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FAFSA Form Guide: 2009-2010 FAFSA Application Help

How to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid - and not miss a dime of financial aid!

The FAFSA financial aid form is probably the single most important financial aid form you will ever complete in your career as a college student or parent of a college student. Completing it quickly and correctly will get you the maximum amount of financial aid that you're eligible for. Making mistakes or filing it late can cost you thousands of dollars unnecessarily. Some forms of financial aid such as student loans require you to complete the FAFSA.

For the 2009-2010 FAFSA, there were additional changes which made it a radical departure from years past. In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the form step-by-step, giving you hints and secrets along the way. If you are looking for the current 2011-2012 FAFSA (available January 1, 2011) you can find instructions for the new form too.

Before You Begin

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Take a deep breath. Relax. The FAFSA form may be time-consuming, but it's not impossible, and you can do it.

You will need to gather all your documentation and download a copy of the FAFSA financial aid form, as well as the appropriate IRS tax forms, available here.

  • The 2009-2010 FAFSA form
  • We strongly recommend that you have your IRS 1040 form handy.

We will be using the 2009-2010 FAFSA form as a reference during this tutorial. We recommend printing it out and following along, filling in everything as we go for practice. We'll be working directly on the FAFSA form itself, which is colored green and purple.

If you want the most in-depth understanding of the FAFSA, be sure to read the EFC Computation guide (PDF).

2009-2010 FAFSA Printed Picture

Quick Tips

  • When the FAFSA refers to "I", "You", "Your", etc. it is referring to the student! (not the parent, family, or FAFSA preparer)
  • Always double check even basic things like your address and ZIP code.
  • Nothing will kill a FAFSA faster than errors or omissions! Check everything!
  • Colors matter and each year's FAFSA is different.
  • Student-related items are in green, while items for the parent(s) are in purple.
  • The FAFSA is free. You don't need to pay for it.
  • A tip for filing online: The form itself has a "Save" button - but not on every page. Make sure you save your FAFSA when you're filing online on every page you can, so that if something goes wrong, you can retrieve your saved application.
  • It's also helpful to print out the paper version and do a "practice" run on it before going online. This way, if you encounter technical difficulties, you won't lose the information itself.

Step Zero: Got Paper?

What documentation and paperwork do you need for the FAFSA? Here's a list! Remember - all financial paperwork needs to be for the previous financial year. If you're planning to file for the 2009-2010 FAFSA, you'll need documentation from tax year 2008 (January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008).

Tip: If you don't have your W-2 tax forms from 2008, you can estimate using your pay stubs and file a FAFSA correction later.

  • Your Social Security Number (can be found on the Social Security card)
  • Your driver's license or state ID (if any)
  • Your W-2 Forms and other records of money earned
  • Your (and your spouse's, if you're married) 2007 Federal Income Tax Return - IRS Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040TeleFile, foreign tax return, or tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia
  • Your parents' Federal Income Tax Return (if you are a dependent student)
  • Your untaxed income records - Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, or veterans benefits records
  • Your current bank statements
  • Your current business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment records
  • Your alien registration or permanent residence card (if you are not a U.S. citizen)

While it's not required, completing your IRS federal tax return, even if it hasn't been filed, is going to save you a LOT of time completing the FAFSA form. Before you proceed, we strongly encourage you to complete your 1040 tax return, as a number of items on the FAFSA refer to specific lines on your IRS tax return.

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