FAFSA 2026-27 deadline approaching fast - still worth submitting?

YES submit it ASAP!! Better late than never with FAFSA. My brother submitted his in April last year and still got his full Pell Grant. You might miss some school-specific aid, but federal aid is still available. Just get it done!

Absolutely submit it now. The federal deadline for the 2026-27 FAFSA is actually June 30, 2027, so you're not technically late for federal aid. You've likely missed priority deadlines for institutional aid at many schools, but that doesn't mean you'll get nothing. Some schools have rolling financial aid awards. For your parents being self-employed, make sure you have their Schedule C and any other business tax forms ready. The new FAFSA asks for slightly different tax information than previous years, particularly around business income reporting.

unpopular opinion maybe, but sometimes waiting isn't bad?? i delayed mine last year bc my parents income was high in 2024 but they both lost their jobs in early 2025. when i finally submitted fafsa in march and explained the situation, i got way more aid than my sister who filed early. just something to consider if ur situation changed

The most important thing is to submit it now and not delay any further. Remember that some aid is first-come, first-served, so while you haven't missed the federal deadline, you're competing for a shrinking pool of money at many institutions. For self-employed parents, gather these documents before starting: - Full tax returns, not just W-2s - Schedule C forms showing business income - 1099 forms if applicable - Business asset information Complete the application in one sitting if possible - the new FAFSA can time out and lose data if you leave it inactive too long.

I tried calling the Federal Student Aid help line for three days straight to ask about late submission and couldn't get through to anyone - kept getting disconnected after 2+ hours on hold. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in under 20 minutes. They confirmed I could still submit and explained exactly which institutional deadlines had passed for my specific schools. Saved me so much stress! They have a video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

File it NOW. don't wait another day seriously. I work in a financial aid office (not saying where lol) and I can tell you we absolutely have students submitting now for 2026-27. Some institutional funds are gone but NOT ALL. And definitely not federal. But here's the thing - every day you wait is another day processing might take. With all the FAFSA changes this year, processing is SLOW. Like weeks slow sometimes.

I hate the FAFSA so much!!! WHy do they make it so confusing?? I missed the priority deadline for my school to bc I couldn't figure out how to list my stepdad's income correctly. My mom isn't married to him but he lives with us and pays bills. The whole contributor thing is SO CONFUSING. Anyway I submitted 3 weeks late and still got some aid but less than last year :

Everyone saying to hurry and submit it - YES BUT make sure your info is CORRECT first!! I rushed mine last year and accidentally put my dad's income as $84,000 instead of $48,000 (typed it wrong) and it took MONTHS to fix and I almost lost my housing waiting for the correct aid amount to come through. Double check everything before hitting submit!

One important thing to note: if you're planning to attend summer 2026 classes and need financial aid for that term, you actually need BOTH the 2025-26 FAFSA (for early summer) and the 2026-27 FAFSA (for late summer), depending on how your school handles summer financial aid. Check with your specific institution about their summer aid policies.

anyone know if the SAI calculation changed again this year?? my cousin got way less aid with almost the same family income and idk why

Don't panic! I was in a similar situation last year - completely overwhelmed by my parents' self-employment income reporting and missed several priority deadlines. I finally submitted in late March and still received a decent aid package. Not as much as I might have gotten if I'd filed earlier, but definitely not nothing! A few tips from my experience: - The self-employment stuff is tricky but manageable. Have your dad's Schedule C ready and don't overthink it - Some schools do have rolling aid programs even after priority deadlines - Federal aid is definitely still available as others mentioned The worst thing you can do is keep waiting. I spent weeks stressing about it being "too late" when I should have just filled it out. Get it done this week!