The 2027–28 FAFSA is available now: the Education Department announced its public launch on September 23, 2026. Use that form for aid for attendance between July 1, 2027 and June 30, 2028. It uses 2025 income-tax information. If you are seeking aid for a different period, choose the form for that period instead. Official launch announcement, FAFSA year and tax guidance.
FAFSA is free. Start through the official StudentAid.gov site; you do not need to pay a website to file the form.
Step 1: choose the attendance year and check all deadlines
| Attendance period | Form to investigate | Tax year requested |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027 | 2026–27 FAFSA | Verify that form’s instructions |
| July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028 | 2027–28 FAFSA | 2025 |
| Summer session | Ask the college which form applies | Depends on its aid-year treatment |
The federal FAFSA process guide gives June 30, 2028 as the federal submission deadline for 2027–28. State and college deadlines can be much earlier. Do not use the federal deadline as your personal target without checking those other requirements.
Step 2: prepare individual accounts
The student and each required contributor need their own StudentAid.gov account to complete and sign their respective sections. Do not share credentials or create a second account just because you forgot how to access an existing one. Use the official recovery process. Account guidance.
The form determines who must contribute information. A parent, spouse, or parent’s spouse may be a contributor depending on the student’s circumstances. Federal guidance says a required parent or spouse does not need a Social Security number to create an account; follow the current official identity process instead of inventing a number.
Step 3: gather information before starting
Use the official FAFSA checklist. Prepare accurate identity and contact information, relevant 2025 tax records, and any financial information the form requests. Read each asset question carefully; do not report a balance or exclude an asset based on a friend’s instructions.
Hypothetical: A student applying for fall 2027 aid has a family income change in 2026. The form still requests the specified 2025 tax information. The student completes it as instructed and separately contacts the financial-aid office about the change. Replacing the tax-year figures with a personal estimate is not the correct shortcut.
Step 4: complete the student section and invite contributors
Answer the form’s questions accurately, add the schools that should receive your information, and use the current invitation process for required contributors. The 2027–28 launch announcement confirms that invitations can now be sent by text as well as email.
Track contributor completion separately from sending an invitation. An invitation sent is not a signed contribution. If the connection fails, consult current student instructions or official support rather than trying a workaround from an older form.
Step 5: provide consent, review, and sign
Federal tax-information consent and approval are required for federal aid eligibility, including in situations where a contributor did not file US taxes or lacks an SSN. Manually entering figures does not replace required consent. Use the official completion instructions for your circumstances.
Review names, schools, and responses before signing. Confirm that every required section is complete and save the submission confirmation. Do not claim that the entire process is complete until required contributors have finished and the form has been submitted.
Step 6: review the Submission Summary
After processing, open your FAFSA Submission Summary. Inspect errors, required actions, the Student Aid Index, and estimated federal aid. The summary is not the college’s final financial-aid offer.
Use the official correction route when necessary. Monitor college portals for verification or other documentation requests. Provide sensitive records only through the office’s verified process.
If your family situation does not fit the standard path
Federal Student Aid distinguishes changed financial circumstances from unusual circumstances involving parent contact or safety. Its parent-information guidance explains the appropriate questions and follow-up with the financial-aid office.
Do not mark yourself independent simply because you pay your own expenses or a parent does not want to help. Equally, do not contact a parent when doing so may create a safety risk just to follow generic advice. Use the form’s accurate circumstance questions and ask the financial-aid office for its documented review process.
Your next move
Confirm the correct attendance year, arrange required accounts, and record your earliest state or college deadline. After submission, the next task is reviewing the summary and school requests—not waiting indefinitely for money to appear.
