You can create an FSA ID when logging into certain ED websites including the FAFSA.

The FSA ID process consists of three main steps:

1. Enter your log-in information.
   1. Provide your e-mail address, a unique username, and password, and verify that you are at least 13 years old.
2. Enter your personal information.
   1. Provide your Social Security number- if applicable, name, and date of birth.
   2. Include your mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, and language preference.
   3. For security purposes, provide answers to five challenge questions.
3. Submit your FSA ID information.
   1. Agree to the terms and conditions
   2. Verify your e-mail address. (Note: By verifying your e-mail address, you can use your e-mail address as your username when logging into certain websites. This verification also allows you to retrieve your username or reset your password without answering challenge questions.)

You can contact your financial aid office for assistance with filing FAFSA  applications.  You may also contact FAFSA at 1-800-433-3243 with questions about the FAFSA on the Web or paper application process at www.fafsa.gov. You can also get free live help online at this web site.

Contact the financial aid office of the school(s) you’re interested in or plan to attend. If you’re eligible for aid, each school will send you an award letter, telling you the types of aid it will offer and how much you can receive.

All students will apply or renew FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov.

Schools will be able to access your FAFSA when the school name and school code is provided on the FAFSA. You can list up to twenty schools on the FAFSA.

The federal government uses a process called verification to help determine the correctness of the financial information on your FAFSA. You will be notified if your application is selected for verification. Your electronic record will also indicate that verification must be completed before any federal student aid payments are made.

Students should check with the financial aid office to find out the status of their FAFSA application. FAFSA applications can process 3 to 5 days after application is successfully submitted.n

It’s a federal regulation. There are basic requirements a student must meet to be considered an independent student. If you do not meet these requirements but you still believe you are truly independent of your parents, you may appeal for a “dependency override” in the financial aid office at your school.

Students will receive a confirmation email when the FAFSA application has been submitted and processed.

• Social Security numbers of student and parents’ (parents Social Security numbers are needed for dependent students)
• W-2 forms and other records of money earned by student and parents, if you are a dependent student
• Students and parents’ federal income tax returns (parents tax return is needed for dependent students and spouses tax return is needed for independent students)
• Untaxed income records – Social security, welfare, or veteran benefits for example
• Current bank statements
• Current business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond and other investment records
• Alien registration card, if you’re not a U.S. citizen

An FSA ID is a username and password that you must use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education (ED) websites. Your FSA ID identifies you as someone who has the right to access your own personal information on ED websites such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).nnIf you are a parent of a dependent student, you will need your own FSA ID to sign the FAFSA electronically. If you have more than one child attending college, you can use the same FSA ID to sign all applications. Each FSA ID user must have a separate e-mail address.

After you submit your FAFSA form, you’ll get a Student Aid Report (SAR), an electronic or paper document that summarizes the information you reported on your FAFSA form. It includes your Student Aid Index (SAI) which has replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on the FAFSA, your estimated eligibility for Federal Pell Grants and federal student loans, and whether you’ve been selected for verification.

Talk to your financial aid administrator in your schools’ financial aid office. If your family’s circumstances have changed from the base year due to loss of employment, loss of benefits, death or divorce, your school may decide to adjust your financial aid. The adjustment might increase your eligibility for student aid.

Students will be able to file a FAFSA as early as October 1, prior to the Fall semester they will be attending. Check the FAFSA website for an changes to when the FAFSA application opens.

Generally, grants and scholarships that do not exceed tuition, fees, books, and required supplies are not considered income. Student aid is considered income when it’s taxable student grant and scholarship aid such as fellowships and assistantships which are reported to the IRS in your parents or your adjusted gross income.