The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the free form you file to be considered for federal grants, work-study, and loans. Many states and colleges use it for their own aid too. The hardest part is often not the questions. It is knowing which year’s form to file, which documents to have ready, and what to do when something goes wrong.
If you plan to be enrolled at any point between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028, file the 2027–28 FAFSA. It uses 2025 tax information and has been open since September 23, 2026. If you are still in school for the 2026–27 year and haven’t filed, that form is still open until June 30, 2027. File at StudentAid.gov. It is free.
For a broader look at grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans, see our guide to financial aid for students.
Which FAFSA award year do you need?
A FAFSA covers one award year, running from July 1 to June 30. More than one year’s form can be open at the same time, so choose by the dates you will be in school.
| 2026–27 FAFSA | 2027–28 FAFSA | |
| Attendance period | July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 | July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028 |
| Tax information used | 2024 | 2025 |
| Opened | September 24, 2025 | September 23, 2026 |
| Federal deadline | June 30, 2027 | June 30, 2028 |
The 2025–26 form is no longer available to submit: its federal deadline was June 30, 2026.
Sources: 2027–28 FAFSA form (attendance period, tax year, deadline), and U.S. Department of Education announcements for 2026–27 and 2027–28 opening dates.
Some quick matches:
- Starting college in fall 2027: 2027–28.
- Enrolled now, finishing the 2026–27 year: 2026–27, if you haven’t filed it yet.
- Returning next fall: a new FAFSA for 2027–28. Aid doesn’t carry over.
- Need help with the 2025–26 year? That year’s federal deadline has passed. Contact your college’s financial aid office.
Documents and contributor accounts to prepare
What to gather
For the 2027–28 form, have these ready:
- Social Security numbers for the student and each contributor, where applicable.
- Tax information for 2025. The form asks whether the student or parent filed, or will file, a 2025 federal return.
- Records of untaxed income, such as child support received.
- Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts, and the value of investments and businesses or farms you must report.
- Federal school codes for the colleges you want to receive your results. The online form allows up to 20 schools; the paper form allows 10.
Each person who signs must agree, if asked, to provide verification documents and tax forms they filed or were required to file (2027–28 FAFSA form).
Accounts
You and each required contributor need a separate StudentAid.gov account to access and sign the FAFSA. The login (often called an FSA ID) works as your electronic signature. Create your accounts before you start the application, so you have time to resolve any identity-verification issues. Each person should use their own login credentials and keep them secure.
A required contributor who does not have a Social Security number may still be able to create a StudentAid.gov account and complete their section of the FAFSA. Follow the current identity-verification instructions on StudentAid.gov, as the process can differ from the standard account setup.
Who has to contribute
A contributor is anyone who provides information and must sign. According to the 2027–28 form, the form has five sections:
| Section | Who completes it |
| Student | Always the student |
| Student spouse | Only if the student is married (or remarried) and did not file a joint 2025 tax return |
| Parent | Only if the student is dependent, even if the student doesn’t live with a parent |
| Parent spouse or partner | Only if the parent is married or living with a partner and did not file jointly (if they filed jointly, they provide only a date of birth) |
| Preparer | Only if someone else helped fill out the form. Paid preparers are prohibited. |
The form’s own questions decide who must contribute in your situation, so confirm against them before you invite anyone. If a dependent student’s parents are divorced or separated, the parent to report is the one who provided the greater portion of the student’s financial support, even if the student doesn’t live with that parent. If support was equal, or neither provided support, report the parent with the higher income and assets, and include that parent’s spouse if they have remarried. Our guide explains whether you need both parents for the FAFSA.
Consent to use tax information
The student and every contributor must consent to having their federal tax information transferred from the IRS. Without consent, the Department of Education cannot calculate your eligibility for federal aid (2027–28 FAFSA form).
How to complete the application
- +Create your StudentAid.gov account. Use your own email address and keep your login private.
- Start the right form. Choose the award year that matches your attendance dates.
- Complete the student section. Enter your name as it appears on your Social Security card or account. Answer the dependency questions; they decide whether parent information is required.
- Invite your contributors. If you are a dependent student, you invite a parent from within the form. Each contributor logs in to their own account to complete their section, give consent, and sign.
- List your schools. Add up to 20. You can change the list later; see how to add schools to your FAFSA.
- Review everything. Check Social Security numbers, birth dates, and money amounts before you submit.
- Sign and submit. The form isn’t complete until the student and all required contributors have signed.
- Check your status on your StudentAid.gov dashboard (see below).
The FAFSA is free. Be careful of sites that charge, because StudentAid.gov is the official application, and the form prohibits paid preparers.
Some colleges also require their own forms, such as the CSS Profile. Check each college’s financial aid page.
Federal, state, and college deadlines: separate sources
Three kinds of deadlines apply, and they come from three different places:
- Federal: for the 2027–28 form, the Department of Education must receive your application by June 30, 2028. Your college must also have your correct, complete information by your last day of enrollment that year. The federal date is the last possible day, not a target.
- State: each state sets its own. For example, the form lists March 2, 2027 for many California programs. Check the state list in the 2027–28 FAFSA form.
- College: set by each college. They are often earlier than the state and federal dates, and some aid is first-come, first-served.
File as soon as you have your documents. Then check your state’s date and each college’s priority deadline.
What happens after you submit
Once you submit, your form moves through several statuses. You can find them under “My Activity” on your StudentAid.gov dashboard (Federal Student Aid).
| Status | What it means |
| Draft | You started, but haven’t completed required sections |
| In Progress | Required sections are done, but the form isn’t submitted |
| In Review | Submitted, not yet processed |
| Action Required | An error needs fixing, such as a missing signature or consent |
| Processed | The FAFSA has completed processing. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary for errors, missing information, or required next steps |
| Closed | Started but not submitted before the deadline |
Federal Student Aid says most forms process immediately, though some take one to three days. When your form is processed, you can open your FAFSA Submission Summary. It has four tabs: Eligibility Overview (your Student Aid Index, or SAI, and estimated federal aid), FAFSA Form Answers, School Information, and Next Steps.
The summary is not an aid offer. Financial aid offers come from each college’s financial aid office after you are admitted. For comparing them, see our financial aid guide.
If you filed on paper and gave an email address, the paper form says to expect your summary by email within three to five days. Without an email address, it is mailed within three weeks.
Common errors and how to resolve them
Start with your dashboard status, then your Submission Summary. The table below lists problems readers raise often, with possible causes and the fix Federal Student Aid describes where one exists. A cause here is a place to look first, not a diagnosis. Your Submission Summary and the “Next Steps” tab show what applies to your form.
| What you see | Possible cause | What to do |
| Status is “Action Required” | A missing signature, consent, or approval, or another error | Open the form from “My Activity” and follow the flagged item. A missing signature or consent can be added online. |
| Status is “Draft” for days | A required section isn’t complete, often a contributor’s | Check that every required contributor has logged in, finished their section, consented, and signed. |
| No SAI on the summary | Consent to share tax information is missing, or a required section isn’t done. | Confirm the student and every contributor have given consent and signed. |
| Wrong Social Security number or contact details | Typing error | Update in your account settings on StudentAid.gov. |
| Typo or wrong answer | Data entry | Correct online (see next section). |
| Contributor can’t find or accept the invitation | Several possible causes | Check the invitation details and follow the instructions shown in the contributor’s StudentAid.gov account. Contact official FAFSA support if the invitation still can’t be accessed. |
| Tax information won’t transfer | Several possible causes | Review any instructions or alerts shown in the FAFSA. Contact official FAFSA support or your college’s financial aid office if the problem remains unresolved. |
| Status is “Closed” | Form wasn’t submitted before the federal deadline | Contact your college’s financial aid office about options for that year. |
If the page won’t load or a button doesn’t respond, these are general troubleshooting steps and not FAFSA-specific fixes: try a different browser or device, clear your cache, and check FAFSA support for posted outages.
Corrections, adding schools, and contributor problems
You can correct your FAFSA after it is processed. Select your submission under “My Activity,” or choose “Make a Correction” at the top of the FAFSA Form Answers tab. The right route depends on what you are fixing (Federal Student Aid):
| Fix | Where |
| Add a missing signature, consent, or approval | Online |
| Fix a typo or most wrong answers | Online |
| Update your Social Security number or contact details | Account settings, online |
| Add or remove a school | Online, up to 20 at a time |
| Change your answer to the “Direct Unsubsidized Loan Only” question | Online |
| Update financial information because of an amended tax return | Through your college |
| Report a significant change in your finances | Through your college |
Not every change can be made online. Some, like the amended-tax-return and changed-finances items above, go through your college. When you’re unsure, ask the financial aid office before you submit a correction. Students can begin and submit a correction to any section. Contributors can begin a correction but can submit only their own sections. If you change parent information, expect a parent to sign again from their own account.
To add colleges, you can correct your record online, or give your Data Release Number from the summary to the college’s financial aid office. If your record already has 20 school codes, a new code replaces an existing one. Our guide to adding schools to the FAFSA walks through it.
If you can’t provide parent information. Some students can’t safely contact a parent or have no contact with them. The FAFSA has an unusual-circumstances question for this. Your college’s financial aid administrator decides what documentation it needs and makes the final decision, so contact the office early. If a parent refuses to provide information, the form says you may be limited to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan until the college decides.
If your finances changed, the FAFSA can’t reflect every change. Tell the college’s financial aid office, which can review your situation. A review doesn’t guarantee more aid.
Renewal checklist and official help
You must file a new FAFSA each award year. Before you do:
- Confirm the award year and the tax year that form uses.
- Check your StudentAid.gov login and update contact details.
- Ask each contributor to confirm theirs.
- Gather tax records and bank and investment balances.
- Update your school list.
- Note state and college priority dates.
- After submitting, check your status and review your Submission Summary.
Where to get help. Start with FAFSA support on StudentAid.gov. You can also call 1-800-433-3243, and your college’s financial aid office can help with school-specific steps. The FAFSA is free, so don’t pay for filing help.
Conclusion: Your next steps
Before you submit, confirm the award year, gather your documents, and invite every required contributor. Check your state and college deadlines instead of relying on the federal date. After you submit, watch your StudentAid.gov dashboard, review your FAFSA Submission Summary, and contact your college’s financial aid office if something looks wrong or your circumstances are unusual. File a new FAFSA for each award year.
