You'll have a better take a chance at receiving money for higher if you avoid several common mistakes when filling out yourFree Application for Federal Student Assist(FAFSA®) form, such as not completing it on time, not filling information technology out correctly, or forgetting to sign and submit.

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We hear all kinds of reasons for not completing the FAFSA form: "The FAFSA class is too hard." "It takes too long to complete the form." "I'll never qualify anyway, and then why does information technology matter?" Itdoes thing. For ane, opposite to popular conventionalities, youmay qualify for federal student aid because it doesn't accept an income cutting-off. It takes into account factors similar the size of your family and your year in school. Also, the FAFSA form is not merely the application for the Federal Pell Grant. Information technology's besides the application for Federal Piece of work-Study funds, federal educatee loans, and even scholarships and grants offered by your state, school, or a private organization.

If yous want to get the most financial aid possible, fill out the FAFSA form right away. Many states have limited funds, so they may have early on FAFSA deadlines.

The FAFSA form doesn't take besides much time to complete, and information technology includes help text for each question. Be sure to sign and submit!

You could potentially miss out on thousands of dollars to assistance you pay for college if you don't complete the FAFSA form on time.

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Yous should fill out the FAFSA course as before long as possible, but you should DEFINITELY fill it out earlier your primeval 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 sure to consummate the FAFSA form before your country deadline.

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It'south important to go a StudentAid.gov business relationship username and password (FSA ID) before filling out the FAFSA course. Why? When you register for an FSA ID, you lot may demand to wait up to three days earlier you tin can apply it to sign your FAFSA form electronically. You AND your parent (if you're considered a dependent student) volition each demand your own separate FSA IDs to sign the FAFSA class online or on the mobile app. DO Non share your FSA IDs with each other! Doing and then could cause problems or delays with your fiscal aid. Don't wait!

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When you begin your FAFSA course, you lot will need  to identify yourself as one of the following:

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

If yous're the student, you should cull the first option. Why? When you do, some of your personal information (proper noun, Social Security number [SSN], date of birth, etc.) volition automatically load into your awarding.  This volition prevent you from running into a mutual fault that occurs when your verified FSA ID information doesn't match the data on your FAFSA form. Besides, you lot won't have to enter your FSA ID over again if y'all 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 fill out the FAFSA form, select whether yous are student or a parent.

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One of most difficult parts well-nigh filling out the FAFSA grade is entering the fiscal information. Merely thanks to a partnership with the IRS, students and parents who are eligible tin can automatically transfer necessary 2020 taxation information into the 2022–23 FAFSA class using the IRS DRT. Information technology's the fastest, about accurate way to enter your tax return data into the FAFSA form, and then if you're given the option to "LINK TO IRS" push, take advantage of information technology!

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

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

Here are some items that have very specific (merely not necessarily intuitive) definitions according to the FAFSA form:

  • Legal guardianship
    To decide your dependency status, the FAFSA class asks, "Does someone other than your parent or stepparent accept legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your country of legal residence?" Many students incorrectly answer "aye" here. For this question, the definition of legal guardianship does not include your parents—even if they were appointed past a court to exist your guardians. Also, you lot cannot be your own legal guardian.
  • Parents
    The FAFSA form hasvery specific guidelinesalmost which parent's information to report.Spoiler alert: It has nothing to do with who claims you on their taxes. The FAFSA course may inquire, "As of today, what is the marital status of your parents?" Yous can utilise this guide to help you lot effigy out which parent to report on the FAFSA class.
Infographic to help readers think through determining who is the parent when completing a FAFSA form.
Learn how to decide who is the parent when completing a FAFSA course.
  • Number of family members (household size)
    The FAFSA class has a specific definition regarding how yous should determine your family unit size. Read the instructions carefully. Many students incorrectly report this number, especially when the student doesn't physically live with their parent.
  • Number of family members in college
    Enter the number of people in your (or your parents') household who will attend higher at the same fourth dimension as yous. Don't forget to include yourself, but don't include your parents in this number, even if they're in college. This number should never be greater than your number of family unit members.
  • Net worth of investments
    We've outlined some specific items that should and shouldn't exist included equally investments on the FAFSA class. For example, a higher savings programme like a 529 business relationship is considered an investment* while the value of the home in which you lot reside and the value of your retirement accounts are not.
  • Taxable college grants and scholarships
    For this question, y'all written report only college grant and scholarship amountsreported to the IRS as income. That means y'all should not use the corporeality listed on your 1098-T; you lot should study the amount listed on your tax return. Do not apply the number in the adapted gross income (AGI) field.  Here are the tax line numbers y'all should reference when asked this question. If you didn't file taxes, you should enter zero.

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

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Here are some examples of common errors nosotros encounter when people complete the FAFSA® class:

  • Confusing parent data with student information
    We know many parents will fill out the FAFSA form for their children, but think, it is the student'south application. When the FAFSA form says "yous" or "your," it'southward referring to the student, so make sure to enter your (the student's) information. If the form is asking for your parent'south information, it will specify that in the question.
  • Entering information that doesn't match your FSA ID information
    After you create an FSA ID, the Social Security Administration receives and verifies your information (name, SSN, date of nascence). If you enter a unlike name, SSN, and/or date of birth on the FAFSA course, you'll receive an error message. This is ofttimes the event of either a typo or mixing up student information and parent information. Avoid delays by triple-checking the information y'all entered.  If you lot encounter an error indicating that the data is non matching, larn how yous tin resolve the mistake.
  • Corporeality of your income taxation
    The FAFSA grade is request for your assessed income tax liability, not the amount of income tax withheld and not your adjusted gross income. We know this tin can be complicated. To avoid this common error, either transfer your tax information to the FAFSA form using the IRS DRT or  find out which tax line number you should refer to when answering this question. (Note: It volition depend on which IRS class you filed.)

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  • Parent data
    Even if you fully support yourself, pay your own bills, and file your ain taxes, you may withal exist considered a dependent student for federal educatee aid purposes. If so, you must provide parent data on your FAFSA® grade. Dependency guidelines for the FAFSA grade are adamant by the U.Southward. Congress. They are different from the IRS dependency guidelines. Find out whether you need to provide parent information by answering these questions. If you're considered a dependent student and don't provide parent data, we may not process your FAFSA form and/or y'all may qualify 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 form.
  • Additional financial information
    If you follow our recommendation and use the IRS DRT, nearly of the fiscal information required on the FAFSA form will be filled in automatically for you lot. All the same, the IRS DRT doesn't populate everything; some numbers, including many items in the "Additional Financial Data" section, must be manually entered. If you lot used the IRS DRT, you'll see that some boxes in that section are prechecked and the fields prefilled with "Transferred from the IRS." Nevertheless, other items, such as "Payments to tax-deferred pension and retirement savings plans" and others, cannot transfer from the IRS. You must review manually each detail in the listing, select the box if information technology applies to y'all, and enter the appropriate amount by referencing your relevant fiscal records. In the case of payments to revenue enhancement-deferred pension and retirement savings plans, y'all tin can find that information on your W-2 form.
Screenshot of the Student Financials page of the FAFSA form.
Be sure to report all required information in the FAFSA class.

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Unless you're applying to just one college or already know where y'all're going to schoolhouse, you should include more than one. Colleges can't see the other schools you lot've added, so you should add ALL colleges you lot are considering to your FAFSA® class, even if y'all aren't sure whether you'll use or be accepted. You lot can add together up to ten schools at a fourth dimension. If you're applying to more than than 10 schools,  follow these steps.

It doesn't hurt your application to add more schools. In fact, you don't even take to remove schools in which you make up one's mind not to apply. If you don't end upwardly applying or getting accepted to a schoolhouse, the school can just condone your FAFSA form. Notwithstanding, you lot can remove schools at any time to make room for new schools.

Note: If yous're a resident of certain states, the order in which y'all listing the schools on your FAFSA form might matter. Find out whether your state has a requirement for the lodge y'all list schools on your FAFSA form.

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And so many students answer every single question asked only fail to sign the FAFSA® class with their FSA ID and submit the form. This happens for many reasons—perhaps you forgot your FSA ID or your parent isn't with you to sign with the parent FSA ID—so 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 let this happen to you.

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

If you lot're not able to sign with your FSA ID, have advantage of the choice to mail a signature page. If you lot would similar confirmation of your FAFSA course submission, you tin can check your condition immediately after yous submit your FAFSA form online.