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FAFSA checklist 2027–28: documents to gather before you start the form

The 2027–28 FAFSA form is the official application for federal student grants, work-study, and loans for July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028. This guide is a packing list — what to gather, who needs a StudentAid.gov account, and where to file. It is not advice on how to answer individual questions. Complete the form itself, for free, at StudentAid.gov or fafsa.gov.

When the 2027–28 form can be submitted

According to the official 2027–28 FAFSA form (PDF) published by Federal Student Aid, you may submit the form as early as October 1, 2026, and no earlier. For federal aid, Federal Student Aid must receive the application no later than June 30, 2028, and your college must have your correct, complete information by your last day of enrollment in the 2027–28 school year.

State and college deadlines can be much earlier. The same official form notes that a state or college deadline may be as early as October 1, 2026, and that some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Check each school’s financial aid office and your state’s published dates. Those dates are not the same as the federal close date.

Create StudentAid.gov accounts first

To complete the FAFSA form online, each required person needs their own StudentAid.gov account. That account — the username and password used to sign in — is the legal electronic signature for the form. Federal Student Aid’s current official term is “StudentAid.gov account.” It is the login many families still describe as an FSA ID.

Federal Student Aid is clear on two points: each person may have only one account, and you should not share the username or password with anyone, including a parent or spouse. A parent cannot create an account for a student. Create accounts at StudentAid.gov/create-account.

Students generally need a Social Security number to create an account, with a limited exception for citizens of the Freely Associated States. A parent or spouse contributor who does not have a Social Security number can still create an account in order to complete their sections of the form.

Identity verification with the Social Security Administration often happens right away. If it is pending, Federal Student Aid says that can take one to three days to resolve, so create accounts early.

Who counts as a contributor

A contributor is anyone required to provide information on the FAFSA form, sign the form, and give consent and approval for federal tax information to be transferred from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) into the form. Contributors include the student and can also include a parent, a stepparent, or a spouse, depending on the student’s situation. Each of those people needs their own StudentAid.gov account.

If you are a dependent student, you will usually need to invite at least one parent. Federal Student Aid provides a “Who’s My FAFSA Parent?” wizard, which takes most people less than five minutes and does not require an account. See Who is considered a parent? and Steps for Parents. Adding a parent’s information does not, by itself, make that parent responsible for paying education costs.

Invite a required parent or spouse with the email address the form asks for. That person then accepts the invitation, completes their own sections, and signs with their own account. The form is not complete until every required person has finished their part, provided consent and approval, and signed.

The tax year for 2027–28 is 2025

The official 2027–28 FAFSA form asks whether the student, and each required contributor, filed a U.S. federal income tax return for 2025 (IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR), and it collects 2025 income information. Do not substitute a different tax year. Federal Student Aid’s FAFSA checklist for students says you can confirm which year’s income and tax information you must report before you begin, and that you should not use a different year’s tax information.

Have the 2025 federal return and related records, such as W-2 forms, available. Most federal tax information is transferred from the IRS after consent and approval, but you may still need those records for additional questions.

Documents and records to have ready

Federal Student Aid’s student checklist groups the main items this way:

  1. A StudentAid.gov account for the student, and a separate account for each additional contributor.
  2. Parent or spouse information, including an email address if you must send an invitation, and answers to the form’s questions about whether a parent or spouse needs to participate.
  3. The federal income tax return for the required year, accessible when you need it.
  4. Records of child support received, if the form asks for them. Federal Student Aid says the amount is based on the last calendar year, and that you can confirm which year to use before you begin.
  5. Records of assets, as of the day the form is signed — not the tax-year amounts. The official checklist includes cash (amounts more than $1,000), savings, and checking accounts, plus the net worth of businesses, investments, and income-producing farms. It also explains what is and is not an investment — for example, the home you live in and retirement plans are listed as not an investment. Use that official article for the definitions.
  6. A list of schools you are considering. The online form allows up to 20 colleges, career schools, or trade schools, and you must add at least one to submit. You can list a school before you have applied or been accepted. Some states require a particular listing order for state aid, so check your state’s guidance.

You (and each required contributor) must provide consent and approval to transfer federal tax information from the IRS, even if you did not file a U.S. federal tax return. Federal Student Aid states that if consent and approval are not provided, you will not be eligible for federal student aid.

If your family’s financial situation has changed significantly since the tax year the form uses, Federal Student Aid still tells you to complete the form as instructed, then contact the school about an aid adjustment.

Start the form only on the official site

When the documents are gathered and the accounts exist, start the form at studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa (also at fafsa.gov). Do not use a third-party site that charges a fee to file it. For official walk-throughs, see Steps for Students and the parent article linked above. This guide does not tell you what to enter in any field. If a question is unclear, use the help links on the form and the articles on StudentAid.gov.

A printable way to gather the paperwork

If you want a paper checklist for accounts, tax records, asset documents, and school lists before you sit down at StudentAid.gov, our FAFSA Checklist & Financial Aid Planner is on Etsy. It is not a substitute for the official form and does not tell you what figures to enter.

Official sources used in this guide

If anything on StudentAid.gov differs from this page, follow StudentAid.gov.

ScholarshipDesk makes student planners and trackers; this guide was written with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.