The Department has been working closely with all of our partners to prepare for the many changes to the better FAFSA experience. To ensure a smooth experience for students and families, the Department is issuing guidance, hosting webinars, and offering training support in the coming months.

Students and families will be able to complete and submit FAFSA forms online by Dec. 31. We expect applications to peak in late January and February 2024. The new FAFSA will allow students and families to use federal tax data transferred directly and securely from the Internal Revenue Service. Once the application is complete, students will receive a confirmation email including their estimated Student Aid Index and Pell Grant eligibility. Students and families will also be able to complete paper forms by downloading a PDF form and mailing it to the Department.

Schools will begin receiving aid eligibility information, including Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs), by the end of January 2024, with information on paper forms to follow. Additionally, students will also be able to make corrections and updates at this time. Institutions will be able to make corrections in the weeks following. Direct connections to certain state financial aid applications and the ability for unpaid preparers to complete a FAFSA form on behalf of students will return with the 2025-26 FAFSA.

The new FAFSA is not only a major transition for the Department; it will also bring many changes for students, families, schools, and software vendors. In March 2023, we published the Better FAFSA Better Future Roadmap (FAFSA Roadmap), an implementation timeline of resources, guidance, and training materials for students and parents, schools and institutions, and other stakeholders about the redesigned 2024-25 FAFSA form. The Department has updated the FAFSA Roadmap with additional resources for our stakeholders, including students and families. We remain committed to continuing our support with regular outreach, including webinars, guidance, tool tips, and communications directly to our stakeholders.

FSA will provide regular status updates in a new 2024-25 FAFSA Updates feature on the FAFSA Simplification Information Topics page on the Knowledge Center.

Questions about the information outlined in this announcement can be submitted to the Department using the Contact Customer Support form in FSA’s Partner Connect Help Center. To submit a question, please enter your name, email address, topic, and question. When submitting a question related to this announcement, please select the topic “2024-25 FAFSA.”