I am a bit confused on when I can actually start.
January 1, 2016 this will become available.
If you do it then, you will be using 2015 tax year income and tax estimates. And a " will file" status as you taxes for 2015 will not be completed.
Then ASAP after February 1, get those taxes done, and go back and amend to reflect the numbers from your tax return.
Should I just wait until 2016? Do colleges ask for the FAFSA on applications or anything?
You must wait until Jan 1, 2016. The application is not available until then. If you do it before then you are actually doing the 2015-2016 app and it will be ignored.
Look at the websites of the colleges you are considering. They will tell you when your FAFSA is due.
They won’t ask you to complete financial aid forms, you’ll have to remember to do them. Colleges should post on their portal information about what forms you have submitted. It’s a bit more complex than what thumper1 suggested. If you apply Early Decision or Restrictive Early Action you will normally have to complete either the CSS profile or, in a few cases, college specific forms for financial aid. When you complete the CSS profile for an ED/REA application you will use the prior year’s income since the current year is not finished yet. For ED/REA the financial aid forms are normally due at the same time as the application. For RD applications you normally have until Feb 1st or even later to provide financial aid information. The basic idea is that a college needs information on your families income and assets before making a decision on financial aid and you normally get financial aid information along with an admissions decision
Your Fafsa will be available on January 1. You cannot complete it before that date.
Look on the websites for EACH college you plan to apply to. You then go to the financial aid section. Look for “applying for aid” and you will find the required submissions and the deadlines.
It is your responsibility to get this all done, and submitted by the deadlines.
And the deadlines will vary by school.
Some colleges have a link to the Fafsa website. Some don’t.
You do not request these forms form the schools.
Some schools have their own forms…you find those as well.
Are you applying early someplace, because if so, the school likely has an early deadline for either the Profile or their own form.
But the Fafsa…not available for the 2016-2017 school year until January 1, 2016
For schools that need financial data earlier, they may require CSS profile or their own form. FAFSA is not available until Jan 1 of the enrollment year.
Every college has their own schedule for when they want forms and exactly what they want, unfortunately. It is a pain. I’d suggest you start a spreadsheet on all the forms and due dates across your colleges to keep track. Don’t wait until the last day to do stuff, either. Keep your parents in the loop, as they will have to provide most of what is needed.
Also, let your parents know that filing federal taxes ASAP after year end is helpful in the FA process. Of course they have to wait for forms and materials from various sources before they can file, but encouraging them to do as much as they can do so it gets done promptly is good. Your FA app can’t be processed for your final FA award until the school has the 2015 tax return info. Giving your parents some advance notice on this might be helpful. It takes parents of some applicants by surprise every year.
Actually, you can complete the FAFSA (and Profile) using estimates for the 2015 tax year income and taxes. BUT until you update to reflect that your taxes have been filed and have updated your FAFSA and Profile info, any financial aid award you receive will be an estimate.
If you are applying EA or ED, you will have some financial aid information to send to the colleges early for those schools. Some will require the Profile, and some their own financial aid form…with an early deadline…sometimes by November. So read those websites carefully.
Your FAFSA will be available on January 1, 2016. Check the deadlines for your schools for this form.
But you might need or want to submit ASAP…because some forms of need based aid are limited funding and are awarded on a first come, first served basis. These include Perkins Loans, federal work study, and SEOG (if the school offers it).
Still, @intparent is correct…get your deadlines for ALL schools, and plan to submit as early as possible.
OH…and lastly, this is NOT the year for you and your parents to file your taxes on April 15. Your financial aid award will on,y be an estimate until your taxes are actually filed…and the financial aid forms reflect the info…and you link to the IRS Data retrieval tool. So…this is the year to get those taxes done as close to Feb 1, when all documents should be received (unless your parents are self employed…but even that…they need to get their ducks lined up early).
Every year, we hear from students whose parents usually get their taxes done in April. As a first year student…this is really late.