FAFSA Simplification

FAFSA 2024-25 Opened December 2023. The Department of Education, Federal Student Aid (FSA) Division, is working on several changes to make federal aid more accessible for students and families.a

Why is it changing?

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021:

Future Act -

  • Allows the Department of Education to automatically obtain federal tax information from the IRS for students, parents, and other contributors (such as a spouse or stepparent).
  • Requires consent from students and other contributors separately.

FAFSA Simplification Act -

  • Introduces significant changes to the FAFSA application process, including changes to the FAFSA form.
  • Changes in how students complete the application.
  • Changes in eligibility calculation. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022:

FAFSA Simplification Technical Corrections Act -

  • Extended FAFSA simplification timeline.
  • Updated language associated with Cost of Attendance (COA)
  • Provided additional flexibility for assisting students with unusual circumstances.
  • Modified the terms and conditions for students that qualify for Pell Grant funds based upon meeting special conditions currently associated with the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant and the Children of Fallen Heroes Grant.

FAFSA

What Changes Have Happened?

The phased approach began with the 2021-2022 award year, with full implementation planned for the 2024-25 award year. Changes so far and upcoming:

FAFS Simplificatiion

Click on the links to verify some of the current Policies and Procedures with updated changes and requirements:

  1. Cost of Attendance (COA)
  2. Special & Unusual Circumstances
  3. Federal Work-Study
What Is Not Changing?

These federal aid requirements, rights and responsibilities have not changed or had minor updates:

  1. The FAFSA remains required annually for federal aid consideration and is available to U.S. Citizens or Eligible Non-Citizens. How to apply for FAFSA
  2. Questions introduced in 2023-24 about the applicant's sex, race, and ethnicity have no effect on federal student aid eligibility and remain only for statistical purposes.
  3. Dependency status questions to determine if your parents must provide their information remain the same.
  4. FAFSA will still request prior-prior year tax information. Families that had significant reduction in income due to extenuating circumstances can still request special circumstances review.
  5. Federal Education Loans requirements remain the same.
  6. Federal Aid Rights & Responsibilities also didn't change.
    • Withdrawing Early
    • Participation Requirements
  7. Academic Requirements for Federal Aid are still required to maintain eligibility.
Best Practices for Filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2024-25

Before you start: 

  • Create or reconfirm your FSA ID. Everyone who needs to provide information on the FAFSA needs an FSA ID. This includes the student, the student's parents or stepparents (if the student is a dependent), and the student's spouse (if applicable). 
  • Gather your tax information. You will need to provide tax information for the student and their parents or stepparents, if applicable. 

Steps to complete the FAFSA: 

  1. Go to studentaid.gov and log in with your FSA ID. 
  2. Complete the Student Section of the FAFSA. 
  3. Indicate any contributors to your FAFSA. This includes your parents or stepparents (if you are a dependent student) and your spouse (if applicable). 
  4. Ask your contributors to create FSA IDs and complete their sections of the FAFSA. 
  5. Review your FAFSA and submit it. 

Tips: 

  • Start early. Some FAFSA funds are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, so submitting it as early as possible is best. 
  • Be accurate. Provide complete and accurate information on the FAFSA. Any errors or omissions could delay your application or even make you ineligible for financial aid. 
  • Keep copies of all supporting documents. If selected by Federal Student Aid, you may be asked to provide copies of your tax returns, W-2s, and other documents to verify your information. 
  • Contact us for help if you have any questions about the FAFSA or need assistance completing it.

Additional information on contributors: 

  • If you are a dependent student, you must indicate your parents or stepparents as contributors on the FAFSA. 
  • If your parents are married and filed joint 2022 tax returns, only one parent needs to complete the FAFSA as a contributor. 
  • If your parents are married and filed separate 2022 tax returns, both parents need to complete the FAFSA as contributors. 
  • If your parents are divorced, separated, or never married, the parent who provides the most financial support should complete the FAFSA as a contributor. 
  • If you are married, you must indicate your spouse as a contributor on the FAFSA. 

What happens after you submit the FAFSA: 

Once you submit the FAFSA, it will be processed by the Federal Student Aid office. You will receive a notification once your FAFSA has been processed. You can then check your financial aid status on your studentaid.gov account.  

Once we receive your application at our school, we will contact you. 

Frequently Asked Questions
StudentAid.Gov Account (Previously known as FSA ID)

What is a StudentAid.Gov Account, previously called Federal Student Account Identification (FSA ID)?

When creating a StudentAid.Gov Account, the username and password will be used by students and contributors to access federal student aid websites. If you already created a Federal Student Aid Identification Account (FSA ID) previously, you are good to go! It will be just a change of name.

Who needs a StudentAid.gov account, and what is it used for?

All students and contributors must create an account if they are:

  • Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form
  • Signing your Master Promissory Note (MPN)
  • Applying for repayment plans
  • Completing loan counseling
  • Using the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool

How do I create an account?

To create an account, go to StudentAid.gov and click "Get Started." You will need to provide:

  • Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Email address
  • Mobile phone number

You will also need to create a memorable username and password and complete challenge questions and answers to retrieve your account information if you forget it.

When should I create an account?

You can create an account at studentaid.gov at any time, but it is recommended that you create it at least a week or two before you start filling out the FAFSA form. This will give you time to verify your account and make sure that it is working properly.

What if I need help creating an FSA ID?

This step-by-step guide can help with detailed information.

My parent or spouse doesn't have a Social Security Number (SSN). Would they still be a contributor to my FAFSA?

Yes, starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA, your parent or spouse will also be required to create a StudentAid.gov account and verify it. To create a StudentAid.gov account, they can choose the option that allows them to create it without an SSN, and follow instructions.

Please note that the practice of substituting zeroes for an SSN will be discontinued for online FAFSA submissions and will only be allowed for paper-based applications.

What is two-step verification and why do I have to set it up for my StudentAid.gov account?

Two-step verification is a security feature that helps protect your StudentAid.gov account from fraud. When you enable two-step verification, you will be required to enter a code from your mobile phone in addition to your username and password when you log in to your account.

Does each contributor need a unique phone number or email for multi-factor authentication?

Yes. Each contributor must have a unique phone number or email for multi-factor authentication.

Do both parents need to create an account or just one like before?

This depends on the family's situation. For example, if a student has married parents filing taxes separately, both parents will need to create an account.

What is the impact if the student and parent already have an FSA ID? Do they need to create another StudentAid.Gov account?

None. Just ensure they are verified and ready to use when the FAFSA 2024-25 opens sometime in December 2023.

Contributors starting FAFSA 2024-25

Who are contributors for FAFSA 2024-25 purposes?

A contributor is anyone required to provide consent and approval for obtaining federal tax information needed to complete a student's FAFSA. If applicable, it may include:

  • Student
  • Student's spouse
  • Parent, biological or adopted
  • Parent's spouse (stepparent)

Is my parent a contributor when I fill out my FAFSA form?

Who are not contributors?

The following are not contributors unless they have legally adopted you.

  • Grandparents
  • Foster parents
  • Legal guardians
  • Brothers or sisters
  • Aunts or uncles

How are contributors determined?

The student's or parent's answers to certain questions on the FAFSA form will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information.

What do contributors need to provide?

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Social Security number
  • Email address
  • Personal and financial information

What steps do contributors need to follow?

  1. Receive an email informing you that you've been identified as a contributor.
  2. Create a StudentAid.gov account if you don't already have one.
  3. Log in to your account using your FSA ID account username and password.
  4. Review information about completing your section of the FAFSA form.
  5. Provide the required information on the student's FAFSA form.

What if I am a contributor and don't want to provide my information?

Being a contributor does not implicate financial responsibility. However, if a required contributor refuses to provide their information, it will result in an incomplete FAFSA form, and the student will become ineligible for federal student aid.

In cases where biological parents are not married, who should provide information on the FAFSA?

  • The parent who provides the most financial support should complete it.
  • If one parent pays child support, that parent should complete the FAFSA if the child support amounts to more than half of the student's support.
  • If a dependent student's parents are unmarried and living together, both parents will need to complete the FAFSA as contributors.
  • If the parent who provides most financial support is remarried, that parent and the stepparent's income should be on the FAFSA, even if they were not yet married on the requested tax year.
Consent starting FAFSA 2024-25

Why do I need to provide consent?  

The Future Act requires all contributors on the FAFSA to provide consent to share their tax information with the IRS. This consent is necessary for the Department of Education to request federal tax information from the IRS and to use that information in the federal student aid application process. 

What happens if I don't provide consent?  

If you, as a student, or a spouse or parent, don't provide consent on the FAFSA, you will not be eligible for any federal aid. 

What happens after someone provides consent, or Federal Taxes Information (FTI) Approval, on the 2024-25 FAFSA? 

Providing consent allows the Department of Education to use your name and social security number to match with the IRS so the IRS may share your tax information with the Department of Education to determine a student's eligibility for federal student aid. 

Do I still need to provide consent if I had a low income and was not required to file taxes or even if I had zero wages?  

Every contributor still needs to provide consent on the FAFSA, so the IRS can confirm to Federal Student Aid (FSA) that you, your parents, or spouse didn't file taxes. 

What happens if a contributor provides consent but doesn't sign the application?  

Starting 2024-25, all parties must complete the FAFSA application online. If a signature is missing, the parent or the contributor that needs to complete their section and/or sign the application must obtain an FSA ID and get into the application and complete their section.  

Federal Taxes, Assets & Financial Data

Will students still be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT)?  

No. Starting FAFSA 2024-25, the DRT will no longer exist. Federal Student Aid (FSA) will now directly transfer Federal Tax Information (FTI) from the IRS into the FAFSA form as long as you have provided FSA with the consent to do so. 

Will non-custodial parents be contributors if they have not claimed the child on their taxes?  

Yes. Starting with the Simplified FAFSA, students will determine which parent to report based on which one provides the most financial support. The reported parents will provide consent to transfer their taxes data even if they do not claim the student on their taxes. 

If parents who are remarried provide more financial support to the child than a biological parent, does the stepparent have to provide their tax information?  

Yes. If the parent providing more financial support is remarried, the stepparent's tax information is required. 

What if my parent or stepparent does not want to provide their tax information for my FAFSA?  

We cannot provide tax advice, but our Federal Aid Counselors can offer to talk directly with the parent or stepparent to explain why the Department of Education requires their information. 

Can my parent or I self-report our income on FAFSA?  

Yes, but you still need to provide consent. We recommend you choose FAFSA provide your income from IRS taxes. If your situation has changed from the required tax year, please contact our office to request an appeal.  

What if I had a low income and was not required to file taxes?  

Students whose parents were not required to file a federal income tax return will automatically receive a SAI of -1500. 

Why are assets different on the FAFSA 2024-25?  

Starting 2024–25 award year, some financial information previously considered income or previously excluded from asset reporting will be required as assets instead. These include: 

  • Annual amount of child support received. 
  • Net worth of all businesses, regardless of the size or number of employees. 
  • Net worth of farm including the value of a family farm (family primary's residence is still excluded). This includes the fair market value of land, buildings, livestock, unharvested crops, and machinery actively used in investment farms or agricultural or commercial activities, minus any debts help against those assets. 
  • For dependent students, education savings accounts will only be counted as parental assets if the account is designated for the student.  
Student Aid Index (SAI) & Pell Grant

What is the SAI?

The SAI is a measure of a student's financial aid need. It is calculated using information the student (and contributors, if required) provides on the FAFSA form.

What is the difference between the SAI and EFC?

The SAI is replacing the EFC starting in the 2024–25 award year. The main difference between the two is that the SAI does not consider the number of family members in college.

How is Pell Grant eligibility determined based on SAI?

Students may qualify for a maximum Pell Grant based on family size, adjusted gross income (AGI), poverty guidelines, and tax filing status. Students with a negative or 0 SAI are eligible for the maximum Pell Grant.

What is the parallel between the 2024-25 Negative SAI and Pell Grant?

  • Students with a negative SAI are eligible for the maximum Pell Grant.
  • Non-tax filers receive automatic -1500 SAI. The maximum EFC was 0 (zero).
  • AGI, household size, and federal poverty guidelines determine Pell Grant eligibility.

How will Pell Grant be awarded?

Pell grant will no longer be awarded per enrollment category, but per amount of credits, as shown in the table below.

How the pell grant is awarded

Professional Judgment & Appeals

 What are unusual circumstances? 

Unusual circumstances are when a student is unable to contact a parent or where contact with the parent poses a risk to the student. Examples include human trafficking, legally granted refugee or asylum status, parental abandonment or estrangement, and student or parental incarceration. 

How can I be considered an independent student? 

To be considered an independent student, you must meet one of the following criteria and provide documentation: 

  • Born before January 1, 2001 
  • Married (and not separated) 
  • A graduate or professional student 
  • A veteran 
  • A member of the armed forces 
  • An orphan 
  • A ward of the court 
  • Someone with legal dependents other than a spouse 
  • An emancipated minor 
  • Someone who is unaccompanied and homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless 

What other types of professional judgment appeals can students and families request? 

Other types of professional judgment appeals include: 

  • Appeals for changes in income or expenses 
  • Appeals for changes in dependency status 
  • Appeals for changes in cost of attendance 
  • Appeals for changes in awards 

For more information, please visit our Federal Appeals page.  

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Student Financial Support. 

How To Submit the 2024–25 FAFSA® Form if Your Contributor Doesn’t Have an SSN

When the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form first became available, a technical issue prevented contributors without a Social Security number (SSN) from starting or accessing the form. This issue has been resolved. Students are now able to submit a fully completed FAFSA form that includes contributor information.

Provided below are instructions to help students and their contributors successfully navigate the form. This includes answers to frequently asked questions and help with issues that might impact the user experience.

Issues that may impact user experience include the following:

  • All contributors without an SSN, including those with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), will need to manually enter their financial information. We still encourage all impacted users to enter an ITIN, if they have one. At a later date, the U.S. Department of Education will work to retrieve federal tax information via the direct data exchange with the IRS and will reprocess the form, as necessary, to reflect any changes. There is no timeline for resolution of this issue.
  • Parent contributors from the Freely Associated States are not able to start a FAFSA form on behalf of dependent students. Until this issue is resolved, students should start their own form and invite their required parent contributor(s) to participate.

Instructions for Students Who Haven’t Started a Form

To start an online FAFSA form in situations where a contributor does not have an SSN, follow the steps below. Completing these steps will help you avoid encountering errors.

Step 1: Get a StudentAid.gov account before filling out the FAFSA® form.

As you prepare to fill out the form, make sure you and your contributor(s) each create a StudentAid.gov account. We strongly recommend that you and your contributor(s) each create a StudentAid.gov account before you start your form. If you’re an independent student, and you didn’t file taxes jointly with your spouse, your spouse may be a required contributor. If you’re a dependent student, your parent(s) may be required contributors. To find out if your parent(s) will be a contributor on your FAFSA form, check out the Is My Parent a Contributor When I Fill Out My FAFSA Form? infographic.

IMPORTANT: We recommend printing a copy—or taking a screenshot—of the information your contributor enters on the “Personal Information” page when they create their StudentAid.gov account. You will need to enter this same information exactly as entered when inviting the contributor to your FAFSA form. Differences as small as using “Road” in the invitation to the contributor, versus using the abbreviation “Rd” when creating their StudentAid.gov account address, can potentially lead to errors that will prevent the contributor from entering the FAFSA form.

Contributors without an SSN who create a StudentAid.gov account will need to complete an identity verification process after they create the account. Your contributor will need to complete all steps to verify their identity before they can access your FAFSA form, which may take several days. Your contributor will not be able to start or access your FAFSA form to provide information until their account is validated. See How do I verify my identity if I create an account and don’t have a Social Security number (SSN)? for more information.

Step 2: Start the 2024–25 FAFSA® form at fafsa.gov.

Be prepared so you can complete your form in one session. You might need the following documents as you fill out the 2024–25 form:

  • 2022 tax returns
  • Records of child support received
  • Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
  • Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms

Learn more about Pro Tips resource.

You may receive the following error message if you enter inaccurate information on a contributor’s invitation or if you send multiple invitations to the same contributor: "If you entered a Social Security number (SSN), it is already associated with a StudentAid.gov account. Except for email address, all information entered on this page must match that existing account. Please confirm this information with the person you are adding to your form to ensure accuracy. If you did not enter an SSN, review this guidance and recommended workaround and try again.”

If you receive this error message, you must wait until the next day and then try to invite your contributor again.

Step 4: Sign your section of the form after selecting schools.

After adding your school(s) to your form, review your information, sign your form, and then continue to the “section complete” page.

Step 5: Have your contributor(s) accept their invitation and log in to the form to provide their information.

Your contributor(s) will need to manually enter their income and tax information including their adjusted gross income and income taxes paid. They will need a copy of their 2022 tax return to complete this section.

All contributors without an SSN, including those with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), will need to manually enter their financial information. We still encourage all impacted users to enter an ITIN, if they have one. At a later date, we’ll attempt to retrieve federal tax information via the direct data exchange with the IRS and will reprocess the form, as necessary, to reflect any changes.

Step 6: Submit the form.

If you successfully completed your section, and your contributors successfully complete their section, your form should be submitted.

Step 7: Watch for your confirmation email.

You will receive a confirmation email showing your submission date and your estimated aid eligibility.

Note: This process is different when the student does not have an SSN. Undocumented students, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, are not eligible for federal student aid but may still be eligible for other types of financial aid (state aid, college or career/trade school aid, or private scholarships). These students should check with their high school counselor or college’s or career school’s financial aid office to see whether completing the FAFSA form is the appropriate way to apply for state and school student aid. Get more details and tips for DACA recipients filling out the FAFSA form.

Instructions for Students Who Have Started a Form

Follow the steps below if you have already started your FAFSA form and were previously blocked from inviting contributors who don't have an SSN to your form. Completing these steps will help you avoid encountering errors.

Step 1: All contributors must create and validate their StudentAid.gov accounts, if they haven’t already done so.

Contributors without an SSN who create a StudentAid.gov account will need to complete an identity verification process after they create the account. Your contributor will need to complete all steps to verify their identity before they can access your FAFSA form, which may take several days. Your contributor will not be able to start or access your FAFSA form to provide information until their account is validated. See How do I verify my identity if I create an account and don’t have a Social Security number (SSN)? for more information.

Step 2: You (the student) should log in and complete the FAFSA® form that is in “Draft” or “In Progress” status.

Log in to your StudentAid.gov account Dashboard and select the 2024–25 form in the “My Activity” section. The form must be in a “Draft” or “In Progress” status to make changes.

Step 3: Invite all required contributors to participate in the form.

Follow the prompts in the online form to identify and invite your contributors. Then, complete the entire student section of the form. To invite contributors to your FAFSA form, you’ll be asked to provide their

  • first and last name;
  • SSN (if they have one);
  • date of birth;
  • email address; and
  • mailing address.

To avoid issues with your FAFSA form, list contributor information exactly as it appears on the contributor’s legal identification such as their birth certificate, U.S. driver's license, or foreign passport. Also, if they already have a StudentAid.gov account, make sure the personal information you enter exactly matches the information they provided when creating their account.

Differences as small as using “Road” in the invitation to the contributor, versus the contributor using the abbreviation “Rd” when creating their StudentAid.gov account, can potentially lead to errors that will prevent the contributor from entering the FAFSA form. Leave the SSN portion blank only for those contributors that do not have one. For additional tips on successfully completing your 2024–25 FAFSA form, read our Pro Tips resource.

You may receive the following error message if you enter inaccurate information on a contributor’s invitation or if you send multiple invitations to the same contributor: "If you entered a Social Security number (SSN), it is already associated with a StudentAid.gov account. Except for email address, all information entered on this page must match that existing account. Please confirm this information with the person you are adding to your form to ensure accuracy. If you did not enter an SSN, review this guidance and recommended workaround and try again.”

If you receive this error message, you must wait until the next day and then try to invite your contributor again.

Step 4: Sign your section of the form after selecting schools.

After adding your school(s) to your form, review your information, sign your form, and then continue to the “section complete” page.

Step 5: Have your contributor(s) accept their invitation and log in to the form to provide their information.

Your contributor(s) will need to manually enter their income and tax information including their adjusted gross income and income taxes paid. They will need a copy of their 2022 tax return to complete this section.

All contributors without an SSN, including those with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), will need to manually enter their financial information. We still encourage all impacted users to enter an ITIN, if they have one. At a later date, we’ll attempt to retrieve federal tax information via the direct data exchange with the IRS and will reprocess the form, as necessary, to reflect any changes.

Step 6: Submit the form.

If you successfully completed your section, and your contributors successfully complete their section, your form should be submitted.

Step 7: Watch for your confirmation email.

You will receive a confirmation email showing your submission date and your estimated aid eligibility.

Note: This process is different when the student does not have an SSN. Undocumented students, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, are not eligible for federal student aid but may still be eligible for other types of financial aid (state aid, college or career/trade school aid, or private scholarships). These students should check with their high school counselor or college’s or career school’s financial aid office to see whether completing the FAFSA form is the appropriate way to apply for state and school student aid. Get more details and tips for DACA recipients filling out the FAFSA form.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my contributor can’t complete the identity verification process through TransUnion?

All contributors must complete an identity verification process to create a StudentAid.gov account without an SSN. When creating the account username and password online, they will be required to answer additional questions to verify their identity. These questions are generated by TransUnion, a credit reporting company.

  • If They Aren’t Presented Questions:
    If identity verification questions couldn’t be generated for your contributor, a yellow banner will display. They can continue creating their account and then will be required to complete a manual verification process, which is detailed below.
    IMPORTANT: Your contributor can’t create another new StudentAid.gov account to make another attempt at verification.
  • Manual Verification Process:
    If your contributor wasn’t presented with identity verification questions while creating their account or they answered them incorrectly, they will be notified on the account creation confirmation page that they need to take additional steps to verify their identity. The contributor will receive a “Verify Your Identity” email from us with additional steps and the required document(s) that must be submitted.
  • Your contributor must respond to the email address that is provided and attach a copy of the required documents from the list below, plus a completed and signed attestation form.
  • One of the following identity documents:
    • Driver’s license
    • State or city identification card
    • Foreign passport
  • OR One of the following pairs of identity documents:
    • Municipal identification card and utility bill
    • Community ID card and utility bill
    • Consular identification card (Matricula Consular) and utility bill

How is the data that students and their contributors enter on the FAFSA® form, including personally identifiable information (PII), used and protected?

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) follows all applicable laws and regulations to handle your information responsibly. ED requires personal information for identify verification, to determine a student’s eligibility for federal student aid, and to prevent fraud. ED may also share personal information from the FAFSA with other federal agencies. For example, ED will share information with the Social Security Administration to verify an SSN (critical for obtaining tax information from the IRS), citizenship (for students who are applying for aid), or to ensure the individual has not passed away. ED will only share information on the applicant (the student), not any of their contributors, with the Department of Homeland Security to confirm citizenship and eligibility for federal student aid.

Any federal agency that receives this information from ED can only use the data for the explicitly authorized purposes. This does not include any immigration or enforcement actions.

For those individuals without an SSN that go through an identity verification process through TransUnion, TransUnion:

  • can only use the data it receives from ED for the purpose of verifying someone’s identity;
  • cannot keep the data; and
  • cannot share the data with or sell the data to any other entities.

You may review how all collected information is used and shared by accessing Federal Student Aid's privacy statements at studentaid.gov/notices/privacy.

If I submitted a paper form but it was not for the purpose of meeting an application deadline, can I also file an online form now?

You may still submit an online version of the FAFSA form. When your online form is processed, your paper form will be marked as a duplicate application and returned to you. Because the online form will be processed before the paper form, the date that the online version was submitted will be the recorded submission date of your FAFSA form (even if you submitted a paper form at an earlier date).

Note: If you filed a paper form to meet an application deadline in January or February, you should not fill out a duplicate online form, as it will override your earlier paper application date.

What can I use to show proof of my FAFSA® form submission if my school, state, or scholarship provider requests it?

If you submitted the online form, provide a copy of your confirmation email as proof of your submission. Alternatively, take a screenshot of your confirmation screen once you’ve submitted your form, or select your submission from the “My Activity” section of your StudentAid.gov account Dashboard to take a screenshot of your submission details.

If you’re not sure the provider requesting proof of your submission is legitimate, check out our resource about how to identify and avoid student aid scams.

Will online and paper forms be processed at the same time when processing begins in the first half of March?

Online forms will be processed first, followed by paper forms in the weeks that follow. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that all applicants apply via the online form, whenever possible, to prevent further delays. Because the online form will be processed before the paper form, the date that the online version was submitted will be the recorded submission date of your FAFSA form (even if you submitted a paper form at an earlier date).

Note: If you filed a paper form to meet an application deadline in January or February, you should not fill out a duplicate online form, as it will override your earlier paper application date.

I submitted an incomplete FAFSA® form as instructed by the U.S. Department of Education to meet a critical aid deadline. When can I update the form with my contributor’s information?

You will be able to make a correction to your form in the first half of April.