FAFSA 2025-2026 prep materials to gather before December 1st opening - worksheet?

Great question! Yes, being prepared will save you tons of headaches. Here's what you need to gather for the 2025-2026 FAFSA: 1. FSA IDs for you AND your student (create these now at studentaid.gov if you haven't already) 2. Your 2023 tax return (the complete return, not just W-2s) 3. Records of any untaxed income from 2023 4. Current bank statements and investment records (as of the date you'll file) 5. Business/farm asset information if applicable The FAFSA worksheet isn't officially out yet for 2025-2026, but the Federal Student Aid site has a "FAFSA on the Web Worksheet" from last year that's still pretty accurate for planning purposes. The major changes with SAI already happened last cycle, so this year should be similar.

FAFSA got so much easier with the new system! You need way fewer documents than before. Basically just your 2023 taxes (they'll pull most of it automatically through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool), current bank/investment balances, and the FSA IDs. The best prep is actually going through the FSA ID setup NOW - that's what trips most people up. When Dec 1 hits the site gets bogged down with everyone trying to create accounts at once.

make sure u get ur w2s! my sons FAFSA got flagged for verification last yr bc i didnt report one of my jobs correctly... huge hassle dealing with that mess took like 6 weeks to fix

To answer your follow-up question - you'll need to report all assets you (and your spouse if married) own, so yes, all bank accounts including the separate ones. And for your second question, you use the same parent FSA ID for all your children. Your daughter will need to create her own FSA ID though. Each student needs their own.

I was in your exact position last year! Waiting until December 1st only to spend HOURS trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid when the system kept freezing. After getting disconnected a dozen times, I tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and actually got through to a live person in about 10 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Saved me from losing my mind when none of our tax info would sync through the IRS connection.

THE GOV ALWAYS MAKES THESE FORMS NEEDLESSLY COMPLICATED!!!! I spent 3 hours last yr trying to figure out where to put my rental property income. And then they had the NERVE to flag us for verification EVEN THOUGH I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT. My son almost lost his scholarship because of their incompetence.

Here's a pro tip nobody tells you: print out last year's FAFSA PDF worksheet and fill it out completely BEFORE sitting down at the computer. That way, when you're online and the system times out (it will), you won't lose your place. Gather these documents now: - 2023 tax return (full return, not just the summary) - Social security numbers for everyone - Driver's license numbers - Asset info as of the day you'll file - List of colleges your daughter wants to apply to (with their federal school codes) The FAFSA has gotten simpler, but more students are getting flagged for verification, so being super accurate from the start saves headaches.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I've started making my checklist: - My FSA ID (already have) - Create daughter's FSA ID with her own email - 2023 tax return - Current statements for ALL bank accounts (including my husband's separate one) - Investment account statements - List of college codes And I'll download last year's worksheet to practice with. Fingers crossed this goes smoothly! I'm definitely setting a reminder for early December so we're not rushing.

That's a perfect checklist! One last tip: when the FAFSA first opens on December 1st, the system is usually overwhelmed. Unless you need to meet a December deadline for a specific scholarship, consider waiting a few days to apply. The system tends to run much smoother by December 5th or 6th, and you'll have a better experience. Early January is still considered "early" for most financial aid purposes.

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest, I can't stress enough how important it is to double-check your Social Security numbers! I made a typo in my daughter's SSN and it caused a 3-week delay while we sorted it out with the school's financial aid office. Also, if you have any 1099s from freelance work or side gigs, make sure you have those ready too - they're easy to forget but the FAFSA will ask about all income sources. One more thing: take screenshots of each page as you complete them, just in case the system glitches and you lose your progress. Good luck!