How to Fill Out the FAFSA: A Step-by-Step Guide to the 2027-28 Form

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the single form that unlocks Pell Grants, federal student loans, work-study and most state and college aid in the United States. The 2027–28 form, which covers the academic year starting in summer or autumn 2027, is already open. Filing early matters because some state and college money is handed out on a first-come, first-served basis. This step-by-step guide explains what you need, how each section works, what changed after the 2025 federal budget law and the mistakes that most often delay aid.

What Is the FAFSA and Who Should File It?

The FAFSA is run by Federal Student Aid, part of the US Department of Education. It collects information about a student’s finances (and, for most undergraduates, their parents’ finances) and uses a formula to calculate a Student Aid Index (SAI). Colleges use the SAI, together with their cost of attendance, to decide how much need-based aid you receive.

Almost every US student planning to attend college, university, community college or an eligible career school should file, even if they think their family earns too much. Many colleges require the FAFSA for their own merit scholarships, and it is the only way to get federal Direct Loans, which carry fixed rates and borrower protections that private loans often lack. Our guide to federal vs private student loans explains why that matters.

When Does the 2027–28 FAFSA Open and Close?

According to the Department of Education, the 2027–28 FAFSA opened in late September 2026, ahead of the 1 October date that had been traditional for most of the past decade. The federal deadline is 30 June 2028, but that is the absolute last date. The deadlines that matter are earlier:

• State deadlines: some states award grants until funds run out, and several set deadlines in early spring 2027 or even earlier; check your state on the StudentAid.gov deadlines page
• College deadlines: many colleges ask for the FAFSA by their own priority date, often between November and March
• Practical rule: file as soon as you can once the form opens, ideally within the first few weeks

What Do You Need Before You Start?

Gathering documents first turns a stressful evening into a 30 to 60-minute task. You will need:

• A StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) for the student and for each required contributor, such as a parent or spouse; create these a few days early because identity checks can take time
• Social Security numbers (contributors without one can still create an account)
• 2025 tax information: the 2027–28 FAFSA uses income from two years earlier, known as “prior-prior year”, and most of it transfers directly from the IRS
• Records of untaxed income, such as child support received
• Current balances of cash, savings and investments, excluding retirement accounts and the family home
• A list of colleges you are considering; you can list up to 20

Who Counts as a Contributor?

Since the FAFSA was redesigned for 2024–25, anyone who must provide information is called a contributor. Whether your parents count depends on your dependency status. You are generally considered independent if you are 24 or older, married, a graduate student, a veteran or active-duty service member, have children you support, or were in foster care or an orphan or ward of the court after age 13. Most undergraduates under 24 are dependent and must include parent information.

For parents who are divorced or separated, the contributor is the parent who provided more financial support over the previous 12 months, not necessarily the parent the student lives with. If that parent has remarried, the stepparent’s information is required too.

How Do You Fill Out the FAFSA Step by Step?

• Log in at StudentAid.gov and start the 2027–28 form
• Enter student details: personal information, citizenship status, education level and dependency questions
• Invite contributors: enter each contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security number and email; they complete their own sections with their own login
• Give consent: every contributor must consent to the IRS transferring federal tax information through the Direct Data Exchange; without consent, the student is not eligible for federal aid, even if the information is entered manually
• Report assets and family size where asked
• Add colleges: search by name or federal school code
• Sign and submit: each person signs with their own account, and the form is not complete until everyone has signed

After submission, the student receives a FAFSA Submission Summary showing the SAI and an estimate of Pell Grant eligibility. Read it carefully and correct any errors through your StudentAid.gov account.

What Changed After the 2025 Budget Law?

The tax and spending law signed in July 2025, widely known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, changed several student aid rules. According to Federal Student Aid guidance, the changes affecting the FAFSA and federal aid include:

• Small businesses and family farms: the net worth of a family-owned small business, family farm or commercial fishing business is excluded from the SAI calculation
• Foreign income: foreign earned income is included in adjusted gross income for aid purposes
• High-SAI Pell cut-off: students whose SAI is at least twice the maximum Pell Grant are no longer eligible for a Pell Grant, even if the formula would otherwise award one
• Workforce Pell: from July 2026, Pell Grants can be used for eligible short-term job-training programmes of 150 to 599 clock hours
• Graduate PLUS loans: ended for new borrowers from 1 July 2026, with new annual and lifetime caps on graduate and Parent PLUS borrowing

The maximum Pell Grant for 2026–27 is $7,395. The figure for 2027–28 is normally confirmed in the first half of the following year, so check StudentAid.gov before you budget.

What Are the Most Common FAFSA Mistakes?

• Waiting for tax season: you do not need to file 2026 taxes first; the form uses 2025 information
• Leaving out a contributor’s signature or consent: an unsigned FAFSA is an incomplete FAFSA
• Reporting retirement savings or home equity as assets: they are excluded
• Using the wrong parent: follow the “greater financial support” rule
• Listing only one college: add every school you are considering, as there is no cost
• Ignoring follow-up emails: colleges may select you for verification, which means sending extra documents quickly
• Not filing at all: families often assume they will not qualify and miss out on loans or institutional grants

What Happens After You Submit?

Colleges on your list receive your information within days and send financial aid offers, usually after you have been admitted. Offers can look very different, so compare the net price (cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships, which you do not repay) rather than the headline total. Loans and work-study are part of an offer but are not free money.

If your family’s finances have changed since 2025, for example because of a job loss, medical bills or a divorce, contact each college’s financial aid office and ask about a professional judgment review. Aid administrators have the authority to adjust your information in special circumstances.

How Can You Fill the Remaining Gap?

Federal aid rarely covers everything. Combine your FAFSA with private and institutional scholarships; our guide on how to find and win scholarships walks through where to look. Borrow federal loans before private ones, and borrow only what you need. Repayment rules are changing too, as our coverage of the student loan wage garnishment restart shows, so understand the terms before you sign.

Key Takeaways

The 2027–28 FAFSA is open now and uses 2025 tax information. Create StudentAid.gov accounts for the student and every contributor, make sure each contributor consents to the IRS data transfer, list every college you are considering and submit well before your state and college deadlines. Then review your submission summary, compare offers on net price and ask aid offices for help if your circumstances have changed. It is free, and it remains the most valuable form many families will complete.

Featured image: 10-001 FAFSA 613 (9610637690), by US Department of Education / Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Cropped, colour-graded and combined with MediaPavilion branding.

Sources

• Federal Student Aid, US Department of Education — Filling out the FAFSA form (accessed 28 October 2026).
• Federal Student Aid, US Department of Education — FAFSA deadlines (accessed 28 October 2026).
• Federal Student Aid Knowledge Center — 2027–28 FAFSA Specifications Guide, Volume 1: Summary of Changes (September 2026).
• Federal Student Aid Knowledge Center — 2026–27 FAFSA form and Pell Grant eligibility updates (15 August 2025).
• Federal Student Aid, US Department of Education — Who’s my FAFSA parent? (accessed 28 October 2026).
• US Department of Education — 2027–28 FAFSA form is here (September 2026).