When is FAFSA due for 2025-26 academic year? Need to coordinate work schedule and school visit

The 2025-26 FAFSA will open on December 1, 2024, and the federal deadline is June 30, 2026. BUT don't wait until the federal deadline! Each state and school has their own (much earlier) priority deadlines that you need to meet to maximize aid eligibility. Your state's deadline is probably between February and April 2025, and many schools have priority deadlines in January or February. I'd recommend submitting by early January at the latest to ensure you don't miss any priority deadlines. Also, the good news is you shouldn't need to drive to campus for help. The 2024-25 form had major issues when it launched, but many of those have been fixed for the 2025-26 cycle. There are also free FAFSA workshops run by many high schools and community organizations during December-February.

defintely do it WAY beofre the deadlnie!! we waited too long last yr and missed out on some grant $$ for my son. the school said we would have qualifid if we did it sooner but all the money was gone already. its so anoying how they make this stuf so complicated

If you haven't created an FSA ID for yourself and your daughter yet, do that now before the FAFSA opens. That will save you time when the application period starts. Also, as others mentioned, the state and school deadlines are the most important ones. You can actually look up your state's deadline here: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/fafsa-deadlines And yes, they are still using the Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). It's similar but calculated a bit differently. Make sure you have these documents ready before starting: 1. Your 2023 tax return (for the 2025-26 FAFSA) 2. W-2 forms 3. Records of untaxed income 4. Bank statements and investment records 5. Social Security numbers for you and your daughter The form underwent major changes in 2024-25, and while the 2025-26 version should be less buggy, the questions and calculations remain similar.

The whole FAFSA system is DESIGNED to be confusing so fewer people apply and they can keep more of OUR tax dollars instead of helping students!!! Last year my daughter's FAFSA got "selected for verification" which is basically their way of saying "we don't believe you" and we had to submit like 20 extra documents. Took MONTHS to resolve and almost missed her housing deposit deadline while waiting. And don't get me started on how they calculate that SAI number. We're not rich but somehow they think we can afford $15K a year??? The system is BROKEN.

If u do need help, don't drive 2 hrs to the school! Most high schools offer FAFSA help nights, or you can call Federal Student Aid directly with questions. Calling them used to be awful (2+ hour wait times) but I recently used a service called Claimyr when I needed to talk to someone about my son's verification issue. It holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me literally hours of waiting on hold and the agent was super helpful. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ so you can see how it works. Made dealing with FSA so much easier!

I know this doesn't directly answer your question, but if your daughter has already completed one year in college, the process should be much smoother this time around! The first year is always the hardest with FAFSA. One thing that helped me with my kids was setting calendar reminders about 3 months before the priority deadline for their specific schools. I'd recommend calling your daughter's financial aid office directly (no need to drive there) and asking them: 1. What is their priority deadline for returning students? 2. Do they require any supplemental forms besides FAFSA (some private schools also need the CSS Profile)? 3. Do they offer any virtual FAFSA completion workshops? Many schools now offer Zoom appointments with financial aid counselors, which could save you that 2-hour drive!

i had same issue last yr with my son!!! so hard to understand all those SAI and contribution calculations. ended up having to take day off work to go to his school for help. the financial aid lady was nice but even SHE seemed confused by some of the new questions lol. but definetly try to get it done early january!! we waited til march and missed some aid deadlines apparently

Just to clarify some misinformation in this thread: The 2025-26 FAFSA will still use the Student Aid Index (SAI), but contrary to what some believe, it's not designed to be confusing to reduce applicants. The changes were actually implemented to simplify the process and make more students eligible for aid. The FAFSA was reduced from over 100 questions to about 36 questions for most applicants. And for many families, information is directly imported from the IRS, reducing errors. The system isn't perfect, but the 2025-26 form should be more stable than last year's problematic rollout. Just remember these key differences from the old system: 1. More students qualify for Pell Grants now 2. The SAI can be negative (down to -1500) unlike the old EFC 3. Family size affects calculations differently 4. Different treatment of multiple students in college If you file in early January, you should be in good shape for most deadlines.

Hey Ethan! I'm also dealing with FAFSA for my daughter (she's a junior this year). One thing that really helped us was creating a shared Google doc with all the required documents and deadlines. I listed out her school's priority deadline, our state deadline, and the federal deadline, then worked backwards to set reminder dates. Also, if you're worried about the complexity, many public libraries now offer free FAFSA help sessions during the application period. Might be closer than driving 2 hours to campus! Our local library had a financial aid counselor come in every Saturday in January and February last year. The SAI calculation is definitely confusing at first, but once you understand that it's basically replacing the EFC with a slightly different formula, it makes more sense. The key thing is that a lower SAI means more aid eligibility, and like someone mentioned, it can even go negative now which actually helps some families qualify for more aid than before. Good luck with the process! At least you're planning ahead this time - that's already a huge step up from last year!

Just wanted to add that if you're planning to submit early January (which is smart!), make sure you have your 2023 tax documents ready since that's what the 2025-26 FAFSA will use. Also, one thing that caught me off guard last year was that some schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, especially private colleges. It has its own separate deadline that's sometimes even earlier than FAFSA! You might want to check if your daughter's school requires it - it's an additional form through College Board that digs even deeper into your finances. If they do require it, you'll want to plan for that extra time and complexity too. The good news is that once you've done both forms once, renewal is much easier the following years!

I went through this exact same stress last year with my son! One thing that really saved us was marking my calendar with "FAFSA prep day" in mid-November to gather all documents before the December 1st opening. That way when the form goes live, you're not scrambling to find tax returns and bank statements. Also, I'd strongly recommend checking if your daughter qualifies for any state-specific grants or scholarships that have early deadlines. In our state, there was a need-based grant program with a February 1st deadline that we almost missed because we didn't know it existed. Her school's financial aid website had a list of all the programs and their deadlines - might be worth bookmarking that page now. One more tip: if you do end up needing help, many community colleges also offer free FAFSA completion events even if your daughter doesn't attend there. They're often less crowded than the high school sessions and the staff tends to be really knowledgeable about the process.