FAFSA season is right around the corner and there are a lot of changes happening this year. The FAFSA is scheduled to release on December 31st ...here's how to be prepared!
1. All students must create an FSA ID
One Parent creates an FSA ID:
If you are a dependent student with two married parents who filed a joint federal tax return in 2022...OR
you are a dependent student with separated or divorced parents. The parent who provided you with the most financial support in the last year AND parent’s current spouse if they married since January 1, 2023, OR if parent was remarried prior to this date but filed taxes separately from the current spouse.
Both Parents create an FSA ID:
If you are a dependent student with two married parents who filed separate federal tax returns in 2022...OR
you are a dependent student with two parents who are unmarried but living together.
2. Steps to Create an FSA ID
Visit https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch. The process of setting up the FSA ID takes about 15 minutes.
- Click ‘Get Started”
- Enter Personal information (Students: DO NOT use your high school email address)
- Create Username and Password
- Complete Challenge Questions
- Verify Your Cell Phone and Email Address
- Review and Submit
- Be sure to write down your FSA ID username and password, as well as your back up code and challenge questions.
- Repeat the process for each parent that needs to create an FSA ID. They will need to input their information and a separate email address.
Once the Social Security Administration verifies your information in one to three days, or if you have linked your PIN to your FSA ID, you will be able to use your FSA ID to access the FAFSA website. For help, visit StudentAid.gov/fsaid.