10.22.09 | Who should file the FAFSA; the parent or the student?
Although your college age student is blossoming with independence and probably cannot wait to get out of the house, there are some aspects of going to college that he or she is going to need your help with. You have probably been urging  your child to search for scholarships, gather letters of recommendation, and fill out their applications on their own. These are all important parts of the college application process that they should be able to handle, but one thing that they will definitely need your help with is filing the FAFSA.
Submitting the FAFSA should be a top priority for both you and your child. The FAFSA is a prerequisite to receive any federal financial aid including subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans and the Parent PLUS loan. In order to maximize the amount of aid your child is eligible for the FAFSA has to be filled out completely and accurately. Your child’s FAFSA must include your financial information. Since he or she is probably not aware of your tax information and probably does not know exactly how much you and your spouse make, it is important that you guide them to avoid any mistakes. It will benefit you because the more financial aid your child receives the less you will have to pay. Although you might end up doing a lot of the work, make sure your child is aware of the financial aid process because they will be committing to loans that they will be responsible for after graduation.
Today the FAFSA can be filled out online. This is helpful because the answers are reviewed electronically before the application is submitted leaving less chance for error. The application can be saved and accessed from any computer so that you and your child can complete it in more than one sitting. Â Additionally, this year the FAFSA will be shorter and easier to fill out that it has been in the past.
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