Federal Student Aid (2024)

FAQs

What are some common FAFSA mistakes? ›

Individuals who owe a refund on a grant made by a federal student aid program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act; Individuals in default on a Title IV loan; Individuals incarcerated in prison; and. Individuals convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs.

If you did not complete the FAFSA for the academic year when you are seeking aid, you won't receive any. If you did complete the FAFSA, but didn't receive financial aid, confirm that you completed the form for the correct year. Contact your school's financial aid office if the wrong form was completed.

FAFSA® requires details about your (and your spouse's, if you're married) financial assets to help calculate how much aid you'll need to pay for college.

For many, the most difficult part about filling out the FAFSA is entering in the financial information. But now, thanks to a partnership with the IRS, students and parents who are eligible can automatically transfer the necessary tax info into the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

Don't enter nicknames or other variations on your name. Entering the wrong address: Don't enter a temporary campus or summer address as your permanent address. Entering the wrong federal income tax paid amount: This amount is on your income tax return forms from two years prior, not your W‐2 form(s).

According to the office of federal student aid, some applications can be denied because applicants did not meet the basic eligibility requirements. These include: Having demonstrated financial need for need-based federal student aid programs. Being a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.

To qualify for federal financial aid for college, a student must prove that they are capable of pursuing higher education. Without a high school diploma, GED, completion of a state-approved homeschooling program, or enrollment in an eligible career pathway program, you will not receive federal aid.

Students selected for verification of their FAFSA form may wonder, “Does FAFSA check your bank accounts?” FAFSA does not directly view the student's or parent's bank accounts.

This is question 40c on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) PDF. Enter the total amount of taxable earnings that you (and if married, your spouse) received in 2021 from Federal Work-Study or other need-based work programs, such as fellowships and assistantships.

How much assets is too much for FAFSA? ›

The FAFSA gives a parental asset protection allowance between about $30k and $50k. So, if your parents don't have more than that in assets, these resources won't be counted anyway. And above that threshold, it's only about 5-6% of the net value of the parental assets that count toward your EFC.

Cars, computers, furniture, books, boats, appliances, clothing, and other personal property are not reported as assets on the FAFSA. Home maintenance expenses are also not reported as assets on the FAFSA, since the net worth of the family's principal place of residence is not reported as an asset.

Assets that are not counted by FAFSA when determining your SAI include: 401(k) and Roth and traditional IRA accounts (though withdrawals from Roth IRA accounts will be counted as untaxed income) Cash values of whole life insurance policies and qualified annuities. SIMPLE, KEOGH, and pension plans.

Your family's taxed and untaxed income, assets, and benefits (such as unemployment or Social Security) all could be considered in the formula. Also considered are your family size and the number of family members who will attend college or career school during the year.