FAFSA opened today and I didn’t see a thread out there with this subject so I figured I would get one going.
Please post questions so we can all learn from the answers. I’m hoping that some of you FAFSA experts out there will bookmark this and help some of us newbie’s out. Thank you.
First question: I’m a little confused because both my son and I have an FSA ID and I’m not sure if we should be filling out only his FAFSA form or is there something more I should be doing with my information? In other words, one form or two?
Second question: Can you add additional schools over and above the 10 that FAFSA allows? If yes, how?
One form. You will both need to use your own FSA ID to sign the online form, and to use the DRT.
To send to more than 10 schools, I believe that you have to add the first batch of schools, submit the FAFSA and wait for it to be processed (you will get an email message), and then go back into the FAFSA, delete some schools, add new ones, and resubmit.
I am not filling it out this year (have a junior) but I’m wondering if there is some magic to filling it out today? Most of the colleges DD is looking at have a FA deadline of two months from now. And also, can the FAFSA/IRS sites handle that kind of traffic if everyone fills it out on the same day?
@bearcatfan Some college websites recommend getting it done as early as possible. No magic getting it done today, but why not?
We’ve done everything (including transmitting IRS data) but hit the Submit button and it’s been extremely smooth. No issues at all.
I’ll probably wait a few days and simmer over it before submitting.
Last year when we filled out the FAFSA whenever we had questions, we called the FAFSA assistance number, and they were extremely helpful and not judgemental . One other piece of advice is if you have any substantial purchases to make that you will be purchasing with savings or funds from a checking account, make them before submitting your FAFSA , because assets in savings and checking are used to determine aid.
While Pell grant and student loans are guaranteed aid for those who qualify, SEOG grant, work study are first come first served aid items, for which funding can run out. Same with some state aid.
They are not listed on the tax return so DRT won’t bring them over.
But they should be on your 2015 W2
Also when you sign the FAFSA before submittal, make sure the parent FSA ID matches the correct parent.
For example on my D’s FAFSA my H is parent 1 and I am parent 2. When I sign with my FSA ID I need to sign as parent 2.
This will be our first time filling out FAFSA, will it be evident how to fill it out with two college children? Or do we fill it out twice, once for each?
Each student gets their own FAFSA.
Each child has her own FAFSA, but if you fill out the first one AND submit it, it will ask if you have another child to fill one out for and then will populate the form with the parents’ info for the second, third, fourth child. All you have to do is fill in the new child’s info - name, wages, assets, etc.
If you don’t submit the first FAFSA and just want to save it and come back later, then you have to fill out the entire second FAFSA too. Live and learn.
Yes, once you submit one FAFSA, there should be a confirmation page with a link to do a sibling FAFSA.
If your state has grant application, there might also be a link to that application on that page.
So, I have a FSA ID for myself. We filed married/jointly. My daughter does not have her FSA ID yet. Can I start the process before she has her ID?
We filled out the FAFSA using my son’s FSA ID. It’s his form, but mine. My FSA ID was only used when we imported my tax data from the IRS.
So to answer your question, you cannot start the process without her FSA ID.
^Its his form, NOT mine.
Wink, wink. Thanks. Just sat with her and she got her own ID. Sounds like we can start the FAFSA prior to it being fully verified. Woohoo.
I don’t think you can start the form without the student’s FAFSA ID because it is the student’s form, not the parent’s.
Word of caution. Be with the student when s/he is getting the ID. My daughter did her and was NOT careful about writing down the 8 million things -which email, her exact name (she has a 2 part first name), the magic questions. When I went it, we had to recreate her log in and try the different answers to her questions. A pain. Be very exact in the questions (plural? capital?) I really wish we’d had the same answer to every question. School you went to in first grade? blue. Favorite movie? blue. Mother’s maiden name? blue. Dog’s name? blue…
My son is a “third”. His social security card reads…
John Doe III
His last name pre-filled in the FASFA form as “Doe III”. I’m hoping this doesn’t cause problems. I’ll probably call to find out.
My daughter’s middle name is 2 words. It asked for Middle Initial. Hopefully they only want one initial. Normally, she gives her name like this: “Ann WP Wilson” (not her real name, but I love Heart). My luck, it will fail the verification.
ETA: Here’s what the confirmation page said after creating the ID:
So it sounds like we CAN fill out the FAFSA, but have not tried. Not sure we’ll be able to submit it yet, but hopefully we can start.
The name of our city is too long for the number of spaces allowed. I abbreviated and got it kicked back. 