What to Gather Before You Apply
For those completing a 2024–25 FAFSA form, you need the following information:
-
Your Social Security Number
-
Your A-Number (if you're not a U.S. citizen)
-
Federal income tax returns, records of child support received; and your current balance of cash, savings, and checking accounts (Note: You must provide consent and approval to disclose your federal tax information to be eligible for federal student aid.)
-
Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable), net worth of investments, businesses, and farms
-
Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
-
An FSA ID (account username and password) to log in to StudentAid.gov and start the FAFSA form electronically
For those completing a 2023–24 FAFSA form:
-
Your Social Security number or your Alien Registration number (if you’re not a U.S. citizen)
-
Your federal income tax returns
-
Your W-2s, and other records of money earned (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA form using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool)
​
If you're a dependent student, then you will also need most of the above information for your parent(s).