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1 230 Combs Building studentcomputing.eku.edu How to Fill Out Your FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Filling out the FAFSA determines your eligibility for both state and college based financial aid. You can fill out your FAFSA on January 1 st of the year that you are planning on attending college. For example, if you are going to college in the fall of 2013 you could fill out your FAFSA on January 1 st of The FAFSA runs on a first come first serve basis. Filling out the FAFSA is the first step in applying for grants, loans, and federal student aid. There are two ways to fill out a FAFSA you can do it online at Or you can get a paper version from your school. Things you will need: W 2 Forms Other records of money earned from the previous year Social Security Number Your permanent resident card or alien registration if you are not a U.S citizen Federal Student Aid PIN Number Driver s License number Your current bank statements Your investments information Your untaxed income records from the previous year Your Parents Federal Income Tax Return from the previous year Your federal income tax return from the previous year (If married you will need your spouse s federal income tax return too) These may include: IRS 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ Foreign Tax Return *At any point and time there is a NEED HELP button in the bottom left of your screen to aid you if you get lost or are unsure about what to do. There is also a tab to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid How to Fill out Your FAFSA

2 right of every screen entitled Help and Hints. This will show you step by step help if needed. Filling out your FAFSA, Online Step One: To fill out the FAFSA online you will first need to go to to get started. Once there you will click on Start A New FAFSA. The first screen that will pop up will be this screen, it s the first part of the Student Information section 1. Your First Name 2. Your Full Last Name 3. Your Social Security Number 4. Your date of birth, in the format of month/day/full year After completing this section you will click next and continue filling out the form. ** The keyboards next to some fields are a way of trying to prevent identity theft. Instead of typing in information on the FAFSA the virtual keyboard allows you to click on the letters and numbers instead of typing them. Step Two: For this step you will need to know your Federal Student Aid PIN number. If you do not have one at this point in the FAFSA you will be asked to make one. Be sure to write down and keep your PIN number because you will need it every time you fill out your FAFSA!

3 After you have entered or made your pin you will be asked what year you would like to fill out your FAFSA for. You will need to pick the year in which you start classes. Student Demographics Step Three: This is the first part of the Student Demographics Section. Step three will deal with your basic information, not counting the information that you have previously put in that will be auto filled for you. The rest you will have to fill out, that

4 1. Your gender 2. Your permanent mailing address (Do not use your school address) 3. Your city 4. Your state 5. Your ZIP code 6. A yes no question about how long you have lived in KY 7. Your permanent telephone number (This can be a cell phone, it just has to have voic set up so that someone from the financial department can contact you easily) 8. Your e mail address 9. Your marital status. If you are married/remarried, separated, or widowed you will have to enter the month and year that the incident took place. 10. Yes or no do you have a driver s license, if yes provide the number. (It can also be a state ID) Student Eligibilty Step Four: This step deals with student eligibility. It consists of basic information about your citizenship, your high school career and both you and your parents college careers.

5 1. Are you a U.S. Citizen? There are three different answers to this. Yes, I am a U.S. Citizen. No, But I am and eligible noncitizen. You would select this option if you are an A.U.S. Permanent Resident, have an arrival departure record, are a victim of human trafficking, a Canadian born Native American that falls under the terms of the Jay Treaty, or if you have a Conditional Green Card. No, I am not a citizen or eligible noncitizen. You would select this option if you have a F1 or F2 student Visa, a G series visa, or a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa. 2. Are you registered with the Selective Service? The Selective Service requires all young men to register for the U.S. armed Forces. They have from the time they are eighteen to twenty five to do so. If you

6 are not registered click the Register me box. It will give you the website and phone number to use, which are, and When you being college in the school year, what will be your high school completion status. There are four options to this. High school diploma This means that you have received a high school diploma (or will receive one) before you begin the college year that you have selected. GED certificate This means that you have received a General Education Development diploma (or will receive one) before you begin the college year that you have selected. Home Schooled This means that you have completed home schooling at the highest level that is regulated by your state. None of the above This means that you have no high school diploma, no GED certificate, and you were not home schooled to the highest level. 4. When you being the school year, what will be your grade level. There are seven options for this question. Grade level does not mean the number of years that you have attended college, but it means the number of grade levels you have completed. Never attended college/ 1 st year Select this option if you are a senior in high school or if this is your first time attending college. Attended college before/ 1 st year Select this option if you have attended college before but do not have enough hours to be qualified as a sophomore. A freshman is a person that has anywhere from 0 29 hours. Sophomore/ 2 nd year Select this option if you have College hours earned. Junior/ 3 rd year Select this option if you have college hours earned. Senior/ 4 th year Select this option if you have 90 or more college hours earned. Other Undergraduate/ 5 th year 1 st year graduate/ professional Continuing graduate/ professional or beyond 5. When you begin the school year, what degree or certificate will you be working on? 1 st bachelor s degree 2 nd bachelor s degree Associate degree ( occupational or technical program) Associate degree ( general education/transfer program) Certificate/diploma ( occupational/technical/education program of less than 2 years) Certificate/ diploma (occupational/technical education program of at least 2 years) Teaching credential program (non degree program)

7 Graduate/professional degree Other/undecided 6. Are you interested in being considered for work study? The Federal Work Study program gives both undergraduate and graduate students that opportunity to get jobs to help them earn money. Checking the yes option on this question will not guarantee that you will be offered Federal Work Study. 7. Will you have your first bachelor's degree before July 1, 2013? Select yes if you will have your bachelor s degree by the said date and select now if you will not. The next two questions 8 & 9 are about your parent s education. This is used to determine what type of state scholarship you should be awarded. ONLY use your birth parents or adoptive parent s information, NOT your legal guardians, foster parents or step parents! 8. Highest school your father completed Middle school/ Jr. High High school College or beyond Other or unknown 9. Highest school your mother completed Middle school/ Jr. High High school College or beyond Other or unknown This section deals with the high school that you attended. It s pretty selfexplanatory. 1. What is the name of your high school? 2. In what city is your high school located? 3. In what state is your high school located

8 You will then hit the confirm button and will bring up a list of schools, from there you will need to select your school to confirm it. Next a box will pop up that will tell you if you are or are not able to receive federal student aid. If you are continue with your application. You will then be asked to pick the college or colleges (you can pick up to ten) that you would like your FAFSA to be sent to. Just fill out the State, City, and School name place and click search to find the Federal school code. Once you find the school or schools that you want click add to put them on your list.

9 Next it will ask you to pick the appropriate housing plan. It will either be on campus, with parent, or off campus.

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11 Dependency Determination Step Five: This is the first step in the Dependency status section. Questions one through three will be auto filled from your prior information. The rest are yes or no questions. 4. Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014? 5. Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2014? 6. Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training? 7. Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? 8. At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court? 9. As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor? 10. As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you in legal guardianship? 11. On or after July 1, 2012, were you homeless or were you at risk of being homeless? Homeless means that you lack adequate housing, live in a car or motel. If you check the box that you are homeless or at risk of being homeless that will need to be verified. There are three ways to do so, by a high school or school district liaison, by a director of an accredited HUD homeless shelter, or a director of a runaway/transitional living program Special or homeless Circumstances youth basic shelter. * Step This Six: ONLY The apples next to part people of the 21 dependency and status determines if you are or are younger. not a dependent student. If the information you provides concludes that you are a dependent student you will need to use your parent s information also.

12 If you are not able to use your parent s information click I am unable to provide parental information because of certain circumstances.

13 The next part is essentially telling the school why or what special circumstance you have. By doing this you will skip the partent section of the FAFSA. Once you have copmleteed this is will let you know if you are or are not an independent student, if you are then it will let you continue filliing out your FAFSA independetly. If do not qualify as an idepented you can still fill out your FAFSA without partental information but you will only quaify for unsubsidized loans.

14 Parent Section Step six: On the other hand if you are able to provide parental information, on the first part of step nine select I will provide parental information. Past this part it will switch from the student section to the parent section. 1. What is your parents' marital status as of today? Married or Remarried Single Divorced or separated Widowed 2. When did your parents get married or remarried? Enter the month and year. (mmyyyy) 3. What is your father's/stepfather's Social Security Number? 4. What is your father's/stepfather's last name? 5. What is your father's/stepfather's first initial? 6. What is your father's/stepfather's date of birth? (mmddyyyy) 7. What is your mother's/stepmother's Social Security Number? 8. What is your mother's/stepmother's date of birth? (mmddyyyy) 9. Your parents' e mail address 10. Have your parents lived in Kentucky for at least 5 years? 11. Your parents' number of family members in (household size) To calculate this you take the number of your parents living in your house, add yourself, add any other

15 This section will deal with your parent s income taxes. The first question will be about their 2012 tax returns. They will all be yes or no answers. 1. Did either or both parents file as Married Filing Separately? 2. Did either or both parents file as Head of Household? 3. Did you, the parents, file an amended tax return? 4. Did you, the parents, file a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return? 5. Did you, the parents, file taxes electronically in the last 3 weeks (or by mail in the last 8 weeks)? Then at the bottom of the page it will ask you which parent is helping you work on your FAFSA and will ask for their PIN number.

16 Parent Financial Information Step Seven: You must enter the information about that parent that is filling out the FAFSA with you. If you have a parent that is receiving unemployment, has been laid off, was self employed but destroyed by the economy, then they are considered a dislocated worker. If you check yes, my parent is a dislocated worker the Financial Aid office will need proof of that. ** All throughout this section there will be a Help and Hints bar to the right of your screen. It will tell you what line in each tax form you need to look up to fill out that FAFSA.

17 1. This is the amount of your parent s income, (IRS Form 1040 Use Line: 55, IRS Form 1040A Use Line: 35, IRS Form 1040EZ Use Line: 10) 2. This is your parent s exemptions for the previous year. (IRS Form 1040 Use Line: 6d, IRS Form 1040A Use Line: 6d, IRS Form 1040EZ and did not check either box on line 5, enter 01 if they are single or 02 if they are married, IRS Form 1040EZ and checked either the "you" or "spouse" box on line 5, use line F on the EZ worksheet to determine the number of exemptions ($3,800 equals one exemption) In the next 15 boxes, check as needed. The last question deals with your parents current assets.

18 Step Eight: There are three options for this question: Not going to file Already filed Or will file Student Tax Information 1. This section will be pre filled for you if you used the IRS Retrieval Tool. If not select the income tax return that you filed for IRS Form 1040 (Line 37), IRS Form 1040EZ (Line 4), IRS Form 1040A (Line 21). 3. IRS Form (1040EZ (Line 1), IRS Form 1040A (Line 7), IRS Form 1040 (Line box 14) If you did not file taxes use boxes 1 8 from your 2012 W 2 Forms.

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20 Step Nine: Sign and Submit your FAFSA This is the final step in the FAFSA process. First it will ask if you are a prepare, this mean that you are someone who charges people to fill out their FAFSA s for them. The following questions will be auto filled from previous information. You will then need to enter your PIN number, read the terms of agreement and select agree. The parent that is filling out your FAFSA with you will have to provide their Social Security Number, last name, date of birth and their PIN number. Next they will have to read and agree to the terms and conditions, they will select agree and then you will click Submit My FAFSA Now!

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22 After completing your FAFSA you will see this screen, it will tell you that you have successful completed your FAFSA for the year. It then give you the option to transfer your parent s information into a new FAFSA if you have a brother or sister that will need to fill out a FAFSA too. Then it tell you that you will be notified via e mail when your FAFSA is processed. Your school will contact you if they need any extra information from you.