How to Fill Out the FAFSA: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2027–28

Learning how to fill out the FAFSA takes less time than many families expect: most students finish their part in 12 minutes or less, according to Federal Student Aid, and most people can complete the form without looking up any documents because their tax information comes straight from the IRS. The steps that slow families down are the ones around the form: setting up accounts, working out which parent must take part, and making sure every contributor signs. This step-by-step guide walks through the 2027–28 FAFSA in the order the form presents it.

Before you fill out the FAFSA

Use the right website, and do not pay

The FAFSA is free. It is a government form on a .gov website, and Federal Student Aid warns that if a website asks you to pay to fill it out, you are on the wrong site. Start at StudentAid.gov.

Pick the right year

Use the 2027–28 form for college between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028. It asks for 2025 tax information. Students attending this school year need the 2026–27 form.

Set up a StudentAid.gov account for each contributor

The student needs a StudentAid.gov account, and so does each parent or spouse who must add information. Each person creates their own account with their name exactly as it appears on their Social Security card, date of birth, email address and Social Security number if they have one. Students must enter a Social Security number (unless they are citizens of the Freely Associated States), but a parent or spouse without one can still create an account. The account is your digital signature, so only you can use it. If you already have an account, recover it instead of making a second one.

What you need to fill out the FAFSA

Federal Student Aid’s checklist lists:

• A StudentAid.gov account
• Your parent’s or spouse’s information, if they are contributors
• Your federal income tax return, which the form can import
• Records of child support received
• Records of assets, such as current checking and savings balances, cash over $1,000, and the value of non-retirement investments, businesses and farms
• A list of colleges

Report assets as of the day you sign, not the tax year. The home you live in, retirement plans and ABLE accounts are not reported as assets. Keep your records, but do not mail them to Federal Student Aid.

Who must fill out the FAFSA with you

The FAFSA calls anyone who must provide information a contributor: you, your spouse, your biological or adoptive parent, or your parent’s spouse. Each contributor fills out their own section, gives consent and signs.

Are you a dependent student?

For 2027–28, you are independent and do not need parent information if any of these is true, according to Federal Student Aid’s dependency rules:

• You were born before Jan. 1, 2004.
• You are married, or you will be in a master’s or doctorate program in 2027–28.
• You are on active duty for purposes other than training, or you are a veteran.
• You have children or other dependents who get more than half their support from you.
• At any time since age 13 you were an orphan, a ward of the court or in foster care.
• You are an emancipated minor or in a legal guardianship.
• At any point in 2026 or later you were homeless or at risk of homelessness and not living with a parent.

Living apart from your parents, or your parents not claiming you on their taxes, does not by itself make you independent. Students in unusual circumstances, such as abuse or an incarcerated parent, can be considered provisionally independent and should talk to the financial aid office.

Which parent counts

Federal Student Aid’s parent rules are specific:

• Married parents both provide information. If they filed taxes jointly, one parent is the contributor and reports for both; if they filed separately, both are contributors.
• Unmarried parents who live together are both contributors.
• Divorced, separated or never-married parents who live apart: the parent who gave more financial support in the last 12 months is the contributor. If support was equal, or neither parent supports you, the parent with the greater income and assets is the contributor.
• A stepparent may be asked for information depending on how your parent files taxes.

Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, siblings, aunts and uncles are not parents on the FAFSA unless they adopted you. If you are unsure, use Federal Student Aid’s “Who’s My FAFSA Parent?” wizard. And tell your parent that filling out their section does not make them responsible for paying for your education.

How to fill out the FAFSA, step by step

Log in at StudentAid.gov, select “Start New Form,” choose 2027–28 and select “Student.” (A parent can start a child’s form by selecting “Parent.”) The student form then runs in this order, according to Federal Student Aid’s student steps:

1. Student identity. Review your account details, choose your state of residence and when you became a resident, and give consent to transfer your federal tax information.
2. Background. Answer questions about marriage, school plans and personal circumstances. These decide whether you are dependent, and whether you need parent information.
3. Demographics. Sex, race and ethnicity questions are used for research only and do not affect eligibility. You also answer questions about citizenship, your parents’ education and high school completion.
4. Financials. Answer questions about your tax filing and other finances. If an answer is zero, enter 0; do not leave questions blank.
5. Colleges. Add at least one college and up to 20 online (10 on the paper form). Colleges cannot see the other colleges on your list. Order does not matter for federal aid, but some states require a specific order.
6. Invite a parent or spouse. Enter their email address and select “Send Invite,” or share the invite link and code. The Education Department says students can now also invite a contributor by text message.
7. Review and sign. Check your answers, agree to the terms and sign with your account.

Your parent or spouse then logs in with their own account and completes their section, gives consent and signs. The FAFSA is not complete until every contributor has finished all three.

Consent to share tax information is required

Every contributor must give consent for the Education Department to receive their federal tax information from the IRS, even if they did not file a U.S. tax return, filed outside the U.S. or have no Social Security number. If a contributor refuses consent, the student is not eligible for federal aid, even if the contributor types in the tax information by hand. The imported tax figures do not appear on the form or on the summary.

If parents refuse to take part at all, a dependent student can say so on the form. The student will not get a Student Aid Index or a Pell Grant, and may be eligible only for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

After you submit

• Processing. Most forms process immediately; some take one to three days, and you will get an email. A paper form takes about 7 to 10 days from mailing.
• Read your FAFSA Submission Summary. It shows your answers, your Student Aid Index and an estimate of federal aid, but not your final aid. Colleges send the official aid offer after you are admitted.
• Fix mistakes. You can correct the form, or add and remove colleges, until Sept. 12, 2028. If a dependent student changes parent information, the parent must sign again. Imported IRS figures cannot be edited online.
• Watch for verification. Some students are selected at random to confirm their information, and some colleges verify everyone.
• Report a change in finances to the college. If a job loss or other change means 2025 figures no longer fit, submit the FAFSA as it is and then contact the financial aid office. Its decision is final.

Watch the dates, too: colleges and states set FAFSA deadlines far earlier than the federal June 30, 2028, deadline. See edCircuit’s FAFSA deadlines for 2027–28 by state, and our guide to what changed on the 2027–28 FAFSA.

Where to get help

Inside the form, select the question-mark icon next to a question or chat with Aidan, Federal Student Aid’s virtual assistant. The Federal Student Aid Information Center answers questions about the form and accounts at 1-800-433-3243. The FAFSA is available in English and Spanish.

For schools: completion nights work best when they allow time for account recovery and contributor questions, and when counselors follow up with students whose forms are still waiting on a parent’s signature.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to fill out the FAFSA? Most students finish their section in 12 minutes or less, Federal Student Aid says. Each contributor completes a separate section.

Do I need my tax return to fill out the FAFSA? Usually not. Most people can import their federal tax information directly into the form.

Does my parent have to fill out the FAFSA? If you are a dependent student, yes: your contributing parent completes their own section, consents and signs. It does not make them responsible for your college costs.

How many colleges can I list? Up to 20 on the online form and 10 on the paper form.

Is the FAFSA free? Yes. Never pay a website to file it.

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