Online Fafsa

The official FAFSA web site is available at fafsa.ed.gov.

Filling out the FAFSA® form can be a straightforward and easy process. Select the “Fill Out the FAFSA” button on the home page, and just follow the directions on the screen. Below are some tips to help you along the way.

Gathering the Documents Needed to Apply

The FAFSA questions ask for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and about your financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, whether you’re a U.S. citizen or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the application:

  • Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!)
  • Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student
  • Your driver’s license number if you have one
  • Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen
  • Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
    • IRS 1040
    • Foreign tax return, IRS 1040NR, or IRS 1040NR-EZ
    • Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau
  • Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
  • Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

Keep these records! You may need them again. Do not mail your records to us.

Try This Resource

2026–22 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet—Provides a preview of the questions students and parents may be asked while completing the FAFSA form.

One thing you don’t need for the FAFSA® form is money! The FAFSA form is FREE, so if a website or mobile app asks you to pay to fill it out, you’re not dealing with the official FAFSA site or the official myStudentAid app. Remember, this is a government application, so it’s on a .gov website and an official U.S. Department of Education mobile app.

Getting Help

If you need help filling out the FAFSA form, use these free tools:

  • Select the blue and white question mark icon next to a FAFSA question to view a “tool tip” that provides information about how to answer that question.
  • In the online FAFSA form, the tool tip may have a “More Help” link for additional information. You also can select the “Help” button at the bottom of the tool tip to reach the “FAFSA Help” page, where you can browse FAQs, search for more information, or click on “Contact Us.”
  • Once you click on “Contact Us,” you’ll have the option of emailing us with your question or, during business hours, chatting (in English or Spanish) with live technical support staff. (In the myStudentAid mobile app, you can find the contact information via the “hamburger menu”—the three parallel lines at the top right of the screen.)
  • Contact the financial aid office at the college or career school you plan to attend.

Starting Your FAFSA® Form and Providing Your Basic Personal Information

The FAFSA form is available on Oct. 1 for the next school year. We encourage you to fill it out as soon as possible on or after Oct. 1 to meet FAFSA deadlines.

FAFSA® Filing Options

You may choose any of these methods to file a FAFSA form:

  • Log in at fafsa.gov to apply online or
  • Fill out the form in the myStudentAid mobile app, available on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) or
  • Complete a 2026-22 FAFSA PDF or 2026-21 FAFSA PDF (note: you must print out and mail the FAFSA PDF for processing) or
  • Request a print-out of the FAFSA PDF by calling us at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or 334-523-2691; then fill out the form and mail it for processing

If you are starting the application for the first time on fafsa.gov, select “START HERE.” As you begin, keep the following in mind:

  • Your name and Social Security number must match those on your Social Security card. Follow this tip to avoid getting a notice that your information doesn’t match the Social Security Administration’s records (or your FSA ID account).
  • If you’re concerned about providing your personal information on the log-in page, choose the virtual keyboard option for additional security.
  • To ensure the application functions properly, make sure the pop-up blocker in your browser allows pop-ups from fafsa.ed.gov. 

If you’re starting for the first time on the myStudentAid mobile app, you will select

  1. “FAFSA® form” in the menu or on the dashboard;
  2. your role;
  3. the “Start a New FAFSA Form” button.

You cannot fill out the FAFSA form on the mobile app without an FSA ID.

If you’re a male between the ages of 18 and 25 and you haven’t registered with the Selective Service System, select “Yes” when you’re asked if you would like to be registered. Otherwise, you won’t be eligible to receive federal student aid. This requirement applies to any person assigned the sex of male at birth.

The following tips apply whether you’re filling out the form online or on the mobile app:

  • Near the beginning of the application, you’ll create a “save key,” a temporary password that you’ll use if you start your FAFSA form, save it without finishing it, then want to open it again later to finish it. One benefit of the save key is that students and parents can use this function to access the FAFSA form if they are completing the application in separate locations. (Unlike with the FSA ID, which needs to be kept private, it’s okay to tell your parent what your save key is.)
  • If you are applying for a summer session, contact the financial aid office at your college to find out which school year you should select when you complete your FAFSA form.

If you filled out a FAFSA form last year and want to renew it, select “LOG IN” on the FAFSA home page, select “I am the student,” enter your FSA ID, and be sure to select “FAFSA RENEWAL” once given the option. That way, many of the (nonfinancial) questions will be prefilled for you. Just be sure to update any information that has changed since last year.

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