Ok, the day you all have been waiting for is finally here- yay!!!! The 2011-2012 FAFSA is available for completion at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The fastest and easiest way to complete it is online.

Now, I can just see the panic setting in, but don’t worry! If you run into a question that you are not sure about, at www.fafsa.ed.gov you will get helpful hints for most questions right on the screen. If you need additional help you can click on the “Need Help” button at the bottom of every page. You can also click on “Live Help” at the top of the page and you will receive an Instant Message from a customer service representative. People are here to help you. Feel free to call any financial aid office and I’m sure they will be more than happy to answer your questions.

You can start and stop your FAFSA application at any time, save the data and come back to it another time. As you complete the FAFSA questions, your answers are analyzed to determine which questions you need to complete. You can utilize the worksheets that will automatically do the calculations and transfer the information into the FAFSA for you.

You want to make sure that the social security number that you list for yourself and your parent(s), if dependent, as well as the names match exactly that which is listed on the social security card. All completed FAFSAs are sent to the Social Security Division for verification. If the name or SSN do not match their database then your FAFSA will be flagged as “rejected” and you will need to provide additional information to your school and in the case of an incorrect SSN complete a new FAFSA.

Leaving blanks on your FAFSA is a sure way of getting selected for verification or ending up with an invalid FAFSA. It is important to answer all questions that you are instructed to and if it’s a monetary question then you are much better off to enter zero than to leave it blank.

When completing the FAFSA, you will notice that there is no place to account for special circumstances. The FAFSA evaluates specific information from the year before such as your earned income, tax filing status, household size and employment. But as we all know, things change. Maybe you have experienced an unfortunate circumstance like a divorce, death in the family, an accident or illness resulting in high medical bills or a loss of employment. These are all special circumstances that could affect your true financial picture and your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). If any of these pertain to you, you should contact your financial aid office to see what type of documents they would need from you in order to re-evaluate your need for financial aid.

There are many organizations out there that will file your FAFSA for you for a fee. The official FAFSA website, www.fafsa.ed.gov, is free and as I stated above, offers you help right on the screen to answer any questions you may have. It really isn’t worth paying someone to complete your FAFSA.  And know that if you would like someone to sit and file the FAFSA with you, the Center for College Planning offers this service for free.  Call 888.7.GRADUATE ext. 119 to schedule your appointment.

Ok, so now you have a few tips to get you on your way for completing the FAFSA. Need more helpful tips, check out www.nhheaf.org/index.asp?page=stu_fa_fafsatips.  Just take your time, don’t panic, be accurate and follow all instructions and you will do just fine. Good luck and happy filing!

See you next month,
Lisa