Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid should be on your priority list if you’re going to college next year — even if last year’s application was a nightmare.

An expanded beta version of the 2025-2026 FAFSA will be available to everyone by Nov. 22, according to a senior Department of Education official.

FAFSA 2024-25 launched an updated version of the financial aid application intended to streamline the process for students and their families. Unfortunately, the rollout of the new FAFSA has been anything but smooth. Many students have faced significant delays that have impacted their college application plans.

According to the National College Attainment Network, the number of high school students who have completed the FAFSA is down 9% compared to the same time last year.

Despite these challenges, experts still believe it is crucial to complete the FAFSA before going to university. This free form provides access to different types of federal financial aid, including scholarships, work-study and student loans.

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Although technical difficulties with the FAFSA are out of your control, here are some steps you can take for a smooth FAFSA application.

1. Submit the form as soon as possible

One of the best steps you can take when seeking financial aid is to file the FAFSA form as soon as possible. Typically, the form is available on October 1 of each year. However, the 2025-2026 FAFSA only became available to a limited number of students in October while the Department of Education collected feedback and worked on technical problems. An expanded beta testing period later this month will give everyone access to the FAFSA form before it is officially released by Dec. 1, said Jeremy Singer, FAFSA executive advisor.

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Plan to submit your application as early as possible, as some financial aid is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wait too long, you could end up with significantly less financial aid than you presented earlier.

It’s also important to get your FAFSA before your college and state deadlines. Each school sets its own FAFSA deadlines, but they often fall between January and March. You can check your state’s deadline on the Federal Student Aid Website.

2. Create your FSA ID

Before you can begin filling out the FAFSA, you will need to create your account on the StudentAid.gov website. This includes setting an FSA ID, which is your unique username and password.

“The student and contributors should obtain an FSA ID as early as possible, even before the (FAFSA) start date,” said financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz.

Anyone contributing to the FAFSA will need their own FSA ID. If you are a dependent student, this means that you and at least one parent will each need your own FSA ID.

Unless you are a citizen of the Freely Associated States, you will need to enter your Social Security number to create your StudentAid.gov account. Parents do not need to have an SSN, but they must enter their SSN if they have one.

It’s critical that you enter the information correctly the first time, according to Cathy Mueller, executive director of Mapping Your Future, a financial aid organization.

“Unfortunately, some of the problems encountered in the past occurred when Social Security numbers and dates of birth were entered incorrectly,” she added.

3. Determine if you are a dependent or independent student

Dependent students must complete the FAFSA with at least one parent, while independent students can complete the FAFSA alone. There are a number of questions you can ask yourself determine your dependency statussuch as:

• Are you 24 or older?

• Are you pursuing a master’s or doctorate?

• Are you a veteran or currently serving on active duty in the United States Armed Forces?

• Were you an orphan, ward of the state, or placed in foster care before the age of 13?

• Are you married?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you may be considered an independent student. If your answer is no, you are a dependent student.

Dependent students must complete the FAFSA with the assistance of at least one parent. If your parents are married and file their taxes jointly, for example, only one parent must contribute to the form (although they must report information for both parents). If your parents are married and file their taxes separately, both will need to contribute to the FAFSA.

Note that students and parents complete separate sections of the FAFSA. Make sure you are working on the correct section to avoid mistakes. The Federal Student Aid site suggests that the student complete and save their section before the parent begins theirs.

4. Gather your information in advance

Organizing all of your important documents in advance can help make applying for the FAFSA easier. The FAFSA will ask for your and your contributor’s contact information, as well as details about your finances. Among the information you may need:

• Tax returns from two years ago

• Current balances of all bank accounts

• Net worth of investments, businesses and farms

• Child Support Cases

In the new version of the FAFSA, you must consent to the transfer of federal tax information directly into the form using the Direct exchange of financial aid data. Refusing this automatic transfer will disqualify you from receiving federal student aid, even if a contributor manually enters tax information into the form.

5. Check everything for accuracy

While the old FAFSA asked you 108 questions, the new FAFSA asks far fewer. But even though the form is shorter, you don’t want to rush through it. The student support website says it should take less than an hour to complete, but allow additional time to ensure you understand each question and provide accurate answers.

Completing it all at once, rather than spreading it out over several days, could help avoid technical problems and reduce inconsistencies in your answers, Kantrowitz said.

Before you click submit, check everything to make sure all your answers are correct. Errors could cause delays, which could impact your financial aid awards.

After submitting the FAFSA, you will receive your Student Aid Report, which will summarize the details of your FAFSA and assess your financial aid eligibility. If you spot any errors at this point, you may be able to correct them by logging into your StudentAid.gov account or contacting your college or professional school.

Where to ask for help

Completing the FAFSA can seem intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. Fortunately, there are resources that can help you through the process.

In your FAFSA form, you will see various question mark icons that, when clicked, provide guidance on how to answer a question. You can also find answers to common questions at FAFSA Helpas well as via chat with Federal Student Aid’s virtual assistant, Aidan.

If you want to speak with a human, you can access live chat, send an email to Federal Student Aid Information Center or call 800-433-3243. Finally, you can contact your high school counselor or college financial aid office for help.

By following these steps and seeking help along the way, you can ensure a smooth FAFSA application and maximize your chances of obtaining financial aid.