I got my pin, now what?

I am hoping that you have received your PIN from FAFSA and are ready for the next step.

The FAFSA is designed to help you and the university or college better understand your families financial situations.  In order to fill out the FAFSA form you will need to have your 2011 tax returns done or the ability to estimate what your 2011 taxes will be.  It is better to estimate your taxes sometimes instead waiting for them to be done.  Why?  Because FAFSA allocations are done on a first come first serves bases and when your families taxes are complete then you can and will have to put in the actual figures.

How do I estimate you might ask?  If you have a copy of your 2010 taxes it can be helpful to estimate your 2011 taxes if a lot has not changed.  Use your W-2 to help figure out your taxes.

Another question might be "Do I have to fill out  the FAFSA?"  No, but without a FAFSA filed you can not receive government financial aid, the Pell Grant, low interest government sponsored college loans, or some forms of work study.

So gather up your stuff and get to it.