Filing the FAFSA doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re preparing ahead or it’s FAFSA season, this step-by-step guide will help you navigate the process smoothly and maximize your financial aid opportunities.
What is the FAFSA?
The FAFSA–or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is essential for accessing federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans, federal grants including the Pell Grant, work-study opportunities, and in some cases, institutional scholarships.
You must refile your FAFSA every year you are in college. Submit it as early as possible to increase your chances of receiving aid.
How Do I File My FAFSA?
There are 10 steps to file the FAFSA. We’ll break down each step for you, letting you know any documents or information you need at each step.
Step 1: Create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID for FAFSA
Create an account on the FAFSA website. This ID allows you to:
- Access your FAFSA
- Sign the form electronically
- Make corrections to your FAFSA if needed
- Refile your FAFSA each year
- Manage federal loan payments
Things to Know:
- Use a personal email that you will have access to long-term.
- Both the student and the parent need to create separate IDs. Parents can reuse an ID from a previous FAFSA.
- Allow three business days before starting your FAFSA if you want your IRS data to prefill automatically.
Step 2: Gather Necessary Documents for FAFSA
You’ll need:
- Social Security Numbers for the student and the parent (or mailing addresses and A-Numbers for non-citizens)
- 2023 tax information if filing the FAFSA for the 2025–2026 academic year
- W-2 forms and records of income over $600
- Bank statements, investment records, and untaxed income statements (e.g., child support payments received)
- Your FSA ID from step 1.
Step 3: How to Access the FAFSA Form
Visit the Federal Student Aid website to access the FAFSA and log in using your FSA ID.
- Begin filling out the FAFSA from the student’s portion first.
- Watch the four short instructional videos provided on the application to ensure accuracy.
Things to Know:
- Start the application as a student and only invite your parent to contribute their portion to your form once the student section is complete.
- Do not start the FAFSA as the parent contributor, and do not fill out both the student and parent sections at the same time.
- Completing one section at a time, starting with the student’s portion, will reduce system errors and frustrations.
Step 4: Enter Your Personal Information for FAFSA
Fill in the student’s details, including:
- Full name, Social Security Number, and residency information
- IRS tax data
- Information about the parents (this is not the parent’s section to fill out yet)
- Which parent you want to invite as a contributor (this should be the parent with the FSA account)
- Demographics information
Things to Know:
- The date you became a resident of the state is either your birthday, the date you moved to your state from another state, or the date you moved to the state if you immigrated to the U.S. from another country.
- You and your parents are allowed to decline filling out the IRS section, but by declining, you will no longer be eligible for free federal aid like grants, work-study, and certain scholarship opportunities.
- Do not send both invites to the parents. Ignore the Parent Spouse or Partner section unless otherwise instructed.
- If your parents are married, do not invite them both. Only one parent is a contributor. The parent contributor should be the one who has the FAFSA ID from Step 1. This means you should only be filling out the section titled “Parent Who Will Fill Out This Form.”
- Your gender, race and ethnicity, parent education status, and high school education do not have any effect on your eligibility to receive federal aid.
- If you are an eligible noncitizen and you receive an error when you enter your A-Number, save and exit the form and return to your application in 3–5 business days.
Step 5: Enter Financial Information for FAFSA
Enter your financial details, including:
- Income, assets, and tax return information.
- Scholarships exceeding tuition (if applicable)
Things to Know:
- If you see the question, “Did or will the student file a 2023 IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR?” It means the IRS could not find your tax return.
- This question will also pop up if you file your FAFSA within three business days of creating your ID.
- If you select Yes, you will need to manually enter your tax return information.
- If you select No, you will be asked if you earned income in a foreign country in 2023 and may need to answer additional questions.
- If you do not see those questions but you see a question asking about student assets, the IRS found your tax return and linked it to your FAFSA account.
Step 6: List Your Schools on the FAFSA
Add up to 20 colleges or universities to send your FAFSA information.
Things to Know:
- Use the federal school code for faster results–for example, Drake’s school code is 001860–or search for the school by state.
- You can update this list later if needed.
Step 7: Review Your Information on FAFSA
Take a moment to review the information you have entered for accuracy. Once you’re sure everything is correct:
- Sign and submit the student portion of your FAFSA.
- Log out to allow the parent to access their section.
Things to Know:
- Click continue before you fill out the Parent Sections at the bottom of this page. The student should sign and submit their section first.
Step 8: Fill Out the Parent Information in FAFSA
Your parent will log in using their FSA ID to complete their portion of the FAFSA.
- They should see a Pending Invitation if the student just filled out their section. Click on View My Activity to accept or decline this invitation.
- Confirm their information and allow IRS tax data-sharing.
- Provide financial details, including family size, assets, and untaxed income.
Things to Know:
- If your parent declines their invitation, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid.
Step 9: Reporting Parent Financial Information for FAFSA
Parents will need to report:
- Tax information, including W-2s and income
- The net worth of their businesses (if applicable)
- Child support or other benefits received
Things to Know:
- The first screen on the Financial Section will look different for the parents than it does for the student.
- Select all benefits that apply to you as the parent or if anyone in your household receives those benefits.
- The question asking about the amount of college grants, scholarships, or AmeriCorps benefits reported as income to the IRS can be a little confusing.
- Only put the amount of scholarship your student earned if it is over the total cost of tuition for their school.
- If your student earned a $25,000 scholarship to a school with a $50,000 tuition, leave the form blank.
- If your student earned multiple scholarships totaling more than their $50,000 tuition, report anything over the tuition threshold.
- If they earned a total of $65,000 in scholarships to a school with a $50,000 tuition, report $15,000.
Step 10: Review your FAFSA
Once the parent section is complete, they must review and sign. The FAFSA is complete once the student and the parent section are submitted!
Pro Tips for Success:
- Start early to avoid delays and maximize aid opportunities.
- Double-check all information before submitting.
- Keep your FSA ID credentials secure for future use.
Filing the FAFSA may seem daunting, but with this guide, you’ll be ready to tackle it one step at a time.
