fafsa updates and changes
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FAFSA Updates and Changes. Prospective Changes for 2006-07 Paper FAFSA SAR Student Web Applications PIN and the PIN Website Other Noteworthy News Important Dates. The Paper FAFSA. 2006-07 FAFSA 277 CVU Blue (students) 263 CVU Purple (parents) No new or deleted questions - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
1
FAFSA Updates and Changes
• Prospective Changes for 2006-07
– Paper FAFSA
– SAR
– Student Web Applications
– PIN and the PIN Website
• Other Noteworthy News
• Important Dates
The Paper FAFSA
• 2006-07 FAFSA
277 CVU Blue (students)
263 CVU Purple (parents)
• No new or deleted questions
• Design and layout remains unchanged
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Will include return receipt postcard & insert
• Questions 17, 20, 56, & 69 (dates), same format as 2004-05 FAFSA, “month” and “year” above response boxes
• Ordering Paper FAFSAs
– Announcement this Fall posted to IFAP
www.ifap.ed.gov
– To order FAFSAs & other student financial aid publications
www.edpubs.org/ml
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Page 1
– Updated all state deadlines
– AK moved from “Contact your FAA” listing to “State Aid Deadlines”
– MN deadline changed from “14 days after term starts” to “30 days after term starts”
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Page 2
– Questions 14–15
– Changed from “Alien Registration Card” to “Permanent Resident Card”
• Pages 4 & 5
– Questions 33 b. and 71 b.: “TeleFile” tax filing options removed
• IRS no longer offering as a filing method
– Questions 36 and 74: “total amount” for taxes paid question to eliminate confusion
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Pages 4, 5, & 8
– Questions 38-39 and 76-77: Added instructions for reporting combat pay
• Combat pay instructions also added to Worksheet B on Page 8
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Combat Pay
– Always report full amount of combat pay as Income Earned from Work (questions 38-39 for student; questions 76-77 for parent)
• Combat pay is partially taxed & partially untaxed income– Include taxable portion of
combat pay in AGI– Include ALL combat pay in
Income Earned from Work– Report non-taxable portion
of combat pay in Worksheet B
– Report EIC in Worksheet A, if eligible
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Combat Pay – Non Tax Filers
– Total amount of combat pay reported as Income Earned from Work ONLY (Questions 38-39, 76-77)
• Income Earned from Work + Untaxed Income on Worksheets A & B, used in need analysis to calculate EFC
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Page 4
– Question 53: Separated into two-part question for clarity
• Page 5 and 6
– Questions 65-66 & 84-85: Instructions added to ensure applicants answer “Household Size” & “Number in College” questions
The Paper FAFSA (cont.)
• Page 7
– Notes for Questions 55 – 83: Foster parents are not considered parents for completing the FAFSA
FAFSA on the Web (FOTW)
• www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Apply & reapply
– English & Spanish options
• Access PIN Web site
• Check status of completed FAFSA
FOTW (cont.)
• View Student Aid Report (SAR) information
• Make corrections
• Pre-application worksheet
– Available November 2005
www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Section 1 - Home Page
– Link to State Deadlines added back
– School code search link added back
– New printable checklist of items needed to complete application
FOTW (cont.)
• The Application
– The option to apply for a PIN for use as an electronic signature is offered at the beginning of the application process
– A link to the PIN web site is provided for this purpose
FOTW (cont.)
• When an applicant receives a reject warning, they cannot click “okay.”
– They MUST -
• Correct the data, OR
• If data is correct, re-enter data in pop-up box
FOTW (cont.)
• Instructions for “Process my application now without signatures” improved to
– Help applicant understand what needs to be done next to complete signature process
– Ensure applicants successfully transmit application data
FOTW (cont.)
• Parents with multiple children in college can continue to transfer information to additional applications
• Link on confirmation page to “Begin a new application with parent data already filled in?” will display only for
– Dependent students
– Independent students who provided parent data on the application
FOTW (cont.)
FOTW (cont.)
Pre-Application Worksheet
• ED Seal added for more “official” look
• Paper FAFSA question “numbers” added
• Reformatted for ease of use
PIN Registration
• On Department of Education (ED) documents, PINs serve as a password to– Access private information
– Sign documents electronically
• PIN request Web site– Request or re-request a PIN
– Customize a PIN
– Change PIN mailing address
PIN Registration (cont.)
• www.pin.ed.gov
– Name, SSN, date of birth, mailing address
– E-mail address (optional)
– PIN applicants & holders will be required to select & answer Challenge Question
PIN Registration (cont.)
• PIN mailed by
– Regular mail within 7 to 10 days
– E-mail within 3 days or less
– Beware of spam blocker software
Improved Home Page www.pin.ed.gov
– Fly-over text describes menu items
– Re-named “Change My Address” to “Update My Personal Information”
– Main menu options re-ordered main menu options most frequently used are at the top & in logical order
Flyover help text
Formerly “Change my
address”
Re
-orde
red
PIN Registration (cont.)
• Clarification that there are two options for receiving PIN
– Postal mail
• Changed text regarding terms of receiving a PIN from “Agree” to “I agree not to share my PIN”
PIN Registration (cont.)
• “I Forgot/Don’t Know My PIN” option added to all PIN authentication pages
• Turnaround time improved for receiving PIN e-mails
– Currently sent every 12 hours
– Will change to every 4 hours
PIN Registration (cont.)
PIN Registration (cont.)
• Will permanently disable PINs after 18 months of inactivity (students and parents)
– Users will have to reapply for a PIN
– Affects both students and FAAs
• Printed on blue paper
• Overall format has not changed
• Paper and Web Student Aid Report (SAR) will follow order of questions on paper FAFSA
• Text on page 2 about importance of not sharing PINs with anyone
The Student Aid Report (Paper)
Who Gets What?Application
FiledDid you provide an
e-mail address?Student Aid Report (SAR) receipt
methodPIN access code receipt
method
Paper FAFSA
NO Paper SAR U.S. Mail
YESE-mail with link to Student Access
on the Web
E-mail with link to PIN
on the Web
FAFSA on the
Web
NO Paper SAR Acknowledgement U.S. Mail
YESE-mail with link to Student Access
on the Web
E-mail with link to PIN
on the Web
Paper SAR
correction
NO Paper SAR
YESE-mail with link to Student Access
on the Web
Corrections on
the Web
NO Paper SAR Acknowledgement
YESE-mail with link to Student Access
on the Web
Other Noteworthy NewsWeb Demonstration Site
• FAFSA on the Web demonstration site will be available later this year
– To access site, go to http://fafsademo.test.ed.gov
– User Name: eddemo
– Password: fafsatest
• Click on FOTW at bottom of screen
• Available until next December
Other Noteworthy News (cont.)
• Number of days an application is held in signature hold file was reduced from 14 to 7
• School code changes may be made by calling FSAIC, using Corrections on the Web, or on paper SAR
– Letter requests will be returned to students with clear instructions about how to make changes
Important Dates
• January 1, 2006
– System available
• FOTW
• Renewal FOTW
• Corrections on the Web
• January 2, 2006
– Application processing system starts up