Help With FAFSA From FSA ID to Filing

FAFSA – The Key to Opening Financial Aid Options

It’s important to remember that the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the key that opens the door to federal, state and some institutional money. This is the case regardless of type or length of program you’re considering. INvestEd will give you help with FAFSA filing and has a webpage dedicated to exactly how we’ll do this. We’ve helped thousands of Hoosier families file this critical form.

The process starts by creating an FSA ID (Federal Student Aid ID). This username and password serves as your electronic signature on the form. We have a handout to help walk you through the steps to create your secure ID.

The next step is to gather the required personal and financial information needed to complete the FAFSA. INvestEd has created a FAFSA Checklist to help you be sure you have all the items you need. We also included a spot to write down your FSA ID username and password so it is easy to find in future years.

Lastly, you simply go to FAFSA.gov and begin filling out the application. The FAFSA is often perceived as difficult, so here are a few things we want to share to help you avoid common issues:

• Remember this is a student application, so the student needs to be completing the form. Parent demographic and financial information may be needed, so be ready to help.
• Filing the correct year’s application and meeting any FAFSA deadline is also critical to maximizing your access to free money. INvestEd’s created a chart on our Completing the FAFSA webpage to help ensure you select the correct one.
• Entering accurate tax information can save you time later on. You may be able to transfer tax information directly from the IRS to your FAFSA by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. INvestEd has a step-by-step guide to help you through this process too. Click here to access this helpful guide.

Remember you’re not alone. The INvestEd team is an email or phone call away and have helped countless students with questions like: “Which parent do I list on my FAFSA?”, “What assets do I need to include?” and “I can’t get my FSA ID to work, what do I do?”. Connect with an INvestEd team member by email at Outreach@INvestEdIndiana.org or call us at 317-715-9007 for help with FAFSA questions.