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FAFSA 101 –
                                                        RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

                                              Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 2021-22

      JANUARY 2021
                                            ITEMS NEEDED TO FILE FAFSA

           Assess your Senior’s progress        FSA ID — Create a Username and Password at fsaid.ed.gov in order to sign
         regarding graduation and the         the FAFSA electronically, if you are providing parental information. Your
         college planning process and         Senior will also need to create their own FSA ID.
         evaluate the outcomes.                 Your Social Security number if your Senior is required to provide

                                              parental information.
      FEBRUARY 2021                             Your Senior’s Social Security number.
                                                Your Senior’s Driver’s license number, if applicable.


           Encourage your Senior to             Your Senior’s Alien Registration Number, if not a US citizen.

         take SAT Subject Tests. Visit:         2019 Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information for
         www.collegeboard.org                 your Senior and for you (and your spouse if you are married) if your Senior is a
                                              dependent student. (see Helpful Hints to determine Dependency Status).

           Encourage your Senior to             Records of untaxed income, such as child support received, interest
         take Advanced Placement              income, and veterans non-education benefits for your Senior and for you,
         (AP) Exams. Contact your             if you are providing parental information.
         school’s AP Coordinator for

         more information.                      Information on cash, savings and checking account balances, investments
                                              including real estate, but not including the home in which you live; and
                                              business and farm assets for your Senior and for you if you are providing
      MARCH 2021                              parental information.
                                            FAFSA – HELPFUL HINTS
           Encourage your Senior to
         check e-mail regularly                 Apply for the FAFSA at the FREE site www.fafsa.gov or download the free app
         and to respond to requests           MyStudentAid. Never pay to apply.
         from Federal Student                   The 2021—22 FAFSA will be available on October 1, 2020. Your 2019 tax

         Aid, college admissions              information will be used for the 2021-22 FAFSA. Utilize the IRS Data Retrieval
         representatives and financial        Tool (IRS DRT) to accurately import your tax information into the FAFSA.
         aid administrators in a                You can begin your FASFA, save it and return to it later, but no longer
         timely manner.                       than 45 days. Be sure to keep a record of your Save Key.
           Review and compare college           If parents are divorced or separated, the parent who provided the most

         financial aid awards with            support for the student or whom the student lived with the most during
         your Senior. Contact the             the past 12 months should complete the FAFSA, no matter who claims
         financial aid office at your         the student on taxes.
         priority colleges if you have          Your Senior’s dependency status determines whose information you must
         any questions.                       report on the FAFSA. Go to www.tinyurl.com/FAFSA-dependencystatus to

           Encourage your Senior to           determine your Senior’s status.
         finalize admissions and                Grandparents or anyone else the student may be living with – apart

         financial aid documentation          from their biological or adoptive parents – are not permitted to complete
         at priority colleges.                the FAFSA as a parent.
                                                The FAFSA should only be completed by the student and/or their legal parent(s).

                                                By completing the FAFSA, you are automatically applying for the federal

      APRIL 2021                              Pell Grant, student Loans and the Work-Study Program as well as the
                                              state-based TOPS program.
                                                The FAFSA takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete if you and your

           File your 2020 Tax Return          Senior have all of the required information at hand. For your convenience,
         prior to April 15 which will be      FAFSA on the Web has built-in help to guide you through the application
         used for the 2022-23 FAFSA.          process. Skip logic is used to guide you to answer key questions and may allow

           Assist your Senior in filing       you to skip other questions and complete the form faster. You and your Senior,
         their 2020 Tax Return prior          if classified as “dependent”, will each be required to electronically sign the
         to April 15 which will be used       FAFSA form utilizing the unique FSA ID you each created.
         for the 2022-23 FAFSA. The
         FAFSA must be completed            FSA ID – HELPFUL HINTS
         every academic year.

                                                Before completing the FASFA online, each Senior and one parent, if
                                              providing parental information, needs to create a Federal Student Aid ID
                                              (FSA ID) fsaid.ed.gov
      MAY 2021                                  Please create your own FSA ID.

                                                The FSA ID will consist of a username and a password. Record and retain
           Attend your Senior’s               your username and password.

         graduation and make plans
         to assist with transitioning           Keep track of the FSA ID information and all important college
         to college. Talk to your             information in a special folder.

         Senior about the college’s             The student and parent, if applicable, will each need a separate active
         orientation and registration         e-mail address to create each FSA ID.
         process as well as deadlines           Please verify your email address and cell phone number for future
         and requirements for                 identification.
         payment of fees.
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