The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for Next Year Is Now Available

Picture of October 1st on a Calendar

The new 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available.  Starting with the current years application, the FAFSA process has begun beginning on October 1st of each year.  Also, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool has been restored for student use during the filing process to help you import tax information directly from the Internal Revenue Service.

Useful links to help you with the process:

FAFSA Video From Federal Student Aid:


  For more post on the FAFSA.

FAFSA / IRS Integration Tool Taken Down for “Criminal Activity”

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the IRS retrieval tool at the FAFSA website was taken down because of criminal activity.  for more information see my previous post on this subject here.  According to previous reports the tool should be back up in a few weeks.

The full story is here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/online-tool-to-apply-for-college-aid-was-taken-down-due-to-criminal-activity-1489707771

The Department of Education Shuts Down a Key Tool Used to Complete the FAFSA

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The United States Department of Education has shutdown the IRS Retrieval Tool, a key tool used when filling out the FAFSA.  The FAFSA website has this announcement:

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is unavailable at this time. We regret any inconvenience.

To fill out a FAFSA, you can manually input your tax information. Remember, if you’re filling out the 2017–18 FAFSA form, your 2015 tax information is required (not 2016).

Politico reported that the IRS and the Education Department confirmed that the tool was shut off because of concerns that the data being used by identity thieves.  According to Politico the IRS and the Education Department joint statement said the action was “a precautionary step following concerns that information from the tool could potentially be misused by identity thieves.”  The tool could be “unavailable for several weeks.”

The absence of the tool means that students will have to enter the IRS data themselves.  Until now, the tool has been available for seven years.

Important New Financial Aid Date: October 1, 2016

Picture of October 1st on a Calendar

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for next school year (2017-2018) will be available in less than a month, on October 1st.  Normally, the application would not be available until January 1, 2017.  It is important that anyone seeking financial aid for next school year fill out the FAFSA early, especially because the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant program uses the initial application date to determine student eligibility for MAP funding.  It is recommended you file in October or early November.  Read the full announcement from the JALC Financial Aid Office posted below. Continue reading “Important New Financial Aid Date: October 1, 2016”

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