What are the most common errors made when applying for financial aid?
• Filing your application late. • Incorrect Social Security numbers – Please double check your FAFSA and CSS Profile to be sure the student’s Social Security number is correct. This is a common error and very time consuming to correct on the FAFSA. • Not using your legal name, from your Social Security card, when completing all financial aid forms. • Submitting illegible, incomplete, or unsigned federal tax returns • We want your estimate to be as accurate as possible. The most common reasons for an inaccurate estimate are: • Over-estimating the number of students in college. Only students enrolled at least half time in a degree or certificate-granting program may be included. In most cases, siblings in graduate school should not be included in the number of students in college or household. • Failing to report other untaxed income such as contributions to a 401K plan, an IRA or child support received. • Failing to include stepparent income. • Under-reporting the student’s assets. Any
