have the annual amounts handy – the FAFSA will ask for that separately.

Why do you need all this? The FAFSA uses 2022 income to calculate your aid eligibility. The good news is the online FAFSA can directly retrieve data from the IRS for you, with your permission. In fact, beginning with 2025–26, most applicants will be required to use the IRS Direct Data Exchange to import tax information, rather than manually entering numbers​. This makes things easier and reduces errors. However, you should still have your 2022 documents on hand to double-check that the imported information is correct, and to fill in any income information that isn’t transferred (for example, W-2 wages are not always separately itemized by the IRS tool, and the FAFSA might ask for them).

Tips for handling the tax info:

• If your family’s financial situation has changed significantly since 2022 (for instance, a parent lost a job in 2023, or there was a big drop in income), you still must fill out the FAFSA using 2022 data as required​. Don’t try to substitute 2023 figures on the form – it will confuse things. Instead, submit the FAFSA with 2022 numbers, then after submission, contact the financial aid offices of the colleges you are applying to. You can explain the situation and ask about a professional judgment or income adjustment. They may request additional documentation for 2023 and can adjust your aid eligibility on their end. The initial FAFSA, though, should always reflect the official required year (2022).
• If you (or your parents) did not file taxes for 2022 (because income was below the IRS filing threshold or for another reason), you’ll simply indicate that on the FAFSA. The form will ask if you filed; answer “will not file” if applicable. It will then ask for any income earned. Use your W-2 forms or other records to report earnings. You won’t be penalized for not filing, but you may be asked by a college later to provide an IRS “Verification of Non-filing” letter to confirm no return was on file – something to be aware of.
• Using the IRS data retrieval (Direct Data Exchange) is the easiest way to fill in the tax info. When you get to that part of the FAFSA, follow the prompts to link to the IRS. Make sure the name and address you enter match exactly what was on the 2022 tax return. Once linked, import the data and don’t alter it unless you know something is wrong. (If you do change an imported value, it could flag your application for verification.)
• Keep in mind the FAFSA is asking for **201 two income, not the most recent year. It’s a common mistake for people to accidentally report last year’s income instead. Double-check that any figures you enter are from 2022. This especially matters if, say, you got a new job or a raise in 2023 – that wouldn’t be reflected on 2022 taxes, and the FAFSA isn’t asking for it.

Your Current Financial Info and Assets

Aside from past income, the FAFSA also wants a snapshot of certain assets as of today (the day you submit the form). Think of this as taking a quick inventory of money and investments that you currently have. It’s important to gather up-to-date information on the following:

• Cash, checking & savings balances: Check the current balance in your checking and savings accounts. If you’re a dependent student, you’ll report both your own accounts and your parents’ account balances. Use the amount that is in the account on the day you sign the FAFSA. (No need to average it over the year or anything – just a current snapshot.)
• Investments: This includes things like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, certificates of deposit (CDs), cryptocurrency, and other investments. If you or your parents have investment accounts or brokerage accounts, note the total current value of those. Also include the value of any real estate other than your primary home – for example, a rental property or land held as an investment. (Remember, not your main home, just other real estate.) For real estate, use net equity (market value minus any mortgage debt on the property).
• College savings plans: Many families have 529 college savings plans or Coverdell accounts set up. For a dependent student, any 529 plans owned by the parent (for you or your siblings) are reported as parent assets on the FAFSA. If you, the student, own a 529 plan in your name (and you’re dependent), that is also reported as a parent asset. If you’re independent and have a 529 for your child, it’s your asset. Find out the current value of any such education savings accounts.
• Business or farm assets: The FAFSA might ask about the net worth of any businesses or investment farms your family owns. However, there is an important exemption: if your family owns a small business that has fewer than 100 full-time employees, or a family farm that you live on and operate, the FAFSA does not count those as assets. They are excluded. So, if your parents run a small family business, you likely don’t report its value at all. But if your family owns a larger company or a farm that you do not live on, you’d include its net worth.

Now, importantly, not everything is counted as an asset on the FAFSA. Some things are specifically excluded, meaning you do NOT report them on the form. These include:

• Your primary home: The house or apartment you live in is not considered an investment asset for FAFSA purposes​. You do not report its value or mortgage.
• Retirement accounts: Money in qualified retirement plans – like 401(k)s, 403(b)s, IRAs, pensions – is not reported as an asset​. (Contributions to or distributions from these in 2022 would show up in income, but the account balances themselves are off-limits.)
• Life insurance policies and ABLE accounts: The cash value of life insurance is not counted, and if you have an ABLE account for disability expenses, that’s also not counted​.
• Personal belongings: Cars, furniture, electronics, clothes, etc., are not counted. The FAFSA doesn’t care about the value of personal property.
• Small businesses/farms: As mentioned, if your family business has fewer than 100 employees or your farm is family-operated and your primary residence, those are excluded as well.

Essentially, the FAFSA is interested in liquid assets and investments that could be used for educational expenses. They don’t expect you to sell your house or drain your retirement to pay for college, so those are off the table.

Tips for the asset section:

• Get the latest numbers: Log in to bank accounts and investment accounts to get the latest balances. You might do this the day you plan to submit the FAFSA, to be accurate. If something big changes in your bank account (say you just paid a large bill or received a large deposit), use the balance after that activity.
• Net worth = value minus debt: For things like real estate or business value, remember you only report the equity. If a property is worth $100,000 and there’s $40,000 remaining on the mortgage, the asset value is $60,000.
• Don’t include exclusions: It can be tempting to overthink and include everything. But if the FAFSA doesn’t ask for it, don’t volunteer it. For example, there’s no question about the home you live in – so don’t try to put that in somewhere. Likewise, there’s no section for retirement funds (aside from asking about contributions in the income section), so leave those out.
• Try to avoid having large student assets: This is more of a planning tip. The FAFSA formula expects students to contribute a higher percentage of their assets toward college than parents. If you have money saved in your own name, consider using some for necessary expenses before filing the FAFSA, or move it to a 529 plan in a parent’s name if possible. This isn’t always feasible, but it can help a bit. Regardless, report everything honestly. Just be aware that $5,000 in a student’s savings account will affect aid more than $5,000 in a parent’s account (due to how the formula works).

School List and Why It Matters

Toward the end of the FAFSA, you’ll be asked to list the colleges or universities that should receive your financial information. You can add up to 20 schools on the 2025–26 FAFSA online form​. It’s wise to use all the slots you need for any school you might attend. Here’s why the school list is important:

• Schools use your FAFSA to offer aid: Each college you list will receive your FAFSA results. If you apply and are accepted to that school, their financial aid office will use your information to put together a financial aid package (grants, loans, work-study, etc. they can offer you). No FAFSA on file means they can’t consider you for many types of aid. So, include every school you’re seriously considering.
• Listing doesn’t obligate you: Don’t worry that listing a school means you must apply or attend. It’s not binding at all. It simply ensures that the school can see your financial info if you end up going there. You can list schools even if you haven’t applied yet. If your plans change, you can always update your FAFSA later by adding or removing schools.
• Order typically doesn’t matter: In the past, some states required students to list an in-state school first for state grant consideration. These days, most states no longer use FAFSA order for awarding state aid. The federal application itself doesn’t care about the order of schools at all. However, to be safe, you can put your top-choice or in-state schools at the top of the list. But truthfully, it usually makes no difference. (If you’re curious or concerned, you can check your state’s policy on the state education website or ask a counselor. Most likely, it’s a non-issue.)
• Include at least one in-state public school: If you’re applying to any in-state colleges, definitely list them. Even if your heart is set on a private or out-of-state school, list an in-state public college too. Some state scholarship programs require that an in-state school be on your FAFSA to consider you for aid. Having one on there covers that possibility, and it doesn’t hurt anything.
• School codes help (but you can search by name): Each college has a Federal School Code that you can enter to quickly add it. This code is often available on the college’s financial aid website. It’s a six-character code (for example, Harvard’s is 002155, Arizona State’s is 001081, etc.). If you don’t have the code, no worries – the FAFSA form lets you search by school name and state. It might just take a few seconds longer to find the exact campus. Either way, have your list of school names ready to go.

After submitting your FAFSA, you’ll get a confirmation (more on that below), and the schools you listed will automatically receive your information within a day or two. You don’t need to send them anything yourself. If you want to add a school later (maybe you decide to apply somewhere else, or you initially filled all 20 slots and then want to swap one out), you can log back into your FAFSA and submit a correction with the new school added. Only the schools on your list will have access to your data.

One reassurance: schools cannot see which other colleges you’ve listed on your FAFSA. They only see their own name on your list. So you don’t have to worry about any hurt feelings or assumptions in the admissions process – College A won’t know that you also sent your FAFSA to College B, C, and D.

Extra Tips and Final Thoughts

Filling out the FAFSA can feel intimidating, but with the above checklist and information, you’re well on your way to completing it successfully. Here are some additional tips and reminders to ensure a smooth process:

• Start early and mind your deadlines: Now that the 2025–26 FAFSA is finally open (in December 2023), try to complete it as soon as possible. Some financial aid funds are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. States and schools often have priority deadlines well before the federal deadline (which is June 30, 2025, for submitting the 2025–26 FAFSA). Check the deadline for your state aid programs and for each college you’re applying to – and aim to submit your FAFSA before the earliest of those. Getting it done early means one less thing on your plate, and you’ll get your financial aid offers sooner, giving you more time to compare and plan.
• Double-check your info before submitting: Small mistakes can cause big delays. Before you hit submit, review each section of your FAFSA. Make sure names, birth dates, and Social Security Numbers are all correct (and match the SSNs on you and your parent’s cards). Ensure that you didn’t accidentally mix up student info and parent info in the wrong fields – a very common mistake. Verify that you’ve included all required contributors and that they have signed the FAFSA with their FSA IDs (the form will prompt for signatures at the end). If any required signature is missing, your FAFSA will be incomplete. Also check that your school list is complete. A little extra proofreading now can save a lot of hassle later.
• Remember it’s free: Never pay to file the FAFSA. The official application is free at FAFSA.gov (which redirects to studentaid.gov). If you encounter a site asking for credit card info, you’re on the wrong website. There are also free resources to help you if you get stuck – you can call the Federal Student Aid hotline or talk to your school counselor or the colleges’ financial aid offices. Be wary of anyone who guarantees you more aid if you pay them a fee; they don’t have special pull, and the FAFSA formula is the FAFSA formula. Save your money for college, not FAFSA “help.”
• Save and print your confirmation: After you submit the FAFSA online, you’ll see a confirmation page. This page will show a summary of some of your info, and it may also give an estimate of your eligibility for federal Pell Grants or loans. It’s a good idea to save a PDF of this confirmation or print it out. The confirmation includes a confirmation number and a date/time stamp, which is proof you submitted. You’ll also get a confirmation email sent to your FSA ID email. Keep that for your records. Typically, if everything is in order, you’ll then just wait a few days for processing.
• Review your Student Aid Report (SAR): Once your FAFSA is processed (usually within 3–5 days if you signed with FSA IDs), you’ll get an email saying your SAR is available. The Student Aid Report is basically a summary of all the answers you gave, plus your calculated SAI (Student Aid Index). Log in and download the SAR. Look it over carefully. If you spot any errors, now is the time to correct them (you can submit a correction via FAFSA.gov). The SAR will also tell you if you’ve been selected for a process called verification. If you see a note about “Selected for Verification,” it means your college(s) may ask you to provide documentation (like copies of tax returns or proof of certain info). Don’t panic – some students are randomly selected, and some get selected if something was inconsistent in the application. Just be ready to respond if a school contacts you for verification. It’s important to follow through, or you won’t get aid from that school.
• Reapply every year: Filing the FAFSA isn’t a one-and-done deal – you need to submit a new FAFSA for each academic year you want financial aid. For example, if you’ll be in college in 2025–26, you’ll file a FAFSA again next year (likely opening Oct 1, 2024). The good news is that renewals often take less time since much of your identifying info rolls over. Still, you’ll update income and tax info each year. Mark it on your calendar to revisit the FAFSA each fall. Many students file a FAFSA every year they’re in college.
• Ask for help if you need it: If at any point you’re confused, ask questions. There are many resources available. You can click the little question marks on the FAFSA form for help text on each question. The Federal Student Aid website has an extensive FAQ and help articles. You can call 1-800-4-FED-AID (the FAFSA helpline) and speak to a real person. Your high school’s college counselors or your college’s financial aid advisors are also great resources – they deal with FAFSA questions all the time. Don’t feel like you’re alone in this; plenty of people and tools are ready to assist.
• Keep documentation: After you file, hold onto all the key documents and info you used. For instance, keep a folder (physical or digital) with copies of your 2022 tax return, W-2s, your FSA ID info, the confirmation page, and later, your Student Aid Report. If any issues come up or a school asks for something, you’ll have everything organized and ready. Also, if you make any corrections to your FAFSA later, save the new confirmation pages.
• Follow through with your colleges: FAFSA is the first step. Once you’ve applied to colleges and your FAFSA is in, make sure to complete any other financial aid steps those colleges require. Some schools or states have separate scholarship applications, or they might request additional verification documents. Keep an eye on your email and application portals for each school. When you start receiving financial aid offer letters (usually in spring, after admissions decisions), compare them carefully. If you have questions about an offer, reach out to the college’s financial aid office – they can explain how they calculated it and if there are any options to appeal for more aid.

Finally, give yourself a pat on the back for tackling the FAFSA. It might not be the most fun part of preparing for college, but it is definitely one of the most important. By preparing ahead of time and understanding the process, you’ve made it much easier on yourself. Once you submit that FAFSA, you’ll have opened the door to financial resources that can help make your college dreams a reality. Good luck with your FAFSA and your educational journey ahead!

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