FAFSA Correction

Updating FAFSA Application

How to do online FAFSA correction and updates to your college student financial aid application.

If you submit your FAFSA early (which you should do), you occasionally must go back and do FAFSA correction to update your entries to reflect your actual income and expenses. Another reason for updating your FAFSA application is to report any unusual family circumstances that affect your financial situation such as loss of employment or unexpected high medical expenses.

FAFSA Corrections on the Web

Cornell University

If you filed your FAFSA on the web, it is significantly easier to make FAFSA corrections on the web to your financial data. Starting in 2024-25 application, you will need to agree to automatically retrieve IRS financial information or Federal Tax Information (FTI), even if you did not file federal taxes. This replaces the former IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT).

FAFSA Correction Hints and Tips

DO NOT mistake ‘fafsa.ed.gov’ with ‘fafsa.com’. The latter will charge you for their service.

DO NOT log into your FAFSA on the web periodically to fine-tune or tweak your financial data. This might raise a red flag for an audit regardless of how genuine your intentions are. Instead, use honest best estimates of your finances when you do not have your actual taxes filed yet. Afterwards, update your FAFSA with your current tax return information.

DO NOT SKIP the question of entering your asset information when doing FAFSA on the web even if you do not have any assets. Instead, answer yes, and enter “0” (Zero) for assets you do not have.

KEEP CHECKING the financial aid website for each college or university you have applied to for additional financial information they may need. Also, check your Spam box periodically in case any emails from the schools you have applied to have been delivered there.

About 4-5 days after you submit your FAFSA the first time, you will receive an email with a link to your FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR). View and make sure that there are no mistakes. If you cannot see the SAR report, it might be because your web browser does not allow you to open pop-ups. In that case, go to your web browser menu and change your settings to allow pop-ups.

Be aware that approximately 30% of all students who apply for FAFSA will be randomly audited. This is called “Verification”. In that case, you may need to provide your official tax return papers.

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More FAFSA Information

FAFSA

FAFSA Hints

Student Aid Index

Dependent or Independent Student

Parental Income on FAFSA

FAFSA Official Website

Printable FAFSA Application

FAFSA Application PIN Number

FSA ID

FAFSA Application

FAFSA Deadline

FAFSA Submission Summary

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