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 2023-24 FAFSA. It is available now!
Students are now able to submit a FAFSA earlier. Students have been able to file a 2023–24 FAFSA since Oct. 1, 2022, rather than beginning on Jan. 1, 2023. The earlier submission date is a permanent change, enabling students to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as Oct. 1 every year.
Students now report earlier income information. Students are required to report income information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2023–24 FAFSA, students (and parents, as appropriate) must report their 2021 income information, rather than their 2022 income information.
The following table provides a summary of key dates for FAFSA submission and reporting of earlier tax information.
When a Student Is Attending College
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When a Student Can Submit a FAFSA
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Which Year’s Income Information Is Required
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2022-2023
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October 1, 2021–June 30, 2023
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2020
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2023-2024
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October 1, 2022–June 30, 2024
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2021
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2024-2025 |
October 1, 2023-June 30, 2025
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2022 |
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2023-24 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.
Why should I use the IRS DRT?
The IRS DRT is a great tool that is available to simplify the FAFSA application process. If you use the IRS DRT you do not have to find your tax records, and you do not have to worry about making mistakes entering your tax information on your FAFSA.
Will my 2022-23 FAFSA information be carried over onto the 2023-24 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 when you start your application at studentaid.gov, some basic information from your 2022–23 FAFSA will be prepopulated in your 2023–24 FAFSA.
Can I choose to report 2022 information if my family's income has dropped significantly since we filed 2021 taxes?
No. You must report 2021 tax and income information, as the FAFSA requires.
Do I report my 2021 tax and income information on the 2023-24 FAFSA now, and then update it once I have filed my 2022 taxes?
No. Do not update after filing your taxes. The 2023–24 FAFSA asks for 2021 tax information.
What if my parents' (or my) marital status has changed since we filed 2021 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 2021 (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 2021 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 2021 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!