TIP: To be considered for state aid, many states require you to list schools in a specific order (for instance, you may have to list a country school first). Find out if your state has a requirement for the order in which you record schools on your FAFSA form.
Your driver’s license number
IMPORTANT: Do NOT create an FSA ID on behalf of someone else. That means parents should not produce FSA IDs for their children and vice versa. Doing so may lead to issues signing and submitting the FAFSA form and might result in financial aid delays. (Also, it is against the rules to create an FSA ID for someone else.)
List of the school(s) you are interested in attending
Nicole Callahan is a Digital Engagement Strategist at the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid.
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6. Records of your assets (money)*
An FSA ID is a username and password that you can use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education (ED) websites. Each pupil, and one parent of each dependent student, will need an FSA ID to complete the FAFSA process on fafsa.gov. We recommend creating your FSA ID early–even before you are ready to complete the FAFSA form–to avoid delays.
- On the 2018–19 FAFSA form, you (and your parents, as appropriate) will report your 2016 income information, as opposed to your 2017 income information.
- Since you’ll already have filed your 2016 taxes from the time the FAFSA form launches, you will be able to import your tax information into the FAFSA form right away with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). (No more logging back in to upgrade after filing taxes!)
- Not everyone is eligible to use the IRS DRT and the IRS DRT does not input all the financial information required on the FAFSA form. Hence, you need to have your 2016 tax return and 2016 IRS W-2 available.
This includes savings and checking account balances, in addition to the value of investments such as stocks and bonds and real estate (except the home where your family lives). You should report the amounts as of the date you sign the FAFSA form, as opposed to the 2016 tax year figures.
To summarize:
- You cannot use your 2017 tax information. We understand that for some households, 2016 income does not accurately reflect your current situation. In case you’ve experienced a decrease in income since the 2016 tax season, you need to complete the FAFSA form with the information it asks for (2016), and then contact all the colleges to which you are applying to explain and document the change in earnings. They have the capability to assess your situation and make adjustments to your FAFSA form if justified.
- You can’t upgrade your 2018–19 FAFSA form with your 2017 tax advice after submitting 2017 taxes. 2016 information is what’s required. No updates no upgrades.
5.
It’ll be easier to complete the FAFSA form if you collect what you need beforehand. Below is what you will need to fill it out.
Then don’t be worried about this step if you don’t have a driver’s license.
The IRS DRT will reunite with the 2018–19 FAFSA form on Oct. 1, 2017. The IRS DRT remains the quickest, most accurate way to input your tax return information into the FAFSA form. To address privacy and security concerns associated with the IRS DRT, the tax return information you move from the IRS will no longer be shown on fafsa.gov or the IRS DRT web page. Instead, you will see “Transferred from the IRS” in the appropriate fields on fafsa.gov.
In case you didn’t hear about the changes we made to the FAFSA process, beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA form, we now require you to report income information from an earlier tax year.
1.
4. Your 2016 tax documents*
For step-by-step instructions, watch How to Create Your FSA ID.
* If you are a dependent student, you’ll need this information for your parents also.
You can find the number on your Social Security card. If you don’t have access to it, and don’t know where it is, ask your parent or legal guardian or get a new or replacement Social Security card from the Social Security Administration. If you are not a U.S. citizen, but fulfill Federal Student Aid’s basic eligibility requirements, you will also need your Alien Registration number.
- Anyone who intends to complete the 2018–19 FAFSA form should create an FSA ID when possible.
- If you are required to provide parent information on your FAFSA form, your parent should create an FSA ID too.
- Because your FSA ID is equal to your signature, parents and students each need to create their own FSA IDs with their very own, unique email address and telephone number. Parents should not produce an FSA ID for their child and vice versa.
- In some situations, you may need to wait up to three times to use your FSA ID after creating it. If you want to prevent FAFSA delays, create your FSA ID currently. Your Social Security number*
4. Your 2016 tax documents*
For step-by-step instructions, watch How to Create Your FSA ID.
* If you are a dependent student, you’ll need this information for your parents also.
You can find the number on your Social Security card. If you don’t have access to it, and don’t know where it is, ask your parent or legal guardian or get a new or replacement Social Security card from the Social Security Administration. If you are not a U.S. citizen, but fulfill Federal Student Aid’s basic eligibility requirements, you will also need your Alien Registration number.
- Anyone who intends to complete the 2018–19 FAFSA form should create an FSA ID when possible.
- If you are required to provide parent information on your FAFSA form, your parent should create an FSA ID too.
- Because your FSA ID is equal to your signature, parents and students each need to create their own FSA IDs with their very own, unique email address and telephone number. Parents should not produce an FSA ID for their child and vice versa.
- In some situations, you may need to wait up to three times to use your FSA ID after creating it. If you want to prevent FAFSA delays, create your FSA ID currently. Your Social Security number*
- Even if there’s only a slight chance you will apply to a school, list the school on your FAFSA form. You can always remove schools in the event that you choose not to apply, but you could lose out on first-come , aid, if you wait to add a school. They will use your FAFSA information to determine the types and amounts of financial aid you may receive.
- If you add a school to your FAFSA form and later decide not to apply for admission to that school, that’s OK! The school likely will not offer you aid until you’ve been accepted.
- You can list up to ten schools on your FAFSA form at a time. If you are applying to more than 10 colleges, here is what you need to do.
Published at Wed, 06 Sep 2017 19:56:55 +0000
You should fill it out as soon as possible on the official government website, fafsa.gov.
The FAFSA questions about income may or may not apply to you, but they include things like child support interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits. On the 2018–19 FAFSA form, you will report 2016 calendar or tax year advice when asked those questions. Find certain details for parents and pupils.
Source: TPd Paying for College Feed
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