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Tips & Tools


Keep these tips in mind when completing the FAFSA:

  • File the FAFSA online – it’s the fastest way.
  • Get a PIN number and complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st.
  • The first "F" in FAFSA is for "free" so make sure to go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. Some other Web sites with similar URLs charge a fee to submit your application.
  • If you have completed the FAFSA4Caster, you can use it to pre-fill the FAFSA. Go to www.FAFSA4Caster.ed.gov.
  • Gather all of the materials you'll need:
    • Student's driver's license
    • Student's Social Security number
    • Income tax returns for both student and parents or as close an estimate as possible
    • W-2 forms and other records of money earned
    • Current bank statements
    • Records and documentation of other untaxed income received, such as welfare benefits, Social Security income, veteran's benefits, AFDC, or military or clergy allowances
    • Records of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investments
    • Current mortgage information
    • Business or farm records (if applicable)
  • Use the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet to prepare. Find this in the Tool Box on the left.
  • Use the 1040 federal tax return, not the W-2 form, for reporting income and taxes paid.
  • Use whole dollar amounts, e.g., $1,749.86 should be rounded up to $1,750.
  • Do not skip questions or leave any blanks.
  • Know your deadlines and file early. Smart FAFSA filers complete the form as close to January 1 as they can.
  • Don’t wait because your family’s taxes aren’t filed yet. Use the previous year’s info, fill in the numbers you can and estimate the rest. Once you complete your tax return, you can file a correction, if needed.
  • Answer “yes” to the question about your interest in different types of aid (e.g., work-study and student loans). This does not obligate you to accept a loan or work-study position, nor does it guarantee you'll be offered either. It leaves you the option. Answering "no" to these questions will not get you more grant aid.
  • New Yorkers: look for a link to apply for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program, TAP, on the confirmation page.
  • Complete the FAFSA every year you attend college.

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Especially for Students

  • Use your legal name as it appears on your Social Security card. Nicknames or aliases will cause a processing delay.
  • Read the questions carefully. “I,” “you” and “your” always refer to the student, not the parents.
  • To be considered a veteran, you must have served on active duty and been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. If your service was only for training purposes (e.g., National Guard or Reserves, or ROTC), you are not considered a veteran for your federal financial aid application.
  • Remember to count yourself, the student, as one of the people in your household who will be college students during the award year.

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About Your Parents

  • Both you and your parent need your own separate PIN.
  • If your parents are divorced or separated, the parent with whom you lived the most during the past 12 months is the parent responsible for filling out the FAFSA. This is not necessarily the parent who has legal custody.
  • If the parent responsible for completing the FAFSA has remarried, the new spouse must report their income and assets on the FAFSA.

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Things to Consider

  • A legal dependent is a person for whom you provide and will continue to provide more than half of their support, including money, gifts, loans, housing, food, clothing, automobile, medical and dental care and payment of college costs.
  • If you have a child who is supported by your parents or someone else, you should answer "no" to the question that asks about legal dependents other than a spouse.
  • If you have an unborn child who will be born before or during the award year (July 1 through June 30) and will be your legal dependent, that child should be counted as a member of the household.
  • Taxable earnings from work-study jobs as well as any grant or scholarship monies that were reported on your income tax return are counted.
  • Prepaid tuition plans are not reported as assets on the FAFSA.
  • Even if you qualify for the simplified needs test, you should still complete the asset information section of the FAFSA. Some states and schools use this information for computing their own financial aid awards.


You can call the “Start Here. Get There.” help hotline at 1-800-808-1790 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon – 5 p.m. through February 28. Or email fafsahelp@hesc.org

You can also call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).