FAFSA Guide 2026-27 and 2027-28: Which Form to File

Two FAFSA forms are open right now. The 2026-27 form covers classes from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 and asks for 2024 tax information. The 2027-28 form, launched September 23, 2026, covers July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028 and asks for 2025 tax information.

Pick the form by the date your classes start, not by today’s date. Starting this fall, this winter or next spring means the 2026-27 form. Starting in fall 2027 means the 2027-28 form. If you’ll be enrolled across both years, file both.

The form is free, and the Department of Education says most filers finish their own section in 12 minutes or less. Source · StudentAid.gov: FAFSA application

Quick check Optional. Two questions.

Where does your income land on the Pell lines?

Answer two questions and you'll see it right here. Nothing to sign up for.

Your household Choose oneJust me (no spouse or children)Me and my spouse, no childrenSingle parent, one childSingle parent, two childrenMarried, one childMarried, two childrenStudent with one parent, family of 2Student with one parent, family of 3Student with two parents, family of 4 Your adjusted gross income on your 2024 taxes $

Your first day of class decides which FAFSA you file

Each FAFSA covers one award year, July 1 through June 30. The form year has nothing to do with when you fill it out.

If your classes start	File this form	Tax year it asks for	Federal deadline
Fall 2026, winter or spring 2027	2026-27 FAFSA	2024	June 30, 2027
Fall 2027 through spring 2028	2027-28 FAFSA	2025	June 30, 2028
Summer 2027	Ask your school’s aid office	Either	Depends on the form

StudentAid.gov tells summer students to ask their school which form to use, because schools can place a summer term in either award year. Source · StudentAid.gov: Filling out the FAFSA form

Interactive decision tree

Which FAFSA should you file?

When does your first class start?

Between now and June 2027 Fall 2027 or later Summer 2027 This year and next year

Filing takes four steps and one account per person

You, and any parent or spouse who has to add information, each need a StudentAid.gov account. Nobody else can sign in for you.

1. Create your StudentAid.gov account

   You need your name as it appears on your Social Security card, date of birth, email and Social Security number. The Department says new accounts now confirm faster than in past years.

2. Start the right form and invite your contributors

   Choose 2026-27 or 2027-28 at the start. Dependent students invite a parent; married students who filed taxes separately invite a spouse. Invitations go by email, text or code.

3. Consent to the IRS transfer and answer the rest

   Most filers import federal tax data straight from the IRS. You still type in cash, savings and non-retirement investments.

4. Add up to 20 schools and submit

   Schools see only their own copy, never your other choices. You can add or drop schools after you submit.

Most forms now process immediately; some take one to three days. Your FAFSA Submission Summary shows your Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell eligibility, and your schools get the results automatically. Source · StudentAid.gov: 2027-28 FAFSA now available

You can usually finish without digging out documents

StudentAid.gov says most people can start and finish without looking at a document, because tax data imports directly. Keep these within reach in case the form asks.

Item	Who needs it	2026-27 / 2027-28
Federal tax return (if the IRS import fails)	Student and each contributor	2024 / 2025 return
Records of child support received	If it applies	Same for both
Current checking and savings balances	Student and each contributor	As of the day you file
Cash on hand, if over $1,000	Student and each contributor	As of the day you file
Value and debt of non-retirement investments, businesses, farms	If it applies	As of the day you file

Item Federal tax return (if the IRS import fails)

Who needs it Student and each contributor

2026-27 / 2027-28 2024 / 2025 return

Item Records of child support received

Who needs it If it applies

2026-27 / 2027-28 Same for both

Item Current checking and savings balances

Who needs it Student and each contributor

2026-27 / 2027-28 As of the day you file

Item Cash on hand, if over $1,000

Who needs it Student and each contributor

2026-27 / 2027-28 As of the day you file

Item Value and debt of non-retirement investments, businesses, farms

Who needs it If it applies

2026-27 / 2027-28 As of the day you file

Keep your records. Do not mail them to the Department. Any site that charges a fee to file is not the FAFSA; the real form lives on a .gov address.

Your SAI sets your Pell Grant for 2026-27

The Student Aid Index is the number schools use to measure need. It runs from -1,500 upward. For 2026-27, Pell pays up to $7,395 and at least $740. Source · GEN-26-01

A calculated Pell award is the maximum minus your SAI, rounded to the nearest $5. The rule has three bands for 2026-27:

• SAI of 0 or less: the full $7,395 at full-time enrollment.
• SAI from 1 to 6,655: $7,395 minus the SAI. Example: an SAI of 5,000 gives $2,395.
• SAI of 14,790 or higher: no Pell. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act set this cap at twice the maximum award.

Between those last two bands, some students still get the $740 minimum when their income falls under a set share of the poverty guideline.

Part-time students get a prorated award based on enrollment intensity: 9 credits against a 12-credit full-time load is 75%. Source · FSA Handbook 2026-27, Vol. 7 Ch. 2

Congress has not set the 2027-28 Pell maximum yet. If you file the 2027-28 form now, your SAI is final, but the dollar amount waits on that decision.

The 2026-27 rules changed who gets Pell

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed the 2026-27 FAFSA in ways that help some filers and cut off others. Source · APP-25-23

• Small family businesses and farms are out of the asset count again. The SAI excludes the net worth of a family business with 100 or fewer full-time employees, a family farm you live on, and a family commercial fishing business.
• High SAIs lose Pell. An SAI of 14,790 or more means no Pell for 2026-27.
• Foreign earned income counts. It is added back to income for the maximum and minimum Pell tests.
• Full outside funding stops Pell. Pell cannot be paid when non-federal grants and scholarships already cover the full cost of attendance.
• Workforce Pell exists. Short programs of 8 to 14 weeks can now qualify, including for some students who already hold a bachelor’s degree.

Loans, work-study and campus aid all need the FAFSA too

Filing is how you get any federal aid, not only Pell. Schools and most states also use your FAFSA to award their own grants.

Program	2026-27 amount	Who gets it
Federal Pell Grant	$740 to $7,395 a year	Undergraduates with financial need, by SAI
FSEOG	$100 to $4,000 a year	Pell recipients with the lowest SAIs first; not every school takes part
Federal Work-Study	No set minimum or maximum	Students with need, at participating schools; at least federal minimum wage
Direct Loans, dependent undergraduate	$5,500 (year 1) to $7,500 (year 3 and up)	Any eligible student; subsidized portion needs financial need
Direct Loans, independent undergraduate	$9,500 to $12,500	Same rules, higher limits

Loan limits drop in proportion when you enroll less than full time, under a rule that took effect July 1, 2026. Source · StudentAid.gov: OBBBA definitions

State and school deadlines come long before June 30

June 30 is only the federal cutoff. States set their own dates, and some pay until the money runs out.

For the 2027-28 form, Texas asks for your FAFSA by January 15, 2027 and California by March 2, 2027. Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon and Washington say to file as soon as possible after October 1, 2026. Source · StudentAid.gov: FAFSA deadlines

The stakes are real. NCAN estimates that the high school class of 2024 left almost $4.4 billion in Pell Grants unclaimed by not completing the FAFSA. Source · NCAN

See every state’s next date in our financial aid deadlines guide, and the grant each state pays in the state aid directory.

Adults 24 and older skip the parent section

If you’re 24 or older, you file as an independent student. For the 2027-28 form, that means you were born before January 1, 2004. Veterans, active-duty service members, married students and students who support a child are independent at any age. Source · StudentAid.gov: Dependency status

Independent students report only their own income, and a spouse’s if married. Parents’ income never enters the formula.

Frequently asked questions

Is it too late to file the 2026-27 FAFSA?

No. You can submit it until 11:59 p.m. Central time on June 30, 2027, and corrections run to September 12, 2027. Your school may set an earlier cutoff, so check with its aid office.

My income dropped after 2024. What can I do?

File the form with the tax year it asks for, then contact your school’s financial aid office. An aid administrator can adjust your FAFSA information for a job loss or other change. StudentAid.gov notes that the school’s decision is final and cannot be appealed to the Department.

Do I have to file every year?

Yes. Each FAFSA covers one award year, so you file again for each year you want aid.

Does filing the FAFSA sign me up for anything?

No. It sends your information to the schools you list and nowhere else. It does not enroll you in a school or commit you to a loan.

Your next step

Decide which form you need, then check what it could be worth before you file. The aid check shows your 2026-27 Pell range, state grant, campus aid and loan limits in about two minutes, before any email.