Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
With additional improvements made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for 2025-26 this past weekend, it should be much simpler to submit the form than last year. The Ministry of Education has officially announced financial aid form to all students and families last month, just ahead of the December 1st deadline.
The latest fixes included fixing a bug where parents filing joint tax returns had to fill out a form, the Department of Education said in a press release.
Submitting the form should be on your priority list if you’re going to college next year, even if last year’s application was a nightmare. At first, the 2025-26 FAFSA seemed destined for a repeat the disastrous rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA when this year’s October 1 edition was postponed.
Additional rounds of testing seemed to go more smoothly because they included feedback from students, parents and schools. The last round of testing, which began on November 18, is open to all students and associates. The department has now received over 1.5 million FAFSA applications for 2025-26, Under Secretary James Quall said during a press call today.
Despite all the challenges, experts still say it’s crucial complete the FAFSA before going to college. This free form unlocks access to various types of federal financial aid, including grants, work-study and student loans.
While technical difficulties with the FAFSA are out of your control, here are some steps you can take for a smooth FAFSA application.
1. The sooner you file the FAFSA form, the better
One of the best moves you can make when applying for financial aid is to fill out the FAFSA early. Typically, the form becomes available on October 1 each year. The 2025-26 FAFSA became available to only a limited number of students in October while the Department of Education gathered feedback and worked technical errors. The department originally aimed to announce the target on December 1, but ended testing early.
If you’re already thinking about applying for next year, a senior official from the Department of Education said they expect to start the 2026-27 FAFSA again in time for October 1, 2025.
It is important that you submit your application as soon as possible as certain financial aid is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wait too long, you could receive significantly less financial aid than if you had applied earlier.
It’s also important to file your FAFSA before college and state deadlines. Each school sets its own FAFSA deadlines, but they often fall somewhere between January and March. You can check the deadline in your country at Federal Student Aid website.
2. First, get your FSA ID
Before you start filling out the FAFSA, you’ll need to create your account at StudentAid.gov. This includes setting up an FSA ID, which is your unique username and password.
“Students and co-workers should get an FSA ID as soon as possible,” said financial aid specialist Mark Kantrowitz.
Everyone who contributes to the FAFSA will need their own FSA ID. If you are a dependent student, this means that both you and at least one parent will need your FSA ID. A senior education official noted that one of the common problems encountered during 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 Free 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 must enter their SSN if they have one.
According to Kathy Miller, executive director of Mapping Your Future, a financial aid literacy organization, it’s essential to get the information right the first time.
“Unfortunately, some of the problems we’ve encountered in the past have 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 on their own. There are a number of questions you can ask yourself determine your addiction statussuch as:
-
Are you 24 or older?
-
Are you going for a Masters or PhD?
-
Are you a veteran or currently serving on active duty in the US Armed Forces?
-
Before the age of 13, were you an orphan, a ward of the state or in foster care?
-
are you married
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you could be considered an independent learner. 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 together, for example, only one parent needs to contribute to the form (although they should report information for both parents). If your parents are married and filed their taxes separately, then they will both have to contribute to the FAFSA.
Note that students and parents complete separate sections of the FAFSA. Make sure you are working on the right section to avoid mistakes. The Federal Student Aid website suggests that the student first complete and save their section before the parent begins theirs.
4. Get organized before you start filling out the form
Organizing all important documents in advance can help make the FAFSA application easier to apply. The FAFSA will ask for your and your co-worker’s contact information, as well as details about your finances. Among the information you may need:
-
Tax returns from two years ago
-
Current balances of any bank accounts
-
Net worth of investments, businesses and farms
-
Child support records
In the new version of the FAFSA, you must agree to transfer federal tax information directly to the form using Financial assistance Direct data exchange. Declining this automatic transfer will disqualify you from receiving federal student aid, even if the contributor manually enters tax information on the form.
5. Check and double check for accuracy
The old FAFSA asked you 108 questions, but the new FAFSA asks significantly fewer. The form is shorter, but you don’t want to rush. The student aid website says it should last less than an hour to complete, but take extra time to make sure you understand each question and provide correct answers.
Filling it out all at once, rather than spread out over several days, could help prevent technical errors and reduce inconsistencies in your answers, Kantrowitz said.
Before you hit submit, go over everything to make sure all your answers are correct. Mistakes can lead to delays, which can affect your financial aid awards.
After you file your FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report, which will summarize your FAFSA details and assess your financial aid eligibility. If you notice any errors at this point, you may be able to correct them by logging into your StudentAid.gov account or contacting your college or career school.
Who to ask if you have questions
Filling out the FAFSA can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. Fortunately, there are resources that can help you along the way.
Within your FAFSA form, you’ll see various question mark icons that, when clicked, provide tips on how to answer the question. You can also find answers to common questions at FAFSA Helpas well as by chatting with the Federal Student Aid Virtual Assistant, Aidan.
If you want to talk to a human, you can access live chat, send an email to Federal Student Aid Center or call 800-433-3243. The contact center has increased the number of employees this year and expanded its night and Saturday hours until March 2, 2025.
Finally, you can reach out to your high school counselor or your college’s financial aid office for help.
By taking these steps and asking for help along the way, you can ensure a smooth FAFSA application and maximize your chances of receiving financial aid.
