How To Fill Out the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is more than just a form. It could be your key to accessing funds from federal, state, and college student aid programs to help you pay for school.

It might sound daunting, but it typically takes less than an hour for most people to fill out their FAFSA.

Why You Need To Complete the FAFSA

Completing a FAFSA is a necessary step for any student who wants to access federal student aid. The information you provide through the FAFSA is used to evaluate your eligibility for need-based federal student aid, such as Pell Grants, work-study, and subsidized student loans. It’s also necessary if you want to access non-need-based aid such as unsubsidized student loans.

If you think your family income is too high to qualify for need-based aid, or you don’t plan to use federal student aid, you might be tempted to skip the FAFSA. It's still worth filing, however. The only way to know for sure what aid you might be offered is to complete and submit a FAFSA. Filing a FAFSA does not obligate you to accept any aid you might be offered—it just gives you the option to access it.

When Is the FAFSA Due?

To be eligible for federal student aid, you must submit a FAFSA or FAFSA renewal each school year. You’ll need to consider three different FAFSA deadlines:

• The federal deadline
• Deadlines for state student aid
• Deadlines for aid from your college

You can submit your FAFSA as early as Oct. 1 for the following school year. The federal FAFSA deadline is June 30 at the end of the school year for which you’re filing. For example, you could have submitted an application for the 2022-23 school year starting Oct. 1, 2022, and your deadline to file a FAFSA is June 30, 2023.

It’s generally a good idea to submit your FAFSA early. The FAFSA deadlines for state student aid or aid from your college tend to be much earlier than the federal deadline. Plus, many college and state student aid programs have limited funding and award funds to qualifying students until the budget runs out—even if that happens before the deadline. 

Preparing To Apply for Federal Student Aid

Collecting all your documents and information ahead of time can make it easier to fill out the FAFSA. If you’re submitting this form for the first time, you need to create an FSA ID account. To file a FAFSA renewal, you must be able to log in using your existing FSA ID. You’ll also need:

• Personal identifying information. For U.S. citizens, this could be a Social Security number or your driver’s license number and state. Non-U.S. citizens can use an alien registration number or permanent resident card.
• Federal tax returns that include all taxable income.
• Proof of any untaxed income, such as worker’s compensation, child support, housing, veterans benefits, or housing or food allowances.
• Asset documents such as statements for bank and investment accounts or business records.
• A list of schools you’re attending or may attend.

Federal Student Aid reports that completing the FAFSA generally takes less than 60 minutes, including the time it takes to collect the information listed above.

Steps To Fill Out the FAFSA

Once you’ve collected all your forms and information, you’re ready to start filling out the FAFSA. You can apply online or mail in the form:

• Online: Log into FAFSA.gov and click “Start here." The mobile app has been retired as of June 2022, so you can no longer use it to fill out the FAFSA.
• On paper: You can print out a PDF copy or request a form by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243. Complete the form and mail it to Federal Student Aid Programs, P.O. Box 7654, London, KY 40742-7654.

The paper version and the online version will require the same information, although the steps can sometimes be in a different order.

Add Personal Information

You'll need to enter personal info like your name, Social Security number, and date of birth. You’ll also provide contact information like your email address and telephone number, then answer questions about your citizenship and current educational level.

Select Colleges 

Next, you’ll need to provide the FAFSA codes for any colleges you’re attending or planning to attend. This section tells the Federal Student Aid Office to share your FAFSA and federal student aid information with these colleges. Use the Federal School Code Search tool to find the codes for your current or prospective schools.

Figure Out Whether You’re a Dependent

You'll need to answer a series of questions to determine if you’re a dependent or independent student, according to federal student aid guidelines. Dependent students will need to report their parents’ information on the FAFSA.

Report Parent Information

If you qualify as a dependent student, the FAFSA will require demographic and financial information from your parent or parents. You can complete this section, or you can share your save key with a parent so they can fill it out themselves. 

Fill In Your Financial Information

You’ll be prompted to provide details about your financial situation. You’ll need to report income from the tax year specified on the FAFSA, and you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to auto-fill this info from your tax return. You’ll also be asked about your savings and checking account balances, investments, and any benefits such as disability or workers’ compensation.

Sign and Submit the FAFSA

Finally, you’ll sign the form. Use your FSA ID to sign if you’re completing the online version of the FAFSA, or use a handwritten signature if you're filling out the form on paper. If you’re a dependent student, your parent will also need to sign the FAFSA. Then you'll either mail in the form or submit it online. If you submit the form online, wait for a confirmation webpage to load.

After You Apply for Aid

Congratulations, you’ve submitted your form! You can check the status of your FAFSA by signing in at FAFSA.gov. Check your email for any updates about your FAFSA. If you see the words “missing signatures” or “action required,” review your form and take any needed steps to update or correct it. You should be able to check the status of a paper FAFSA about seven to ten days after you mailed it in.

Somewhere between three days and three weeks after submitting the FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Your FAFSA information will be shared with the colleges listed on your application as well as state educational authorities.

Your college will process your FAFSA form and use that information to determine your eligibility for different forms of student aid. It will then send you a financial aid award letter that outlines all forms of student aid you can access. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)