The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 20/21 is now open as of Oct. 1.
When you file after Oct. 1, the form will ask you for 2018 tax information. Since those taxes should have been completed by April 15, you will have the ability to use the IRS DATA RETRIEVAL TOOL through the FAFSA. This is a process in which you can electronically “link” the tax data directly from the IRS right into the FAFSA form. This will alleviate possible data entry errors when manually submitting the figures from the tax forms yourself. The other benefit will be the lack of further corrections needing to be made by the students to update tax information once filed. The hope is that once a student files in October and links the tax data, the form will be correct and no further changes will need to be made.
The Financial Aid office at Shippensburg University urges all students to file the FAFSA before leaving for Christmas/winter break in between the fall and spring terms. This will allow students a stress free break and a more confident spring knowing their FAFSA is filed. By completing the form early, you will also meet the May 1st State Grant deadline for Pennsylvania.
For the students who are selected for verification, they would then have all spring to complete the verification so their file can be reviewed and they can receive an aid package in late May/early June and know what aid they will be receiving prior to bills coming out in July.
The Financial Aid Office will be offering free workshops on campus for students to receive assistance in filing the 20/21 FAFSA. You must have you and your parent’s FSA IDs and passwords to complete the form successfully. We will publish the dates of these workshops in a future edition of The Slate, Continue to check and keep reading.
Please contact us at 717-477-1131 or finaid@ship.edu with any questions.
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