春雨直播

Financial Aid

FAFSA Completion Help

The best way to complete the is early, online and without any mistakes!

Apply Early

Many states and colleges use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for nonfederal financial aid that may have early; deadlines or limited funding 鈥� early can help you maximize your eligibility for programs with limited funding. We encourage students to file their FAFSA as soon after October 1 as possible.听However, because of changes to FAFSA for 2024/25 the Department of Education will open enrollment on January 1, 2025 instead.

Apply Online

If you , your application will be processed more quickly and accurately as the听FAFSA website is designed to catch common errors. The Department of Education also provides a that will help you collect and proofread the information needed for your FAFSA before you get听started. Once you begin your FAFSA application online, you can save and continue later at any time. But don鈥檛听forget 鈥� in order to submit your FAFSA, it must be signed electronically using your FSA Username and Password, which you can get from the . If parent information is required on your听FAFSA, a parent Username and Password will also be needed in order to submit the application.

What You鈥檒l Need to Complete the FAFSA?

Avoid Common Errors

  • Your Social Security Number (can be found on Social Security card)
  • Your driver's license (if any)
  • Your W鈥�2 Forms and other records of money earned. Your (and your spouse's, if you are married) most recent Federal Income Tax Return 鈥� IRS Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040Telefile, foreign tax return, or tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia.
  • Records of child support paid (if applicable)
  • Records of taxable earnings from federal work鈥恠tudy or other need鈥恇ased work programs
  • Records of any grants, scholarships, and fellowship aid that was included in your or your parents鈥� adjusted gross income (AGI)
  • Your parent's Federal Income Tax Return (if you are a dependent student as defined by federal criteria).
  • Your current bank statements.
  • Your current business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment records.
  • Documentation that you are a U.S. permanent resident or other eligible noncitizen.

Avoid Common Errors

Making mistakes on your FAFSA could delay your application and affect your eligibility for some financial aid听programs with limited funding. Be sure to read all of the questions on the FAFSA application carefully to avoid听confusion and mistakes. The most common errors made by students and families are:

听
  • Leaving blank fields:听Enter a '0' or 'not applicable' instead of leaving a blank. Too many blanks may cause miscalculations and an application rejection.
  • Using commas or decimal points in numeric fields:听Always round to the nearest dollar.
  • Listing an incorrect Social Security Number or drivers license number:听Double check these entries and have someone else check them too. Triple check to be sure. If your parents do not have Social Security Numbers, list 000鈥�00鈥�0000. Do not make up a number or include a Taxpayer Identification Number.
  • Failing to use your legal name:听Your name must be listed on your FAFSA exactly as it appears on your Social Security card. Entering nicknames or other variations on your name will cause processing delays.
  • Entering the wrong address:听Do not list a temporary campus or summer address as your permanent address.
  • Entering the wrong federal income tax paid amount:听 Most filers can transfer tax information directly to the FAFSA from the IRS using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (available when completing FAFSA on the Web), which helps eliminate errors when reporting tax information. If you are not able to use the Retrieval Tool, you can find your federal income tax paid amount from your income tax return forms, not your W鈥�2 form(s). If you have not yet filed your taxes, you can estimate your financial information using previous tax years and correct the amounts on the form later by going to the corrections page on the FAFSA website.听
  • Listing Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as equal to total income from working:听AGI and total income from working are not necessarily the same. In most cases, the AGI is larger than the total income from working.
  • Incorrectly filing income taxes as head of household:听If there is an error in the head of household filing status, the school will require an amended tax return to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before disbursement of aid is allowed.
  • Listing marital status incorrectly:听On the question pertaining to marital status, only answer 鈥測es鈥� if you are currently married or separated. The Department of Education wants to know what your marital status is on the day you sign the FAFSA. If you get married after completing the FAFSA please contact our office.听
  • Listing parent marital status incorrectly:听The custodial parent's marital status is needed. If this parent has remarried, you will need the stepparent's information too.
  • Failure to report unborn children:听If you have a child that will be born before or during the award year for which you are applying, and that child will receive more than half of its support from you, you must count that child as a member of the household.
  • Failing to count yourself as a student:听The student completing the FAFSA must count himself or herself as a member of the household attending college during the award year.
  • Failing to register with Selective Service:听If you are a male, aged 18 to 26, you must register with Selective Service. Failure to do so will make you ineligible for federal student aid.
  • Forgetting to list the college:听Obtain the Federal School Code for the college you plan on attending and list it along with any other schools to which you've applied (春雨直播 Illinois University code- 001780).
  • Forgetting to sign and date:听If you are filling out the paper FAFSA, be sure to sign the form. If you are filing electronically using FAFSA on the Web, be sure to obtain your FSA Username and Password. Your Username and Password serve as your electronic signature. Conversely, if you file using FAFSA on the Web, you can print out the signature page, sign it, and send the form into FAFSA.
  • Sending in a copy of your income tax returns:听You will be contacted by your school if your information needs verification. You do not need to send a copy of your tax returns in with your FAFSA. Any information sent with your FAFSA will be destroyed. In addition, do not write any notes in the margins of your FAFSA.

Common Errors When Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT)

  • Providing a non-matching address: The address must be entered exactly as shown on the tax return. For example, typing "Main Street" instead of "Main St." can result in a "no match" rejection if the tax return has the abbreviation. If your address is not acknowledged try using the format from .
  • Providing a non-matching name:The Data Retrieval Tool will pick up the name of whoever is on the FAFSA. Make sure your FAFSA lists your name exactly as it was listed on your tax return, including a middle initial if necessary. You may need to use your full name (Christopher) or shortened name (Chris) depending on how you applied for your PIN and filed your taxes.
  • Providing a non-matching parent FSA ID: When the DRT option is selected, the FAFSA asks for a parent FSA ID. The Parent FSA ID you provide is the parent name that will be searched through the IRS DRT. If you want to use the other parent, you will need to return to the FAFSA website and provide that parent鈥檚 FSA ID.听 You can perform a search for either parent by knowing who is listed first on the tax form, and who is listed second.

Get Help

Check or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1鈥�800鈥�4鈥怓ED AID听(1鈥�800鈥�433鈥�3243) for assistance during the application process. You may also contact our office if you need help completing your .