It’s that time of year — FAFSA Renewals are coming in! Keep an eye out for these common mistakes when renewing your FAFSA:
Nicknames are cute, but they don’t belong on your paperwork.
Always use your legal name. The name used for your financial aid information must also match the name listed on your Social Security Card. For recently married students, you cannot use your married name until you have officially changed your name with Social Security (the DMV does not count).
“It’s complicated” is not a valid relationship status when applying for aid.
One of the most common mistakes when filling out a FAFSA is that the marital status does not match the student/parent tax filing status. If in doubt, look at your 1040 Form; never guess. Please note: if you file your taxes as “Married Filing Separately,” both incomes must be reported on your FAFSA.
Know the author: who does it belong to?
It is important to pay close attention to who should be completing the financial information sections. We frequently see parents putting their income in the student financial section as well as in the parent financial section causing a huge impact on financial aid eligibility. Furthermore, don’t try to add the cents from your tax return to your FAFSA. The FAFSA does not recognize “.” as a decimal so if you continue to type, your income increases by two tenths (i.e. $35,000.00 in income reflects as $3,500,000 in income).
Did your FAFSA with the wrong Social Security Number (SSN)?
Bummer. Now you have to start from scratch…again. The Federal Government will not allow you to update the SSN on your FAFSA. The only way to fix it is to complete a new FAFSA. Were you able to sign your FAFSA with that wrong SSN? That means you applied for your FAFSA PIN with the incorrect SSN as well. You’ll have to head to www.pin.ed.gov to fix that before you can complete a new FAFSA.
Answer questions correctly!
There are a series of questions used to determine if a student is required to put parental information on the FAFSA. Many students answer these questions wrong. The primary culprit is: “Are you in legal guardianship?” Please be aware, your parents do not count! Court documentation is required to confirm the answer’s accuracy.
The FAFSA must be completed in full…even if the question is not labeled as a “required field.” The two most commonly skipped questions are:
“Are you male or female?” If left blank, the system assumes male. Ladies, please don’t make this mistake, or we’ll need a Birth Certificate to prove you are a female.
If you have answered “No, but I am an eligible noncitizen” to the question “Are you a US Citizen?” be sure to fill in your Alien Registration Number, or be prepared to give us a copy of your card so we can fill it in for you.
Stop by the Financial Aid Office for more information. Never fear, we are here!
Location: Aquinas Hall, Room 107
Hours: Monday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:30a.m. – 4:30p.m.
Phone: (203) 773-8508
Fax: (203) 773-8972
Email: financial_aid@albertus.edu