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The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2025-26 school year went live in November, and if you haven’t applied for financial aid yet, you should act now.
This year’s FAFSA includes a variety of improvements and fixes, such as a correction to a glitch that required parents to file joint tax returns with each filling out of the form, the Department of Education said in a press release. These changes will come later disastrous rollout last year which leaves some students unable to receive the help they need for school.
Despite past challenges, experts still say it’s important fill out the FAFSA before going to college. This free form opens access to various types of federal financial aid, including grants, work study and student loans.
Here are some steps you can take for a smooth FAFSA application.
1. Submit your FAFSA form soon
One of the best steps you can take when pursuing financial aid is to fill out the FAFSA early. Generally, the form becomes available on October 1 each year. The 2025-26 FAFSA was made available to a limited number of students in October while the Department of Education collected feedback and worked on technical glitches. The department originally aimed for a December 1 release but ended the trial early.
If you’re already thinking about next year’s application, a senior official from the Department of Education said they expect the 2026-27 FAFSA to be re-launched in time for October 1, 2025.
It is important to submit your application as soon as possible because some financial aid is distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you wait too long, you may get less financial aid than if you applied earlier.
It’s also important to get your FAFSA in ahead of your college and state deadlines. Each school sets its own FAFSA deadlines, but they usually fall between January and March. You can check your state’s deadline at Federal Student Aid website.
2. Sign up for an FSA ID
Before you start filling out the FAFSA, you need to create your account on the StudentAid.gov website. This includes setting up an FSA ID, which is your unique username and password.
“Students and contributors should get an FSA ID as soon as possible,” says financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz.
Anyone contributing to the FAFSA will need their own FSA ID. If you’re a dependent student, that means you and at least one parent will each need your own FSA ID. A senior education official noted that one of the frequent issues encountered with FAFSA testing is that parents do not create their own FSA ID, which takes time to get approved and can delay the application process.
Unless you are a citizen of the Freely Associated States, you must enter your Social Security number to create your StudentAid.gov account. Parents do not need to have an SSN, but they must enter their SSN if they have one.
It’s important that you enter the information correctly the first time, according to Cathy Mueller, executive director of Mapping Your Future, a financial aid literacy organization.
“Unfortunately, some of the problems encountered in the past occurred when Social Security numbers and dates of birth were not entered correctly,” he added.
3. Know your dependency status
Dependent students must fill out the FAFSA with at least one parent, while independent students can fill out the FAFSA on their own. There are many questions you can ask yourself determine your dependency statussuch as:
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Are you 24 or older?
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Are you looking for a master’s or doctoral degree?
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Are you a veteran or currently serving on active duty in the US armed forces?
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Are you an orphan, a ward of the state or in foster care before the age of 13?
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are you married
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you can be considered an independent student. If your answer is no, you are a dependent student.
Dependent students must fill out the FAFSA with the help of at least one parent. If your parents are married and filing taxes, for example, only one parent needs to contribute to the form (even if they need to report information for both parents). If your parents are married and file taxes separately, then both must contribute to the FAFSA.
Note that students and parents fill out separate sections of the FAFSA. Make sure you are working in the correct section to avoid mistakes. The Federal Student Aid site suggests that the student complete and save their section first before the parent starts theirs.
4. Get organized before you start filling out the form
Organizing all of your important documents ahead of time will help create a smooth FAFSA application. The FAFSA will ask for you and your contributor’s contact details, as well as details about your finances. Among the information you need:
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Tax returns from two years ago
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Current balances in any bank accounts
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Net worth of investments, businesses and farms
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Child support records
In the new version of the FAFSA, you must agree to transfer federal tax information directly to the form using the Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange. Refusing this automatic transfer will disqualify you from receiving federal student aid, even if a contributor enters tax information on the form manually.
5. Check and double-check for accuracy
The old FAFSA asked you 108 questions, but the new FAFSA asks fewer. The form is shorter, but you don’t want to rush it. The student aid website says it should less than an hour to complete, but take extra time to make sure you understand each question and provide accurate answers.
Filling them out all at once, rather than spreading them out over several days, will help prevent technical glitches and reduce inconsistencies in your answers, Kantrowitz said.
Before you hit submit, check everything to make sure all your answers are correct. Errors can result in delays, which can affect your financial aid awards.
After you submit the FAFSA, you will receive your Student Aid Report, which summarizes your FAFSA details and estimates your eligibility for financial aid. If you find any errors at this point, you can correct them by logging into your StudentAid.gov account or contacting your college or career school.
What to do with questions about the FAFSA
Filling out the FAFSA can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. Fortunately, there are resources to help you along the way.
Within your FAFSA form, you’ll see various question mark icons that, when clicked, provide tips on how to answer a question. You can also find answers to common questions at FAFSA helpas well as through a chat with Federal Student Aid’s virtual assistant, Aidan.
If you want to talk to someone, you can access live chat, send an email to Federal Student Aid Information Center or call 800-433-3243. The contact center increased staff this year and extended evening and Saturday hours until March 2, 2025.
Finally, you can contact your high school counselor or your college’s financial aid office for help.
By taking these steps and seeking help along the way, you can ensure a smooth FAFSA application and maximize your chances for financial aid.
