<p>Is it after January 1st they become available or do you complete it by January 1st?? Thanks!</p>
<p>CSS profile is already posted. FAFSA will be available after January 1. Deadlines vary by school.</p>
<p>Some schools requires detailed info about parents’ financial info. Lots of on-line forms to fill out. Check the financial aid requirements for each school you apply. Some of these schools have a due date as early as 1/15.</p>
<p>lol I didn’t know about this CSS profile thing until they send me an email that I have to complete it.</p>
<p>I was thinking about getting accounts set up on FAFSA today. Can you start the work on those now (putting in all the information like names, dates of birth, getting PIN’s, etc. and then have access to the accounts after the 1st or is it like the Common App where they wipe all info at the start of the filing year? We have 2 going off to college, some CSS’s schools on top of getting tax returns done, etc., etc.</p>
<p>You should apply for your PINs now, student’s and parent’s. As I recall it takes a few days before you can start using them. But the FAFSA form for 13-14 won’t be available until Jan. 1. Each year is a separate form so they don’t wipe anything out, you just have to start the new form each year Jan. 1. I don’t recall exactly but I think you can retrieve demographic info from prior years completed FAFSAs. I’ll find out in a few days if my memory is correct about that.</p>
<p>I’m wondering the same lolll. So we should get start on the fafsa account?</p>
<p>Honestly, you should have already requested a PIN, so that you are ready to file that FAFSA next week. You file ASAP and then amend it once you have the final numbers for you 2012 tax returns.</p>
<p>And yes, the form repopulates itself each year based on the previous year info.</p>
<p>i just created a PIN.</p>
<p>But then how do I know that i made PIN? I click submit but nothing happened?</p>
<p>You will receive an email with subject “Important: Your Federal Student Aid PIN” in days. However, I noticed that in my email, it said "You were recently issued a Federal Student Aid PIN to sign your 2012-2013 FAFSA. ". Should it be “2013-2014”?</p>
<p>I requested it on 12/26.</p>
<p>Huge thank you - helping a relative. I didn’t know you need to start it early to get a PIN or that it would populate if we started one this year. Thanks.</p>
<p>Since parent and child BOTH have to apply for a PIN, do BOTH have to be received to start the form next week? Also, do BOTH parents need a PIN,or is one PIN okay to be shared?</p>
<p>Only one parent needs a PIN. I believe you can start and save the FAFSA without a PIN, you just can’t sign and submit it. Someone will likely answer for sure, otherwise try it. I would think if you apply now you will get the PINs before the 1st anyway.</p>
<p>Wait. im still very confused about this fafsa thing. We have to first register for a PIN? My parents have to create one too? then I should get something in the email that I registered for a PIN? Then what? how do i get started on the fafsa thing? im new to this financial aid thing.</p>
<p>My recollection on the FAFSA is both a parent and the student will eventually need a PIN. But you might not need both right away. </p>
<p>In my experience, the FAFSA is pretty quick to fill out. The CSS Profile is much (much) more tedious.</p>
<p>I already started my fafsa profile but did not know it was 12-13 not 13-14.
Should I be worried? Or can I just start a new one 13-14 after Jan 1st?</p>
<p>WJD- you can just start the correct year when it’s available. There is a worksheet you can print and fill out and have ready to go when the 2013-14 version is available. That is what I did this morning.</p>
<p>Lilmelonred, go to the fafsa site now:</p>
<p>[Home</a> - FAFSA on the Web-Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/]Home”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/)</p>
<p>Make sure it’s the .gov site, not .com</p>
<p>Near the top is a button for the PIN site. Click it and apply for a pin for you and a separate one for a parent. You can make up your own or get one automatically generated. It’s easier to remember if you make up your own. Keep the PINs somewhere secure because you will use the same PINs however long you are in college. You can also click on the help button on the site ahead of time and read up on the info you will need when you start to complete the fafsa and other things.</p>
<p>Then on or after 1/1, go to the fafsa site and click on start a new fafsa. You want to make sure it’s for 2013-14.</p>