Where to find your child's FAFSA form online

Your child's FAFSA form lives on StudentAid.gov, the federal student aid website run by the U.S. Department of Education. You do not receive a paper form in the mail. Everything happens through the StudentAid.gov portal, where your child creates an account, fills out the form, and submits it electronically.

To reach the form, go to StudentAid.gov and look for the "Start Here" button or the "Complete the FAFSA" link. Your child will need to create a login using their email address. If your child already has a StudentAid.gov account from a previous year, they can sign in with that username and password instead of creating a new one.

The form opens each year on October 1st. Your child can submit it anytime after that date, though submitting earlier means the school receives the information sooner and can calculate financial aid faster.

Key Takeaways

  • The FAFSA form is completed entirely online at StudentAid.gov; there is no paper version mailed to your home.
  • Your child creates a login account using their email address, or signs in with an existing StudentAid.gov account from a previous year.
  • The form opens October 1st each year and can be submitted anytime after that date, with no hard deadline in most states.
  • You will need your child's Social Security number, date of birth, and driver's license or state ID number to complete the form.
  • If your child does not have a Social Security number, they can still submit the FAFSA using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

What you need before starting the form

Gather these documents before your child sits down to fill out the FAFSA. Having them ready means the form takes 20 to 30 minutes instead of an hour of searching for information.

You will need your child's Social Security number, date of birth, and either a driver's license or state ID number. If your child does not have a state ID, a passport number works. You will also need your child's most recent tax return or tax transcript — either your return as a parent or your child's return if they filed one. If your child did not file taxes, you can enter $0 for income and skip the tax questions.

Have your child's school codes ready. These are the federal codes for each college or university your child is considering. You can find school codes on StudentAid.gov itself by searching the school name, or on the school's financial aid website. You will enter up to ten school codes on the FAFSA, and the Department of Education sends the form to each school automatically.

If your child is a dependent (which most high school seniors are), you will also need your own Social Security number and tax information as a parent.

How to create a StudentAid.gov account for your child

Your child needs their own StudentAid.gov account. This is separate from any account you might have as a parent. Go to StudentAid.gov and select "Sign In" or "Create Account." Your child will enter their email address, create a password, and answer security questions.

StudentAid.gov will send a confirmation email to your child's email address. Your child must click the link in that email to activate the account. This step is required — the account does not work until the email is confirmed.

Once the account is active, your child can start the FAFSA form. The form will ask whether your child is a dependent or independent student. Most students under 24 who live with parents are dependents, which means parent income and tax information are required on the form.

Filling out the form step by step

The FAFSA asks for information in this order: your child's personal details (name, address, date of birth), your child's school codes, your child's income and tax information, and your parent income and tax information if your child is a dependent.

The form has a "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of each section. Use it. If your child gets interrupted or needs to step away, the form saves and your child can log back in later and pick up where they left off. The form does not expire during the day.

When the form asks about income, you can enter the information manually or import it directly from the IRS using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The tool is faster and more accurate — it pulls your actual tax return data from the IRS database. To use it, you will need your IRS username and password, or you can use ID.me, a third-party identity verification service that StudentAid.gov trusts.

After your child submits the form, StudentAid.gov displays a confirmation page with a confirmation number. Save this number. Your child will also receive a confirmation email. The schools your child listed will receive the form within a few days.

What happens after your child submits the FAFSA

Each school your child listed receives the FAFSA information and uses it to calculate a financial aid offer. Schools typically send aid offers between February and April, though timing varies by school. Your child can check the status of their FAFSA on StudentAid.gov by logging in and viewing their submission history.

If a school needs more information, they will contact your child directly — usually by email or through the school's financial aid portal. Your child should check their email regularly during the financial aid season and respond to any requests quickly, because missing a school's deadline can delay or reduce the aid offer.

Your child can update or correct the FAFSA after submitting it. Log back into StudentAid.gov, select the FAFSA you submitted, and choose "Make Corrections." Changes take effect immediately for schools that have not yet processed the form, and within a few days for schools that have.

If your child does not have a Social Security number

Your child can still submit the FAFSA using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). An ITIN is a nine-digit number issued by the IRS to people who do not have a Social Security number but need to file taxes or report income.

If your child has an ITIN, enter it in the Social Security number field on the FAFSA. The form will process normally. Some schools may ask for additional documentation to confirm your child's status, but the FAFSA itself does not block submission based on an ITIN.

If your child does not have either a Social Security number or an ITIN, your child will need to obtain an ITIN before submitting the FAFSA. You can apply for an ITIN through the IRS by mail or in person at an IRS office. The process takes several weeks, so plan ahead if your child is close to a school deadline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I fill out the FAFSA for my child, or does my child have to do it?

Your child must create the StudentAid.gov account and submit the form themselves, but you can sit with them and help fill in the information. StudentAid.gov requires your child's login to submit, so your child needs to be involved in the process. You can provide the tax information and answer questions, but your child clicks submit.

What if I do not know my child's school codes yet?

You can submit the FAFSA without listing any schools, or with only the schools you know about. Your child can add more school codes later by logging back in and updating the form. Schools added after submission receive the FAFSA within a few days.

Do I need to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, or can I type in the numbers myself?

You can do either. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is faster and reduces errors because it pulls directly from your tax return. If you cannot access the tool or prefer to enter numbers manually, you can type them in. Both methods are accepted.

What if my child's FAFSA shows an error after submission?

Log into StudentAid.gov, find the submitted FAFSA, and select "Make Corrections." Fix the error and resubmit. The corrected version goes to all schools your child listed. Schools process corrections within a few days and recalculate aid if needed.

Is there a deadline to submit the FAFSA?

The federal deadline is June 30th, but most schools have earlier deadlines — often between February and April. Check each school's financial aid website for their specific deadline. Submitting earlier gives schools more time to process and send aid offers before your child needs to decide.