2015 FAFSA HOW-TO SHEET
Step to Complete
1. CREATE a pin number- one for the
student and a pin for one parent.
2. START the FAFSA
(It opens January 1st every year. Do it early.
Funds are awarded first come, first served.
3. TROUBLE answering a question on the
FAFSA?
4. Be very careful entering your name,
date of birth, and social security
number.
5. If you are male between 18 and 25
years old, register for Selective Service
on the FAFSA!
6. INDICATE APPROPRIATE High School
completion status.
7. What GRADE LEVEL will I be in 201516?
8. What DEGREE am I pursuing?
9. Am I interested in WORK STUDY?
10. Entering your HIGH SCHOOL
11. SELECT all of the schools you plan to
apply to within the next school year.
12. WHERE AM I LIVING NEXT YEAR?
Notes, Links & Information
www.pin.ed.gov
www.fafsa.gov. Your parent(s) should try to complete their income taxes before
doing the FAFSA but if income taxes are not done, parents can still complete their
form temporarily using estimated tax figures. You must go into the FAFSA and
make corrections soon after taxes are filed if you use estimates.
Look at the Help & Hints bar on the right side of the FAFSA form. If you click a box,
it will give you information on how to complete that specific step.
STILL STUMPED? If you need further assistance, click the Contact Us icon, then Chat
with a Live Agent icon. This will appear in the icon bar within the FAFSA form on
every page.
An error in either your name, date of birth, or social security number can lead to
long & significant delays in processing your FAFSA & Financial Aid awards at the
colleges!
In order to be eligible for financial aid from the government, men between ages 1825 must register for Selective Service. On the FAFSA, if the applicant fits the criteria
for Selective Service, they can check a box indicating they want to be signed up.
You may also register at www.sss.gov. Even if you register here, it never hurts to
register on the FAFS A as well!
If you obtained a High School diploma, note it! If you received a GED, make sure you
indicate this on your FAFSA. One way is not better than the other but it does matter
if you mark the right one or not!
In the student demographics section, it will ask what grade level the student will be
next year. HS seniors (even Running start or with college credits) will select ‘never
attended college/1st year’.
Returning Students- it is based on credit status- not the actual number of years in
school.
If you are going to a university, it will usually be “1st bachelors’ degree” for HS
seniors. If you are stating at a community or technical college, it is important to
know the type of program you are entering (technical, certificate, transfer degree,
etc.) to select the right option. This choice can affect the amount of financial aid
you will qualify for.
In the student demographics section, you will be asked if you are interested in being
considered for Work Study, a type of financial aid you do not pay back after school!
You must say YES and indicate you are interested to be considered!
Just a note that the names entered on the FAFSA are specific- meaning they may not
be what the school is commonly referred to. In the event you type in a school it
does not recognize, if you include city/state, it will pull up all schools in the area for
you to make a selection from.
You can list up to 10 schools on the FAFSA. You are not committing to each schooljust getting in line with their Financial Aid departments. Each school has a school
code for faster entry- TCC’s is 003796. (hint: you should apply to colleges before
adding them to the FAFSA to avoid lengthy delays in your college admissions!)
On the FAFSA, for each college you select, you must list your planned living
arrangement (on-campus, off-campus, or with parent). Not all colleges have all
living options for their campus (i.e. TCC & most 2-years do not have on-campus
housing).
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13. DEPENDENCY STATUSDo I have to put my parent’s tax information in?
14. Were you found to be an
INDEPENDENT STUDENT?
15. My parents are DIVORCED.
Which one do I claim on my FAFSA?
16. HOUSEHOLD SIZE
17. TAX STATUS
18. To input tax information using the
IRS DATA RETRIEVAL TOOL
19. If I don’t file taxes/ get other income,
WHERE DO I REPORT IT?
20. When there is no monetary value for
an item in the Financial Information
Section, enter a zero (0). DO NOT
LEAVE AN ITEM BLANK!
21. The STUDENT must sign the FAFSA
22. ONE parent must sign the FAFSA
23. Print a copy of the CONFIRMATION
PAGE at the end!
24. Check your email FREQUENTLY!
You will be asked a series of questions in the FAFSA regarding age, if you have
dependents/children, were you in foster care/emancipated, etc. At the end of these
questions, the FAFSA will then declare you independent (you do not have to list
your parental tax information) or dependent (you do have to report your parental
tax information). Generally, students under age 25 who are not married, not
parents, and live at home will have to report their parent’s tax information. Born
before January 1st, 1992? You’re independent.
If you were deemed independent after answering the series of questions in the
FAFSA, the colleges/universities you apply to will ask you to verify your situation
(homelessness, no contact with parents, etc.). Be prepared to have documentation
of what qualifies you for the independent student status.
If your parents are divorced, you will only have to provide the information about the
parent you lived with the majority of the past year. If you lived with both parents
for an equal amount of time last year, provide information about the parent who
provided the most financial support to you. If that parent has remarried, you report
your parent’s status as “married” on the FAFSA and enter tax information for your
parent and your step parent.
When completing items about household size, read instructions carefully. Do not
include parents in the number of students that will be in the household when filling
out the child’s FAFSA- it is no longer allowed (parents can claim themselves as
students on their own FAFSA still).
Just a reminder AFTER DEPENDENCY questions, you will be asked for tax
information for both student and parent(s). Select WILL FILE if you/your parents
have not done taxes yet; select ALREADY COMPLETED if taxes are completed; if
you/your parent(s) do not file taxes, select NOT GOING TO FILE.
To use this tool, click the link to IRS icon. You must enter the requested information
exactly as it appeared on your taxes. It helps to have a copy of your taxes with you
to use this tool. Also, using the IRS data tool cuts down the amount of time the
college needs to verify the information supplied on your FAFSA- meaning less time
for you to wait AND for the financial aid department to process YOUR award!
There will be sections for non-taxed items as well as resources/investments after the
tax portion.
Blank responses can delay your application because the processor can assume you
overlooked the item.
This includes parental assets, a section commonly left blank causing major delays.
Sign electronically using the 4-digit pin number you created in STEP 1.
The quickest way to submit a signature as a parent is using the 4-digit pin number
created for the parent in STEP 1.
If a parent cannot create a pin number for some reason OR does not have a Social
Security Number, you can select other options under the parent signature box and
PRINT A SIGNATURE PAGE. (NOTE: this option takes much longer to process,
meaning it will not be date stamped until the signature page is received and
processed).
This page holds information on next steps and estimates regarding family
contribution and financial aid you may qualify for. You must wait to hear from your
schools to see what your actual financial aid award will be.
If you make a mistake on the FAFSA or they need further information they will
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25. The FAFSA is JUST ONE STEP in a
College’s Financial Aid PROCESS.
26. Know your colleges’
FINANCIAL AID DEADLINES
27. If you have SPECIAL FAMILY
CIRCUMSTANCES that you cannot
explain on the FAFSA…
28. MAKE ANY REQUESTED CORRECTIONS!
contact you by email. Be proactive- it is your responsibility as a student to make
sure the form is complete!
Most schools want the FAFSA complete but you also have OTHER FORMS and
information you need to submit. At TCC, you can stay on top of your financial aid
file by using your Financial Aid Portal inside your TCC Student Portal (myTCC). TCC’s
mandatory additional form is called the Financial Aid Data Sheet. Look for it on the
Student Portal under the ‘Money & Jobs’ tab in the ‘Financial Aid Forms’ section.
Some schools have multiple deadlines (priority, early consideration, etc.). When this
is the case, go with the earliest possible! This is usually the best option!
Any school with a Financial Aid deadline (which is most) need you to meet that
deadline set in order to make sure your financial aid is there the first day of school
(and that you have a good selection of aid). For many colleges, these deadlines are
winter and spring for the following Fall term. PLAN AHEAD!
For some situations, colleges and university may (but are not required or sometimes
able) to review your circumstances and adjust your financial aid package. Consult
your college’s financial aid departments early for these types of options and if they
are available.
Usually within one week of submitting your FAFSA, you will receive your Student
Aid Report (SAR) via email. This email will also tell you if you need to make
corrections. If you have corrections to make, make them at www.fafsa.gov.
29. APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS!
Financial aid is made up of MANY types of awards. The FAFSA gives you access to a
lot of money just by doing the form but it is also required for many scholarships you
apply for (which you apply for separately). Even if you do the FAFSA, apply for
scholarships - these could replace costly loans you have to pay back if offered. To
apply for TCC Foundation Scholarships, visit www.tacomacc.edu/scholarships.
Get more help from experts at these upcoming events!
TCC’s Ways2Pay4College
Expert sessions for students and parents on: demystifying financial aid process, finding
scholarships, writing a personal statement, more FAFSA/WASFA help, free tax prep help, and
more! Enter to win $50 TCC bookstore gift certificate. Info at: www.tacomacc.edu/ways2pay
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Wednesday, January 28th
Thursday, February 5th
Friday, February 13th
3-7pm
9am-1pm
9:30am-1pm
TCC Main Campus, Building 7
TCC Main Campus, Building 7
Gig Harbor Campus
TCC FAFSA & Scholarship Workshop Series
Visit our Parents/Families page for information on upcoming workshops hosted on the TCC
campus, with the help of our CASA/MECA (TRiO) programs! www.tacomacc.edu/parents/events
Get on InsideTCC!
Connect on InsideTCC and receive personalized email updates on key admissions info, deadlines
and tips to keep you ahead of the game.
Student sign up: http://insidetcc.tacomacc.edu
Parent sign up: www.tacomacc.edu/parents/parenttrack
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