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Financial Aid
To get the most financial aid money possible, be sure not to make these common mistakes!
Shawna Newman
September 11, 2024
Errors can cause you to lose out on financial aid dollars!
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a Department of Education managed form required by federal and state governments. Colleges also require FAFSA information from students who wish to qualify for financial aid, federal work-study, and other financial aid programs, such as the TEACH Grant.
In addition to scholarships, financial aid is a helpful way to pay for school. Trade school and college students use the money to pay for tuition and fees and in some cases, educational supplies. Financial aid applications ask questions about a student's personal and family financial circ*mstances to determine how much they can pay for college.
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A mistake on your FAFSA can delay the processing of your application for financial aid. If your FAFSA is verified and contains errors, it can cost you. Common FAFSA Mistakes to Avoid
- Leaving Fields Blank If the answer is zero or the question does not apply to you, write in a zero. If you leave a question blank, the processor will assume you forgot to answer.
- Incorrect Income Reporting If you use your W-2 and 1099 forms, compare them with the prior year's income tax return to ensure you did not overlook any source of income. The form will pull and input data from the IRS Data Exchange where possible. 2023 taxes will be used to complete the 2025-26 FAFSA. You should have access to your tax return information for manual input if necessary.
- Failing to Report Untaxed Income Forgetting to report all the required sources of untaxed income can cause FAFSA errors and delay your end. This includes veterans' non-education benefits, child support, and workers' compensation or disability income. '); }); apntag.onEvent('adRequestFailure', 'FastWeb_Desktop_Native_Inarticle_Placement_Slot_2_QM2hj_TeX4pur7OJMGnBTA', function(adError){ console.log('adRequestFailure event: ', adError); $('#FastWeb_Desktop_Native_Inarticle_Placement_Slot_2_QM2hj_TeX4pur7OJMGnBTA').wrap(''); }); apntag.onEvent('adError', 'FastWeb_Desktop_Native_Inarticle_Placement_Slot_2_QM2hj_TeX4pur7OJMGnBTA', function(adError, adObj){ console.log('adError event: ', adError); if ($('.grid-x.in-feed.clearfix.hide').length == 0) { $('#FastWeb_Desktop_Native_Inarticle_Placement_Slot_2_QM2hj_TeX4pur7OJMGnBTA').wrap(''); } }); apntag.onEvent('adBadRequest', 'FastWeb_Desktop_Native_Inarticle_Placement_Slot_2_QM2hj_TeX4pur7OJMGnBTA', function(adError){ console.log('adBadRequest event: ', adError); if ($('.grid-x.in-feed.clearfix.hide').length == 0) { $('#FastWeb_Desktop_Native_Inarticle_Placement_Slot_2_QM2hj_TeX4pur7OJMGnBTA').wrap(''); } }); }); } $(document).ready(function() { apntag.anq.push(function() { apntag.showTag('FastWeb_Desktop_Native_Inarticle_Placement_Slot_2_QM2hj_TeX4pur7OJMGnBTA'); }); });
Not reporting total household income if your parent has remarried. Your stepparent, if married to the legal parent whose information you're reporting, must report their financial information in addition to the financial information for your custodial parent.
Even if you didn't live there during the previous year, you should always include yourself as part of your parent's household.
If you're filing as a dependent, you and your parents must sign. If you file online, you and your parents can sign the form electronically using your FSA ID.
Remember to submit your 2025-26 FAFSA on time. The sooner you can submit or renew your FAFSA from the December release date, the better. When it becomes available, students who file their FAFSA first get priority, especially for state or grant programs with limited financial aid funds. To qualify for federal student aid, the 2025-2026 FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2025. This form will be available for students and parents by December 1, 2024.
State deadlines for financial aid and grants vary; some states award their grants on a first-come, first-served basis. To get the most financial aid money you can, submit your FAFSA in the fall—as close to the December FAFSA release date as possible. Doing this will move your FAFSA to the top of your state's FAFSAs-received list!
Read the instructions and questions carefully. If you're unclear about a question or are having trouble filling out the FAFSA, check the FAQ section on the FAFSA website. You can also contact your financial aid office.
You need your FSA ID to complete the federal student aid FAFSA form, make corrections, and electronically sign. Students and parents need separate FSA IDs to complete the FAFSA officially. To avoid FAFSA mistakes, get started early and use the online FAFSA version. As you begin the form, use the FAFSA checklist to ensure you've gathered all the necessary information.
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A correct FAFSA form can be your best asset in securing financial aid to pay for college, in addition to college scholarships. Once you've completed your FAFSA, you'll receive a FAFSA Submission Summary within a few days of submitting the form. This summary will list your FAFSA answers and estimate your federal student aid. The FAFSA Summary is NOT a financial aid award package; FAFSA results are sent to your chosen schools and colleges. Those schools and colleges will create a custom financial aid award package based upon the information you included in your FAFSA. Expect these to arrive in the spring of 2025.Become a Fastweb member to make paying for school easier! Don't miss out on the scholarships YOU especially qualify for, important pre-college tasks, and current college student must-dos. Make paying for school easier! Sign up in less than 2 minutes.
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