Federal Priority Date June 30 2021 Missouri Priority

Federal Priority Date: June 30, 2021 Missouri Priority Date: February 1, 2021 School Priority Date: Check College Website The 2021 -2022 FAFSA opened on October 1, 2020 Common FAFSA mistake: Not completing the FAFSA as soon as it is available and not filling out the FAFSA form by the priority date

Student. Aid. gov FAFSA. gov What is a FAFSA? Free Application for Federal Student Aid Why Do I Need to Fill out the FAFSA? To see if I qualify for federal grants, state aid*, and scholarships. *Missouri’s A+ Scholarship requires FAFSA completion How Often do I need to Fill out the FAFSA? You must apply for federal student aid for every school year that you attend. Common FAFSA mistake: Not completing the FAFSA

Types and Sources of Aid Federal Aid • Pell Grant • Student Loans (must be repaid) • Federal Work-Study (FWS) • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) State Aid • A + Program • Access MO Grant • Bright Flight • Fast Track Scholarships • Colleges and Universities • Foundation, Business and Charitable Organizations • Civic Organizations and Churches • Employers

The FAFSA Process: Step 1 Preparing for the FAFSA

What is the FSA ID? Common FAFSA mistake: Not creating your FSA ID before filling out your FAFSA

Gather information needed to complete the FAFSA Student and parent(s) social security numbers Student and parent’s dates of birth The student's driver's license *optional Your Alien Registration number (if not a U. S. Citizen) 2019 federal tax returns and 2019 IRS W-2 forms for both student and parent(s) Asset Information; records relating to saving’s accounts, checking accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investments, Records of untaxed income

The FAFSA Process: Step 2 Filling out the FAFSA

Students logging in should do so with their FSA ID Parents logging in to complete a FAFSA for a student should log in using the student’s personal identifiers. Common FAFSA mistake: Not using your FSA ID to start the FAFSA

Read and accept the disclaimer. Students who decline will be unable to complete the FAFSA.

Which FAFSA do I complete? Complete the 20212022 FAFSA if you are attending in the following terms: Complete the 20202021 FAFSA if you are attending in the following terms: • • • Fall 2021 Spring 2022 Summer 2022 Common FAFSA mistake: Completing a FAFSA for the wrong year Fall 2020 Spring 2021 Summer 2021

The save key is not the same as your FSA ID. A save key allows you to return The links listed above lead to the answers of some of the most common to your FAFSA to complete the application or make a correction. The save key FAFSA questions. While they are not required reading they do contain must be between 4 -8 characters long. You can you any combination of helpful information. numbers and/or uppercase and lowercase letters. Try to choose a save key that you can remember but would be hard for others to guess.

Prevent a common FAFSA error by making sure you are entering information for the correct person. The top of the page will always indicate “Student” or “Parent” to prevent this from happening. Select the blue and white question mark icon next to a FAFSA question to view a "tool tip" that provides additional information for that question. Select the keyboard for virtual number entry. -studentaid. gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out Common FAFSA mistake: Inputting incorrect information

FAFSA Sections Student demographics School selection Dependency status Parent Demographics Financial information Sign & Submit Confirmation

Enter your e-mail address to receive important information about your financial aid application, such as your Student Aid Report (SAR), renewal reminders, and saved application reminders. You will be mailed information following the completion of your FAFSA. Make sure your information on this page is correct! *Don’t provide the address of your school’s financial aid office, any other office, or an address you only use during the school year like on campus housing.

• Select Yes if this is your state of legal residence and you have lived in this state for 5 years or more. If you select Yes, this state will represent your state of legal residence, which is where you reside and have a true, fixed, and permanent home. • Select No if this is not your state of legal residence or if you have lived in this state for less than 5 years. If you moved into this state for the sole purpose of attending a school, do not count this state as your state of legal residence.

This question cannot be left blank. • Select Yes if you have or will have a bachelor's degree by July 1, 2021 • Select No if you do not and will not have a bachelor's degree by July 1, 2021.

If you’re a male between the ages of 18– 25 and not registered with the Selective Service System (SSS), select “Yes” and the SSS will register you. You can also register online. This requirement applies to any person assigned the sex of male at birth. If a student applying for financial aid indicates he is not 18 years old yet, he is not required to register with Selective Service for FAFSA. He can pre-register online at www. sss. gov if he is at least 17 years and 3 months old. In that case, he will be automatically registered at 18 years old. If you believe that you’re not required to register with the SSS, you should call the SSS office at 1 -847 -6888 for information regarding exemptions or visit the SSS website. -studentaid. gov/2021/help/want-register-selective-service -www. sss. gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Who. Must. Register. Chart. pdf Don’t have a driver’s license or don’t have it handy? That’s okay this question is not required.

Select the answer that best describe your parent’s highest level of education completed. *This does not effect your eligibility for federal student aid. For this question, parent means your birth or adoptive parent. Don’t answer this question about a stepparent, legal guardian, or foster parent. • Select Yes if you are a foster youth or were at any time in the foster care system. • Select No if you are not a foster youth. Also select No if you were not at any time in the foster care system.

While completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, you must list at least one college to receive your information. • select the state in which the college is located • enter the city and/or school name • select search. https: //studentaid. gov/help-center/answers/article/how-to-add-college-or-career-school-to-fafsa

In order for colleges to receive your FAFSA in Student Financial Services make sure you þ the box to the left of each school before moving to the next page. Select the housing option that best describes where you will be living throughout the school year. Common FAFSA mistake: Colleges can have similar names so make sure you check the city and state to ensure your preferred schools receive your FAFSA.

Select the answer that describes your (the STUDENT) marital status as of the day you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If your marital status has changed or will change since the time the application was initially submitted, check with your college’s financial aid office. Only answer yes to these questions if you (the STUDENT) are providing MORE than 50% (half) of the financial support for the child/dependent. Dependent students who have a child answered “Yes” that they provide more than 50% (half) of the support may be required to submit documentation

Answer "Yes" (you are a veteran) if you (1) have engaged in active duty (including basic training) in the U. S. armed forces or are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who was called to active duty for other than state or training purposes, or were a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies and; (2) were released under a condition other than dishonorable. Also answer "Yes" if you are not a veteran now but will be one by June 30, 2020 A student might be homeless if they are living (without a parent) in shelters, parks, motels, hotels, public spaces, camping grounds, cars, abandoned buildings, or are temporarily living with other people because you have nowhere else to go. Also, students living in any of these situations and fleeing an abusive parent might be considered homeless even if their parent would otherwise provide a place to live. If you are experiencing these, or similar circumstances please reach out to your school’s counselor or social worker for assistance.

If you answer NO to ALL of the dependency questions, then you are considered a dependent student and will be required to provide your parents’ financial information when completing the FAFSA form. -studentaid. gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency

Depending on your parent marital status, you may be asked a secondary question to further determine what parent information may be required. Parents should enter their current marital status. If you have divorced and remarried you will need to enter your current spouse’s information even if they are not the student’s biological parent. Parents should enter their current marital status. If you have divorced and remarried you will need to enter your current spouse’s information even if they are not the student’s biological parent.

Parent 1 Parent 2 Make sure to enter your information correctly. Your FAFSA processing can be delayed if the parent Name/Social Security Number/ Date of Birth cannot be verified as a match.

• Select Yes if this is your state of legal residence and you have lived in this state for 5 years or more. If you select Yes, this state will represent your state of legal residence, which is where you reside and have a true, fixed, and permanent home. • Select No if this is not your state of legal residence or if you have lived in this state for less than 5 years.

Who do I include in the Number in College? · Yourself (the student) even if you’ll attend college less than half-time in 2021 -2022; and · Other people in your household only if they’ll attend college at least half -time in 2021 -2022, in a program that leads to a college degree or certificate. · Don’t include students at a U. S. service academy because most of their primary education expenses are paid for by the federal government. (Dependent students with parents also in college should not include parents in the number in college. ) Common FAFSA mistake: Not reading definitions carefully

Why you should use the IRS DRT when completing a FAFSA. 1. It is the easiest way to provide your tax data. 2. It is the best way to ensure that your FAFSA tax information is entered accurately 3. You won’t need to provide an IRS Tax Return Transcript if selected for verification. Common FAFSA mistake: Not using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT)

Most students and parents who filed a U. S tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) if they have already filed their taxes. However, there a few scenarios in which students and parents are ineligible to use the IRS DRT, such as: • The student/parent is married, and either the student/parent or his/her spouse filed as Married Filing Separately. • The student/parent is married, and either the student/parent or his/her spouse filed as Head of Household. • The parents’ marital status is “Unmarried and both legal parents living together. ” • The student/parent filed a Puerto Rican or foreign tax return. • Students or parents who filed their tax returns electronically within the last three weeks, or through the mail within the last 11 weeks. Any students or parents who meet the above criteria will need to enter their tax information manually.

You will leave the FAFSA to transfer your Tax Information when using the DRT but will automatically be returned to your FAFSA in progress once your information has been transferred.

When entering your address be sure to enter the address shown on your 2019 Federal Tax Return.

If you were able to move to the next page, review the information that the IRS has retrieved from your tax return. Check the box to “Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA” and click “Transfer Now. ” Your IRS data will be transferred to your FAFSA and you will be returned to the FAFSA website.

Successfully transferred tax information will be noted as “Transferred from the IRS” and will not need to be entered manually. If you are unable to use the Data Retrieval Tool to transfer your tax information from the IRS, you will be required to enter your 2019 income information manually. If your FAFSA is selected for verification you will be required to submit IRS Tax Transcripts and other related tax documentation.

Parents (and students) who are married, and successfully use the DRT, will need to indicate the separation of income between themselves and their spouse. This information can be determined by adding up each individuals 2019 employer issued W-2 s. The 2021 -2022 FAFSA requires tax information from the 2019 tax year.

A parent might be considered a dislocated worker if he or she: ·is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing a job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation; ·has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job; ·was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic conditions or natural disaster; ·is the spouse of an active duty member of the U. S. armed forces and has experienced a loss of employment because of relocating due to permanent change in duty station;

The answer to this question might be prefilled with "Transferred from the IRS. “ If the answer to this question isn’t prefilled, enter your parents’ total tax amount for 2019. Income tax paid is the total amount of the 2019 IRS Form 1040 -line 14 minus Schedule 2 -line 2. If your parents filed separate tax returns, add their income tax together and entered the total

Only taxable combat pay should be entered here. Enlisted persons and warrant officers— Combat pay is entirely nontaxable, and your parent(s) should report zero combat pay or special combat pay. Only report grant and scholarship aid that was reported to the IRS and included in your 2019 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).

Enter the total amount of child support your parents paid in 2019 because of divorce or separation or as a result of a legal requirement. Don’t include child support paid for children in your parent’s household.

Enter the total amount of any other untaxed income or benefits, such as workers compensation, that your parents received in 2019. Also include the untaxed portions of health savings accounts from IRS Form 1040 – Schedule 1, Line 12.

Assets include: ·Money in cash, savings, and checking accounts ·Businesses ·Investment farms ·Other investments, such as real estate (other than the home in which you live), UGMA and UTMA accounts for which you are the owner, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, etc. Assets do not include: ·The home in which you live ·UGMA and UTMA accounts for which you are the custodian, but not the owner ·The value of life insurance ·Retirement plans (401[k] plans, pension funds, annuities, non- education IRAs, Keogh plans, etc. ) Common FAFSA mistake: Not reporting required information

If you are unable to use the Data Retrieval Tool to transfer your tax information from the IRS, you will be required to enter your 2019 income information manually.

Only taxable combat pay should be entered here. Enlisted persons and warrant officers— Combat pay is entirely nontaxable, and your parent(s) should report zero combat pay or special combat pay. Only report grant and scholarship aid that was reported to the IRS and included in your 2019 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).

Enter the total amount of child support you (the student) paid in 2019 because of divorce or separation or as a result of a legal requirement. Don’t include child support paid for children in your parent’s household. Enter the total amount of any other untaxed income or benefits, such as workers compensation, that your parents received in 2019. Also include the untaxed portions of health savings accounts from IRS Form 1040 – Schedule 1, Line 12.

Assets include: ·Money in cash, savings, and checking accounts ·Businesses ·Investment farms ·Other investments, such as real estate (other than the home in which you live), UGMA and UTMA accounts for which you are the owner, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, etc. Assets do not include: ·The home in which you live ·UGMA and UTMA accounts for which you are the custodian, but not the owner ·The value of life insurance ·Retirement plans (401[k] plans, pension funds, annuities, non- education IRAs, Keogh plans, etc. )

Reminder: The FAFSA form is FREE, so if a website or mobile app asks you to pay to fill it out, you're not dealing with the official FAFSA site or the official my. Student. Aid app. Remember, this is a government application, so it's on a. gov website and an official U. S. Department of Education mobile app. ONLY a professional paid preparer should indicate yes on this answer. If you are doing your own FAFSA or the FAFSA for your child, the answer will be no.

FAFSA Summary After all questions have been answered you will have an opportunity to review the information entered into the FAFSA. If corrections need to be made go back and make them before signing and submitting the FAFSA.

Signing the FAFSA So many students answer every single question that is asked but fail to actually sign the FAFSA form with their FSA ID and submit it. This happens for many reasons—maybe you forgot your FSA ID, or your parent isn’t with you to sign with the parent FSA ID—so your application is left incomplete. Don’t let this happen to you. • • If you don’t know your FSA ID, select “Forgot username” and/or “Forgot password. ” If you don’t have an FSA ID, create one. https: //blog. ed. gov/2018/09/common-fafsa-mistakes/ Common FAFSA mistake: Not signing the FAFSA

Be sure to read the terms before proceeding. Clicking “Agree” is considered a certification that the signer understands the terms as described by the U. S. Department of Education.

A student and a parent both sign the FAFSA. Make sure you are signing on the correct page. • • If student or parent forget their FSA ID, it can be retrieved via the “Forgot Username” and “Forgot Password” links. Make sure that student and parent do not mix up their FSA IDs. This is one of the most common errors, and why it’s extremely important for each person to create their own FSA ID and not share it with anyone. https: //blog. ed. gov/2017/09/the-parents-guide-to-filling-out-the-fafsa-form/

Parent Signature Status will remain as “Unsigned” until a parent signature has been submitted.

• Make sure the parent who is using his/her FSA ID to sign the FAFSA form chooses the right parent number from the drop-down menu. If you don’t remember whether you were listed as Parent 1 or Parent 2 there is personal identity information listed for each parent. • If you get an error saying that your FSA ID information does not match the information provided on the FAFSA the following may have occurred: • The student and parent FSA IDs have been mixed up • The parent may be signing the FAFSA is not the parent who was indicated as the signer (Parent 1 vs. Parent 2) https: //blog. ed. gov/2017/09/the-parents-guide-to-filling-out-the-fafsa-form/

Be sure to read the terms before proceeding. Clicking “Agree” is considered a certification that the signer understands the terms as described by the U. S. Department of Education. Note: the terms for the parent differ from those of the student.

If you have multiple children who need to complete the FAFSA form, you will use the same FSA ID to sign FAFSA forms for all of your children. https: //blog. ed. gov/2017/09/the-parents-guide-to-filling-out-the-fafsa-form/

Once all signatures have been completed the Signature Status will change to Signed Electronically. Last step: “SUBMIT MY FAFSA NOW”

If the student (or parent) is unable to sign the FAFSA when completed, they will need to return to the FAFSA and provide their FSA ID signature before submitting. If your FAFSA is submitted without the required signatures it will be rejected by the U. S. Department of Education.

Once submitted, the student will have the ability to view/print their confirmation page.

The FAFSA Process: Step 3 Processing the FAFSA

Student Aid Report (SAR) Students who enter an email when completing the FAFSA will receive their Student Aid Report electronically. If an email is not entered, students will receive their Student Aid Report by mail at the address entered on the FAFSA.

Special Circumstances Professional Judgment Dependency Override

Professional Judgment Loss of Employment Reduction in Income Separation or Divorce Death of a Parent or Spouse One-Time Income My current income and/or family situation is significantly different from two years ago. What can I do? Students (or parents if student is dependent) who have extenuating circumstances such as those listed above should reach out to their institution’s financial aid office.

Dependency Override Physically, sexually, emotionally, or mentally abused by an immediate member of the family Parent(s) incarcerated or hospitalized for long-term care Both parents are deceased Custodial parent is deceased and student has no contact with noncustodial parent Parent(s) cannot be located I am not considered independent, but I do have a unique parent situation, what do I do? Students who have extenuating circumstances such as those listed above should reach out to their institution’s financial aid office.

Resources Student. Aid. gov FAFSA. gov https: //www. jeffco. edu/future-students/financial-aid Federal Student Aid @FAFSA Federal Student Aid blog. ed. gov

Questions? Jefferson College 636 -481 -3212 Student Financial Services finaid@jeffco. edu