The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2025-26 school year went live in November, and if you haven’t yet applied for financial aid, you should act quickly.
This year’s FAFSA includes a variety of improvements and fixes, such as correcting a problem that required parents filing joint tax returns to each fill out the form, the Department of Education said. said in a press release. These changes occur after last year’s disastrous rollout which prevented some students from receiving the help they needed to attend school.
Despite past challenges, experts still believe it is crucial to complete the FAFSA before going to university. This free form provides access to different types of federal financial aid, including scholarships, work-study and student loans.
Here are some steps you can follow for a smooth FAFSA application.
1. Submit your FAFSA form soon
One of the best steps you can take when seeking financial aid is to fill out the FAFSA form as soon as possible. Typically, the form is available on October 1 of each year. The FAFSA 2025-26 only became available to a limited number of students in October while the Department of Education collected feedback and worked on technical problems. The department initially aimed for a Dec. 1 release goal, but completed testing early.
If you’re already thinking about next year’s application, a top Department of Education official said he expects the 2026-2027 FAFSA to be released on time again, October 1, 2025.
It is important to submit your application as early as possible because some financial aid is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wait too long, you could end up with significantly less financial aid than you presented earlier.
It’s also important to get your FAFSA before your college and state deadlines. Each school sets its own FAFSA deadlines, but they often fall between January and March. You can check your state’s deadline on the Federal Student Aid Website.
2. Sign up for an FSA ID
Before you can begin filling out the FAFSA, you will need to create your account on the StudentAid.gov website. This includes setting an FSA ID, which is your unique username and password.
“The student and contributors should obtain an FSA ID as soon as possible,” said financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz.
Anyone contributing to the FAFSA will need their own FSA ID. If you are a dependent student, this means that you and at least one parent will each need your own FSA ID. A top education official noted that one of the common problems encountered with FAFSA testing is that parents have not created their own FSA ID, which takes time to be approved and can delay the application process .
Unless you are a citizen of the Freely Associated States, you will need to enter your Social Security number to create your StudentAid.gov account. Parents do not need to have an SSN, but they must enter their SSN if they have one.
It’s critical that you enter the information correctly the first time, according to Cathy Mueller, executive director of Mapping Your Future, a financial aid organization.
“Unfortunately, some of the problems encountered in the past occurred when Social Security numbers and dates of birth were entered incorrectly,” she added.
3. Know your addiction status
Dependent students must complete the FAFSA with at least one parent, while independent students can complete the FAFSA alone. There are a number of questions you can ask yourself determine your dependency statussuch as:
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Are you 24 or older?
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Are you pursuing a master’s or doctorate?
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Are you a veteran or currently serving on active duty in the United States Armed Forces?
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Were you an orphan, ward of the state, or placed in foster care before the age of 13?
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Are you married?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you may be considered an independent student. If your answer is no, you are a dependent student.
Dependent students must complete the FAFSA with the assistance of at least one parent. If your parents are married and file their taxes jointly, for example, only one parent must contribute to the form (although they must report information for both parents). If your parents are married and file their taxes separately, both will need to contribute to the FAFSA.
Note that students and parents complete separate sections of the FAFSA. Make sure you are working on the correct section to avoid mistakes. The Federal Student Aid site suggests that the student complete and save their section before the parent begins theirs.
4. Get organized before you start filling out the form
Organizing all of your important documents in advance can help make applying for the FAFSA easier. The FAFSA will ask for your and your contributor’s contact information, as well as details about your finances. Among the information you may need:
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Tax returns from two years ago
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Current balances of all bank accounts
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Net worth of investments, businesses and farms
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Child Support Cases
In the new version of the FAFSA, you must consent to the transfer of federal tax information directly into the form using the Direct exchange of financial aid data. Refusing this automatic transfer will disqualify you from receiving federal student aid, even if a contributor manually enters tax information into the form.
5. Check and recheck for accuracy
The old FAFSA asked you 108 questions, but the new FAFSA asks far fewer. The form is shorter, but you don’t want to rush through it. The student support website says it should take less than an hour to complete, but allow additional time to ensure you understand each question and provide accurate answers.
Completing it all at once, rather than spreading it out over several days, could help avoid technical problems and reduce inconsistencies in your answers, Kantrowitz said.
Before you click submit, check everything to make sure all your answers are correct. Errors could cause delays, which could impact your financial aid awards.
After submitting the FAFSA, you will receive your Student Aid Report, which will summarize the details of your FAFSA and assess your financial aid eligibility. If you spot any errors at this point, you may be able to correct them by logging into your StudentAid.gov account or contacting your college or professional school.
What to do if you have questions about the FAFSA
Completing the FAFSA can seem intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. Fortunately, there are resources that can help you through the process.
In your FAFSA form, you will see various question mark icons that, when clicked, provide guidance on how to answer a question. You can also find answers to common questions at FAFSA Helpas well as via chat with Federal Student Aid’s virtual assistant, Aidan.
If you want to speak with a human, you can access live chat, send an email to Federal Student Aid Information Center or call 800-433-3243. The contact center has increased its staff this year and expanded its night and Saturday hours until March 2, 2025.
Finally, you can contact your high school counselor or college financial aid office for help.
By following these steps and seeking help along the way, you can ensure a smooth FAFSA application and maximize your chances of obtaining financial aid.
