Do we need to fill out FAFSA every year for community college student?

Yes, you absolutely need to fill out the FAFSA every single year, regardless of whether your daughter is attending a community college, state university, or private institution. The FAFSA is an annual application that determines financial aid eligibility for each academic year. For the 2025-2026 academic year (which starts next September), you should submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after the October 1, 2024 release date. Your financial situation could change year-to-year, which is why they require annual submissions. Don't wait too long - many state and institutional grants have early deadlines!

EVERY SINGLE YEAR!!!! And it never gets easier lol. I've done this 3 times now for my son at community college and it's always a pain. They say it should be easier after the first time but NOPE still asks for all the same stuff. And watch out because the deadlines for state grants are different than federal!!! We missed out on $1500 last year because I filed 2 weeks "too late" even though it was MONTHS before school started. The whole system is designed to make you fail I swear.

You definitely need to complete a new FAFSA every year. However, the good news is that the renewal process is usually a bit simpler than your first application. When you log in to studentaid.gov with your FSA ID, you'll see an option for a "Renewal FAFSA" which will pre-populate some of your information from the previous year's application. You'll still need to update income information and verify all details, but many demographic fields will already be filled in. For the 2025-2026 academic year, you'll need to report your 2023 tax information. If your tax situation is relatively straightforward, I recommend using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool in the FAFSA - it automatically transfers your tax information directly from the IRS, which reduces errors and the chance of being selected for verification. Also worth noting that community colleges often have financial aid advisors who can help with the FAFSA renewal process at no cost. I'd suggest contacting Sierra's financial aid office for assistance.

my kid goes 2 community college too and ya gotta do it every yr. they sent us a email reminder last time but i almost missed it cuz it went to spam so check ur spam folder. also the deadlines r different for different states so check that 2

When I had to renew my FAFSA for my second year at community college, I kept getting stuck on the verification part. I called the Federal Student Aid hotline for WEEKS and couldn't get through to anyone. So frustrating! I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual FSA agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent helped me clear up the verification issues and explained exactly what documents I needed to submit. Saved me so much stress and my aid was processed much faster than if I'd been stuck trying to figure it out alone.

One more important thing to note - make sure you're using the correct FAFSA form. For the 2025-2026 academic year, you need to use the 2025-2026 FAFSA form that becomes available on October 1, 2024. Some people mistakenly use the wrong year's form, which can cause major problems with aid disbursement. Also, don't assume your financial aid package will be the same as last year. Even if your financial situation hasn't changed much, the SAI calculation or the school's cost of attendance might differ, affecting the amount and types of aid your daughter receives. This is especially important if she's planning to transfer to a four-year institution after community college - the aid packages can vary significantly between schools.

This might be a dumb question but does anyone know if you still have to include parent info if your kid is 19 now? My son started CC at 18 but he's 19 now and I'm wondering if he can do it as independent?

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to get started on the renewal FAFSA for next year as soon as it's available in October. I'll definitely try the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to make the tax information easier, and I'll make note of my state's deadline for grants too. If we run into any issues with verification again, I might try that Claimyr service to get through to someone who can help. Really appreciate all the information!