Before you open the form
- Create an FSA ID for the student and one for a contributing parent — each takes a few days to verify, so do it early.
- Have Social Security numbers, the prior-prior year tax return, and records of untaxed income and assets on hand.
- List every school you are considering. Adding schools later is easy; leaving one off delays its package.
Filing the form
- File as soon as the form opens in the fall — several aid programs are first come, first served.
- Use the IRS data-transfer tool rather than typing tax figures by hand.
- Answer the household size and number-in-college questions carefully; they drive your aid index more than almost anything else.
- Both the student and each contributor must sign, or the form sits unsubmitted.
The CSS Profile
Many private colleges also require the CSS Profile for their own institutional aid. It goes deeper than the FAFSA — home equity, business ownership, non-custodial parent income — and it has its own deadlines, often earlier than the FAFSA's. Check each school's aid page and calendar both.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for admission decisions before filing. File first; aid follows.
- Assuming your family earns too much. File anyway — some aid is not need-based, and loans require it.
- Ignoring a verification request. Respond within days or your package stalls.
- Missing state aid deadlines, which are frequently earlier than federal ones.