When to fill out FAFSA for college starting August 2025? Timing question

The FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year should open on December 1, 2024. That's when you'll want to fill it out, as soon as possible after it opens. The earlier you submit, the better position you'll be in for certain types of aid that are first-come, first-served. Your daughter's college might also have priority deadlines for their institutional aid that you'll need to meet. Check their financial aid website for those specific dates.

we applied in janurary for my son this past year and still got plenty of monney. I think the schools have there own deadlines that matter more than the fafsa one. the fafsa is just to see what your SAI score is but most scholorships and grants come from the college not the government

As someone who works with college-bound families, here's what you need to know: 1. FAFSA for 2025-2026 opens December 1, 2024 2. You'll use 2023 tax information (they always use tax info from two years prior) 3. Submit as early as possible - some aid is first-come, first-served 4. Check each college's priority deadlines - these are CRUCIAL and vary by school 5. Also find out if any schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA The order of operations should be: - Gather 2023 tax returns and W-2s now - Create FSA IDs for you and your daughter before December - Submit FAFSA early December 2024 - Submit any required CSS Profiles (usually for private schools) - Check each school's financial aid portal weekly after submission Earlier submission doesn't technically increase federal aid amounts, but it does position you better for institutional aid, which is often the largest portion of financial aid packages.

I'm going through this right now with my son who started college this fall. The December 1st opening is new - it used to be October. The system was a NIGHTMARE this past year with all the changes they made. We submitted on the first day and still didn't get our SAI score until February because of all the glitches in the system! I really hope they've fixed things for the upcoming cycle. One thing no one mentioned - make sure you're checking the student aid email regularly after you submit. My son almost lost his aid because they selected him for verification and the email went to his spam folder. We had to submit extra documentation proving our income was what we said it was. Super stressful.

I've been trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid for WEEKS to ask about our unusual income situation (we had a one-time capital gain in 2023 that makes our income look much higher than normal). Every time I call I'm on hold for hours and then get disconnected. It's beyond frustrating. Has anyone successfully reached a human being there?

one more thing!!! make sure your daughter actually checks her school email account after you submit. my son didnt check his for like 2 months and almost missed a deadline for accepting his aid package!!! i was so mad lol

To answer your question about whether both parents need FSA IDs - it depends on your family situation: 1. If you're married and file taxes jointly, only one parent needs to be on the FAFSA, but that parent will need an FSA ID. 2. If you're married but file taxes separately, you'll report household income from both parents, but technically only the parent completing the form needs an FSA ID. 3. If you're divorced/separated, only the custodial parent (who the student lived with most in the past 12 months) fills out the FAFSA. Personally, I recommend both parents create FSA IDs anyway. It makes things easier if one parent is unavailable when corrections are needed. It takes about 10 minutes to create an FSA ID online.

Also - prepare your daughter for the fact that she won't see her final financial aid package until probably March-April 2025 at the earliest. The waiting was so hard for my son. He got his college acceptances in December but had to wait months to find out if we could actually afford any of them. Very stressful time.

Thank you all SO much for this detailed advice! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm feeling much more prepared now. I'll definitely: 1. Mark December 1st on my calendar and plan to submit FAFSA that first day 2. Start gathering our 2023 tax documents now 3. Create FSA IDs for both me and my husband in November 4. Research which of her target schools require CSS Profile 5. Make a list of each school's priority financial aid deadlines One follow-up question - should I also be looking into private scholarships now, or wait until after we see what financial aid packages look like? I don't want to overwhelm myself but also don't want to miss opportunities. Really appreciate this community - you've all been incredibly helpful! 🙏

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest, I can't stress enough how important it is to get organized early! One thing I'd add to all the great advice here - consider opening a dedicated email folder or using a spreadsheet to track all your financial aid deadlines and requirements for each school. Each college can have different deadlines, different required forms (some want CSS Profile, some don't), and different verification requirements. Also, don't forget about your state's financial aid programs! Many states have their own grant programs with earlier deadlines than federal aid. In my state, we had to submit by February 15th for the state grant, which was actually a significant amount of money. The process feels overwhelming at first, but once you break it down into steps like you've done, it becomes much more manageable. Your daughter is lucky to have a parent who's planning ahead like this! Best of luck with everything!