How to Complete the FAFSA and Submit It to Schools

The FAFSA is the form you fill out to tell the federal government about your finances so schools can calculate how much aid you may receive

The Free process for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a single form you complete once per school year. You submit it to the U.S. Department of Education, and they share your financial information with the schools you list. Schools use that information to calculate how much federal aid, institutional aid, and loans you may be offered. You do not explore for loans through FAFSA itself — you explore for aid, and loans are one type of aid schools may offer you.

The form opens October 1 each year and remains open through June 30 of the following year. However, schools and states often have earlier important date for their own aid, so submitting in October or November gives you the best chance at the full amount of aid available. The form is free; any website charging you to fill it out is not official.

Key Takeaways

• You create a login at studentaid.gov using your email and a password, then start a new FAFSA for each school year.
• You will need your Social Security number, date of birth, and either your tax return or tax information from the IRS if you filed taxes in the previous year.
• If you are a dependent student, you also need one parent's Social Security number and financial information from their most recent tax return.
• After you submit, you receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that shows what you reported; schools use this to send you a financial aid offer.
• Submitting earlier in the school year increases the chance that aid money is still available at your school.

Create your Federal Student Aid account before you start

Go to studentaid.gov and select "Sign in" at the top right. If you do not have an account, choose "Create an account." You will need an email address you can access and a password you create. Write down your password or save it in a password manager — you will use this login every year you file FAFSA.

If you are a dependent student (usually meaning your parents claim you on their taxes), your parent will also need their own Federal Student Aid account. They do not share your login; they create a separate one with their own email and password. You will need their username and password during the form to give them access to sign the FAFSA electronically.

Gather your documents before you sit down to fill it out

Have these items ready before you open the form: your Social Security number, your date of birth, and your driver's license or state ID number (if you have one). If you filed taxes in the previous calendar year, have your tax return or tax transcript available. If your parents file taxes and you are a dependent, gather one parent's Social Security number and their tax return or transcript as well.

You can retrieve your tax transcript from the IRS at irs.gov/transcripts or by calling 1-800-908-9946. The IRS transcript shows the same income and tax information from your return. If you have not filed taxes yet but earned income, you can still complete FAFSA — you will enter what you expect to earn, and you can update it later if the number changes.

If you are an independent student (you do not live with parents, are over 24, are married, have dependents of your own, or are a graduate student), you need only your own financial information, not your parents'.

Fill out the FAFSA form section by section

Log in at studentaid.gov and select "Start or continue your FAFSA." The form walks you through five main sections: your personal information, your school selection, your family information (if you are a dependent), your financial information, and your parent's financial information (if applicable).

In the personal information section, enter your name, date of birth, Social Security number, email, and state of legal residence. In the school selection section, search for and add the schools where you want to study. You can add up to 10 schools on one FAFSA. The form will ask whether you are looking for undergraduate or graduate programs, and whether you plan to attend full-time or part-time.

In the family information section (for dependent students), you report whether your parents are married, separated, or single, and you enter one parent's name and Social Security number. That parent will need to sign the form electronically later. In the financial information sections, you enter income, assets, and household size for yourself and (if dependent) your parents. The form pulls directly from the IRS if you authorize it, or you can enter the numbers manually from your tax return.

Sign and submit the form electronically

After you complete all sections, you review your answers on a summary page. If you are a dependent student, you will see a section asking for your parent's Federal Student Aid username and password. Enter those credentials so your parent can sign the form electronically. Your parent will receive an email asking them to log in and review and sign the FAFSA.

Once you (and your parent, if required) have signed, submit the form. You will see a confirmation page with a submission date and time. The form is now sent to the Department of Education and to each school you listed.

You will receive a Student Aid Report showing what you reported

Within three days of submitting, you will receive an email at the address you used to create your account. This email contains a link to your Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR shows all the information you entered on the FAFSA — your income, family size, assets, and the schools you listed. Review it carefully to make sure nothing was entered incorrectly.

If you find an error, log back into your FAFSA and make corrections. You can update your FAFSA as many times as you want before the June 30 important date. Each time you submit changes, you will receive a new SAR email. Schools see your most recent submission.

The SAR also includes an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number, now called the Student Aid Index (SAI). This is a number the federal government calculates based on your financial information. Schools use the SAI to determine how much federal aid you may receive, though each school also considers its own funds and may offer different amounts.

Schools will send you a financial aid offer after they receive your FAFSA

Once a school receives your FAFSA, their financial aid office reviews it and sends you a financial aid offer (also called an aid package or award letter). This offer shows the types and amounts of aid the school is offering you: federal grants, federal loans, work-study, and the school's own scholarships or grants. You do not have to accept all of it — you can decline loans if you want to, or accept only part of what is offered.

Schools send aid offers on different timelines. Some send them within weeks of receiving your FAFSA; others wait until spring. If you submitted your FAFSA in October or November, you will usually hear from schools by March or April. If you submitted later, offers may arrive closer to your start date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to list all my schools on one FAFSA, or can I submit separate ones?

You submit one FAFSA per school year, and you can list up to 10 schools on it. You do not need to submit separate forms for each school. If you want to add more schools after submitting, you can log back in and update your FAFSA to add them.

What if my parents are divorced or I live with someone who is not my parent?

If your parents are divorced or separated, you report the parent you lived with most during the past 12 months. If that parent is remarried, you also report the stepparent's information. If you live with a guardian or other relative, you are considered a dependent student and report that person's information as your parent for FAFSA purposes.

Can I submit FAFSA if I have not filed my taxes yet?

Yes. You can enter your expected income based on what you think you will earn, and submit. Once you file your actual tax return, log back into your FAFSA and update the numbers. Schools will recalculate your aid based on the corrected information.

What happens if I make a mistake on my FAFSA after I submit it?

Log back into studentaid.gov, open your FAFSA, find the section with the error, and correct it. Submit the updated form. You will receive a new Student Aid Report email. Schools see your most recent version, so correcting mistakes before schools send aid offers is important.

Do I need to submit FAFSA every year I am in school?

Yes. You submit a new FAFSA each school year (October through June). Each year you will report your current income and family situation, which may change your aid amount. Schools will send you a new aid offer each year based on your updated FAFSA.