Don't Wait to Fill Out the 2025-26 FAFSA

The FAFSA is the application that students must complete to apply for federal student aid. This includes Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, federal student loans, and work-study.

There is no need to wait to file your 2025-26 FAFSA.  It will be available on or before December 1, 2024!

Students are now able to submit a FAFSA earlier.  Students normally would have been able to file a 2025–26 FAFSA as of Oct. 1, 2024, rather than beginning on Dec. 1, 2024. The earlier submission date is a permanent change, enabling students to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as Oct. 1 every year. The 2025-26 FAFSA has been delayed until December 1, 2024 due issues encountered with the 2024-25 FAFSA.

Students now report earlier income information. Students are required to report income information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2025–26 FAFSA, students (and parents/spouse, as appropriate) must report their 2023 income information, rather than their 2024 income information.

The following table provides a summary of key dates for FAFSA submission and reporting of earlier tax information. 

Frequently Asked Questions About the 2025-26 FAFSA

How will the changes benefit me?

Because the FAFSA will ask for older income and tax information, you will already have done your taxes by the time you fill out your FAFSA, and you will not need to estimate your tax information and then go back into the FAFSA later to update it. Also, because you will already have done your taxes by the time you fill out your FAFSA, you may be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) to automatically import your tax information into your FAFSA.

How will my tax information be provided?

Your federal tax information will be transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form. All contributors (students, parents, or spouse) must provide consent and approval for their information to be shared on the FAFSA.

Will my 2024-25 FAFSA information be carried over onto the 2025-26 FAFSA?

No; too much could have changed since you filed your last FAFSA, and there is no way to predict what might be different, so you will need to enter the information again. If you choose the Renewal FAFSA option (if available) when you start your application at studentaid.gov, some basic information from your 2024–25 FAFSA will be prepopulated in your 2025–26 FAFSA.

Can I choose to report 2024 information if my family's income has dropped significantly since we filed 2023 taxes?

No. You must report 2023 tax and income information, as the FAFSA requires.

Do I report my 2023 tax and income information on the 2025-26 FAFSA now, and then update it once I have filed my 2024 taxes?

No. Do not update after filing your taxes. The 2025–26 FAFSA asks for 2023 tax information.

What if my parents' (or my) marital status has changed since we filed 2023 taxes? How do we supply tax and income information on the FAFSA?

 Here are some tips for this type of situation:

• The FAFSA asks for marital status “as of today” (the day it is filled out). So if the student or parent is married now but was not in 2023 (and therefore did not file taxes as married), the spouse’s income will need to be added to the FAFSA.
• Similarly, if the student or parent filed 2023 taxes as married but is no longer married when filling out the FAFSA, the spouse’s income will need to be subtracted.
• And if the student or parent was married when filing 2023 taxes, then got divorced and is now married to someone else, there is a bit more math to do: Subtract the ex’s income, then add the new spouse’s income.

Do I have to apply for admission to a school before I list it on my FAFSA?

 No. On your FAFSA, list all the schools to which you have applied or might apply.

Good luck and let us know if you have any questions.  We want to provide the financial support you need to afford your education!