15 FAFSA Tips To Help You Get More Financial Aid

Are you getting ready to fill out the FAFSA?

The FAFSA is one of the most important forms to complete if you plan to attend college, career school, or trade school.

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is a free form that may help you qualify for grants, work-study, federal student loans, and even financial aid from your state or school.

When I was in college, I had to fill out the FAFSA myself, and I remember how confusing forms like this could feel. There are deadlines to remember, financial questions to answer, and different people who may need to fill out part of the form.

But, FAFSA does not have to be as scary as it sounds.

And, completing it may save you thousands of dollars on college.

Even if you think your family makes too much money, I still recommend filling it out. There is no set income limit for federal student aid, and many schools use FAFSA information when giving out their own scholarships and grants.

Below are FAFSA tips that can help you avoid mistakes, meet important deadlines, and make sure you are considered for the financial aid you may qualify for.

Important FAFSA deadlines

2026–27 FAFSA: This form is available now and uses income information from your 2024 tax return. The federal deadline is June 30, 2027. Corrections and updates must be submitted by September 12, 2027.

2027–28 FAFSA: This form uses income information from your 2025 tax return. It is available now to fill out.

Your state and college may have much earlier deadlines, so I highly recommend you reach out to your school. Some financial aid is also limited, so I do not recommend waiting until the federal deadline. I recommend that you apply as soon as possible, because financial aid is awarded until all funds run out – so the sooner, the better. You can find the current federal and state deadlines on the official FAFSA deadline page.

What is FAFSA?

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

It is the form you fill out to apply for federal financial aid for college, career school, or trade school. States and colleges may also use your FAFSA information to decide if you qualify for their financial aid programs.

Completing FAFSA may help you qualify for:

• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Work-Study
• Student Loans
• State grants
• Grants and scholarships from your school

For the 2026-27 school year, the maximum Federal Pell Grant is $7,395. The amount you may receive depends on things like your income, family size, school costs, and whether you attend full time or part time.

Please remember that the FAFSA is only an application. Filling it out does not mean that you will automatically receive financial aid.

Your school will use the information from your FAFSA to create a financial aid offer. This will show the types and amounts of aid you may receive.

Also, filling out FAFSA does not mean you have to take out student loans. You can accept grants and scholarships while turning down loans or borrowing less than the amount offered.

15 FAFSA Tips You Need To Know

Below are my top FAFSA tips for parents and students.

1. Fill out FAFSA even if you think you won’t qualify

One of the biggest FAFSA mistakes is not filling it out at all.

Some families assume they make too much money to qualify for financial aid. But, there is no set income limit for federal student aid.

Many things may affect the amount of aid you qualify for, such as:

• Your income
• Your parents’ income, if you are a dependent student
• Your family size
• Certain assets
• The cost of your school
• Whether you attend full time or part time
• Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student

Plus, FAFSA is not only used for federal grants. Your state or college may require it before giving you certain scholarships and grants.

You may fill it out and find that you do not qualify for much. But, you may also be surprised by what is available.

You won’t know until you apply!

2. Make sure you fill out the correct FAFSA form

FAFSA years can be confusing.

The year listed on the form refers to the school year in which you will receive financial aid, not simply the year you are filling it out.

For example:

• The 2026–27 FAFSA is for the 2026–27 school year and uses your 2024 tax information.
• The 2027–28 FAFSA is for the 2027–28 school year and uses your 2025 tax information.

If you plan to take classes during the summer, ask your school which FAFSA form you need. Schools do not always treat summer terms the same way.

You do not want to spend time filling out the wrong form, so double-check the year before you start.

3. Only use the official FAFSA website

The FAFSA is completely free to submit.

You can fill it out at the official FAFSA website.

If a website asks you to pay a fee to submit FAFSA, then you are probably not on the official website.

There are companies that charge money to help people complete FAFSA, but you do not have to pay anyone. You can fill out the form yourself for free.

If you need help, you can contact your school’s financial aid office or Federal Student Aid.

4. Create your StudentAid.gov account early

Before filling out FAFSA, you will need to create a StudentAid.gov account. You may also hear this called an FSA ID.

Your account allows you to:

• Fill out and sign FAFSA
• Check the status of your form
• Make corrections
• View your federal student aid
• Manage federal student loans later

Each person needs their own account. A student and parent should not share one account.

I recommend creating your account before the day you plan to complete FAFSA. This gives you extra time in case you have trouble verifying your information or logging in.

Also, make sure you use an email address you check often, because important FAFSA notices may be sent there.

5. Figure out who your FAFSA contributors are

A contributor is someone who is required to provide information on your FAFSA.

Depending on your situation, contributors may include:

• You, the student
• Your spouse
• A biological or adoptive parent
• Your parent’s spouse or partner

Each required contributor may need their own StudentAid.gov account. They will answer questions in their own part of the FAFSA and sign it.

Being a contributor does not mean that the person has agreed to pay for your college. It only means their information is needed to figure out your financial aid eligibility.

Your FAFSA may not be complete until every required contributor finishes and signs their section.

This means you do not want to wait until the last minute. A parent or spouse may need time to create an account and find the information they need.

6. Know which parent should complete FAFSA

This can be confusing if your parents are divorced or separated.

If your parents are divorced or separated and do not live together, FAFSA generally asks for information from the parent who gave you more financial support during the past 12 months.

This may not be the parent you lived with the most.

If neither parent provided more than half of your financial support, you will generally use the parent with the higher income and assets.

If that parent is remarried, their spouse may also need to provide information.

And, grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older siblings, aunts, and uncles are usually not treated as parents on FAFSA unless they legally adopted you.

There are many different family situations, so I recommend using the FAFSA instructions or asking a financial aid office if you are unsure. You do not want to guess and accidentally use the wrong person’s information.

7. Submit FAFSA as early as you can

Yes, FAFSA has a federal deadline.

But, this is not the only deadline you need to know.

There may be three different deadlines:

• The federal FAFSA deadline
• Your state’s financial aid deadline
• Your college’s financial aid deadline

Your state or college may have a deadline that is months earlier than the federal deadline.

Some grants and other types of aid have limited funding. This means waiting too long could cause you to miss out, even if you submit your FAFSA before the final federal deadline.

I recommend checking the deadlines for every college you are thinking about attending.

Then, put the earliest deadline on your calendar and try to submit well before it.

8. Gather your information before you start

FAFSA is easier to complete when you have everything ready.

Depending on your situation, you may need:

• Your StudentAid.gov username and password
• Your Social Security number, if you have one
• Your contributor’s name and email address
• Tax information from the correct year
• Records of your current checking and savings balances
• Information about investments
• Business or farm information, if required
• Records of child support received, if applicable
• A list of colleges you may attend

Much of your federal tax information is transferred directly from the IRS after you and your contributors give permission.

But, it can still be helpful to have your tax records nearby in case you need to check something.

Remember, the 2026–27 FAFSA uses 2024 tax information. The 2027–28 FAFSA uses 2025 tax information.

9. Give consent to transfer tax information

Students and contributors are generally required to give consent and approval for their federal tax information to be transferred from the IRS.

This is now an important part of completing FAFSA.

Even if a contributor did not file a federal tax return, they must still provide consent and complete their part of the form.

If a required contributor skips the consent or signature section, the student may not be eligible for federal financial aid.

So, before you submit FAFSA, make sure every required person has:

• Answered their questions
• Given the required consent and approval
• Signed their section

Missing just one of these steps may keep the FAFSA from being processed correctly.

10. Report your assets correctly

FAFSA may ask about the current value of some of your assets.

These numbers are usually based on what the assets are worth on the day you submit the form, not what they were worth on your tax return.

FAFSA may ask about:

• Cash
• Checking and savings accounts
• Investments
• Real estate other than your main home
• Businesses or farms that do not qualify for an exclusion

Do not guess or leave something out simply because you are unsure.

Read each question carefully. If you still do not understand what should be counted, ask your school’s financial aid office.

Reporting an asset incorrectly may change your Student Aid Index and the amount of financial aid you receive.

11. List every school you may attend

You do not have to be accepted by a college before listing it on FAFSA.

In fact, you can list a school even if there is only a small chance that you will apply.

The online FAFSA allows you to list up to 20 colleges, career schools, or trade schools. The schools will receive your FAFSA information and use it to decide what financial aid they may offer you.

There is usually no downside to adding a school you are thinking about.

You can also add or remove schools later by making a correction to your FAFSA.

12. Double-check everything before submitting

A small mistake can delay your FAFSA.

Before you submit, double-check information such as:

• Your legal name
• Your date of birth
• Your Social Security number
• Your email address
• Your marital status
• Your dependency answers
• Your income and asset information
• Your list of schools
• Contributor information
• Required signatures

Your name and Social Security number should match the information in government records.

Also, make sure you did not accidentally leave out a signature or a required contributor.

I recommend checking everything at least twice. Spending another few minutes reviewing the form may save you from having to fix it later.

13. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary

After your FAFSA is submitted and processed, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary.

This is not your financial aid offer.

Instead, it gives you a summary of the information you submitted and may include:

• Your Student Aid Index
• An estimate of your Federal Pell Grant eligibility
• Your FAFSA answers
• Information about the schools you listed
• Mistakes that may need to be corrected
• Other steps you may need to take

Your Student Aid Index, also called your SAI, is a number schools use when figuring out your financial aid.

A lower or negative SAI generally means you have more financial need.

But, your SAI is not the amount of financial aid you will receive. It is also not the amount your family must pay for college.

Your school will send you a separate financial aid offer after you are accepted.

Make sure you read your FAFSA Submission Summary carefully. If it says “Action Required,” do not ignore it!

14. Respond quickly if you are selected for verification

Some students are selected for FAFSA verification.

This does not mean you did something wrong.

Verification simply means that your school needs to check some of the information on your FAFSA. The school may ask for documents related to your income, identity, family size, or other information.

Your financial aid office will tell you what it needs and when the documents are due.

Respond as quickly as you can.

Your school may not be able to finish your financial aid offer until verification is complete, so waiting too long could delay your aid or cause you to miss a school deadline.

15. Ask for an aid adjustment if your finances changed

FAFSA uses tax information from two years earlier.

But, a lot can change in two years!

Perhaps a parent lost their job, your family’s income dropped, your parents got divorced, someone died, or your family had large medical expenses.

In this situation, the tax information on your FAFSA may no longer show what your finances actually look like.

You should still complete FAFSA using the information it asks for. Then, contact the financial aid office at each school and explain what changed.

You can ask about an aid adjustment, which may also be called a professional judgment or special circumstances review.

The school may ask you to provide documents showing the change. It is not guaranteed that you will receive more aid, but it is worth asking.

Many families do not know that this option exists!

What happens after you submit FAFSA?

After your FAFSA is processed, the schools you listed will receive your information.

If you are accepted, each school may send you a financial aid offer showing the types of aid available.

Your offer may include:

• Grants
• Scholarships
• Work-study
• Subsidized student loans
• Unsubsidized student loans
• Parent or graduate loans

Do not only look at the total amount offered.

A $20,000 financial aid offer does not always mean you are receiving $20,000 in free money. A large part of it may be student loans that have to be paid back.

I recommend separating each offer into three groups:

1. Grants and scholarships – This is usually money you do not have to repay, as long as you meet the requirements.
2. Work-study – This is money you may earn by working an eligible job. You do not usually receive the entire amount upfront.
3. Student loans – This is borrowed money that you will usually have to repay with interest.

Then, compare the total cost of each college after grants and scholarships.

Sometimes, a college with higher tuition may offer more grants and end up being cheaper. And, sometimes a school that looks affordable may have high housing, meal, textbook, or transportation costs.

Due to this, look at the full cost before making your decision.

Frequently Asked Questions About FAFSA

Below are answers to questions you may have about FAFSA.

What are the biggest FAFSA mistakes to avoid?

Some of the biggest FAFSA mistakes include missing your state or college deadline, filling out the wrong year’s form, entering incorrect information, and forgetting a required signature.

Other common mistakes include:

• Not completing FAFSA because you think your income is too high
• Using the wrong parent’s information
• Forgetting to invite a required contributor
• Not giving permission to transfer tax information from the IRS
• Reporting assets incorrectly
• Leaving possible colleges off your form
• Ignoring your FAFSA Submission Summary
• Not responding when a school asks for verification documents

I recommend starting early and checking everything before you submit. Also, make sure every required contributor finishes and signs their section.

Is there an income limit for FAFSA?

No, there is no set income limit for federal student aid. Your eligibility depends on several factors, including income, family size, assets, school costs, and your enrollment status. Even if you do not qualify for a Pell Grant, you may qualify for federal student loans, work-study, state aid, or financial aid from your school.

Do parents who make $100,000 still qualify for FAFSA?

Yes, a student can still complete FAFSA if their parents make $100,000 or more.

There is no set income limit for filling out FAFSA or qualifying for federal student aid. Eligibility depends on many things, such as family size, assets, the number of people in the household, the student’s enrollment status, and the cost of the school.

A student from a family earning $100,000 may not qualify for a Pell Grant, but they could still qualify for federal student loans, work-study, state aid, or grants and scholarships from their school.

Because every family and college is different, I recommend filling out FAFSA even if you think your parents earn too much – you may be surprised by what you qualify for.

At what age does FAFSA not consider parents’ income?

FAFSA generally stops requiring your parents’ income once you are considered an independent student because of your age.

For the 2027–28 FAFSA, you are considered independent due to age if you were born before January 1, 2004. For the 2026–27 FAFSA, the cutoff is being born before January 1, 2003.

In general, this means you will turn 24 by December 31 of the year in which the school year begins.

You may also be considered an independent student before age 24 for other reasons, such as if you are married, working toward a graduate degree, supporting a child, serving in the military, a veteran, an orphan, a former foster child, or experiencing homelessness or certain unusual family circumstances.

Simply living on your own or paying your own bills does not automatically make you an independent student for FAFSA.

Do I have to complete FAFSA every year?

Yes. You generally need to complete a new FAFSA for every school year in which you want financial aid. It is not a one-time form. I recommend putting a reminder on your phone or calendar so that you remember to complete it each year.

Does FAFSA give you free money?

FAFSA itself does not give you money.

It is an application used to find out which types of financial aid you may qualify for.

Your financial aid offer may include grants and scholarships that usually do not need to be repaid. It may also include work-study and student loans.

Always read your offer carefully so you know which money is free and which money must be earned or repaid.

Do I have to accept the student loans I am offered?

No. You can turn down student loans or accept less than the full amount offered.

For example, if your school offers you a $5,500 student loan but you only need $2,000, you may be able to accept only $2,000.

I do not recommend borrowing more than you actually need. Student loan debt can follow you for many years and make other financial goals harder.

Can I add a school after submitting FAFSA?

Yes, you can usually log in to your StudentAid.gov account and make a correction to add or remove schools. You can list up to 20 schools at a time on the online FAFSA form.

What if my parents refuse to provide their information?

Being a FAFSA contributor does not make a parent responsible for paying your tuition.

However, dependent students generally need parent information to qualify for most federal financial aid.

If your parents refuse to provide their information, contact your school’s financial aid office. You may have limited options, such as being considered for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan only.

If you cannot contact your parents because of abuse, abandonment, incarceration, trafficking, or another unusual situation, tell the financial aid office because different rules may apply.

Can I fill out FAFSA before applying to college?

Yes. You can list colleges on FAFSA before you apply or are accepted. This allows the schools to receive your information if you apply later.

How much does FAFSA cost?

FAFSA is free. You should never have to pay to submit the form. You can complete it on the official StudentAid.gov website.

FAFSA Help and Tips – Summary

I hope you found my article on FAFSA tips and tricks helpful.

FAFSA may feel like another long and confusing financial form, but it can be well worth your time.

It may help you qualify for grants, scholarships, work-study, and federal student loans. Even if you think you will not qualify, I recommend filling it out.

Remember to:

• Use the correct FAFSA form
• Submit it early
• Check your state and school deadlines
• Make sure every contributor completes their section
• Review your FAFSA Submission Summary
• Respond quickly if your school asks for documents
• Ask for an aid adjustment if your finances have changed

College can be very expensive, and every dollar of financial aid may help you borrow less.

Did you fill out FAFSA for college? What FAFSA tips do you wish you had known?

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• How I Graduated From College In 2.5 Years With 2 Degrees AND Saved $37,500
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