The FAFSA Form

The FAFSA® form starts with you, the student applicant, completing your information first, then you will invite your parent(s) or spouse, if applicable, to complete their section.

To complete the FAFSA® form each contributor will need:

1) An FSA ID. This is the username and password to complete your FAFSA® and to gain access to other federal financial aid sites. The FSA ID can be created online. Each individual contributing to the FAFSA® will need their own FSA ID. FSA ID’s cannot be shared.

2) Social Security number and date of birth.

3) Your driver's license (if any).

4) W-2 forms for the appropriate year and other records of any money earned.

5) Federal income tax return (if any). The FAFSA® will allow for a Direct Data Exchange with the IRS, as long as each contributor gives consent to this exchange of data. If consent is not given, the student is not eligible for financial aid. There may be certain situations in which the data cannot be exchanged and therefore you will need to enter the information manually. Please have on hand your Federal income tax return (if any) for the appropriate year including IRS Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, foreign tax return, or tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia.

6) Any untaxed income records for the appropriate year.

7) Records of any grants, scholarships, and fellowship aid that was included in your or your parents' adjusted gross income (AGI).

8) The amount of your current cash, checking, and savings.

9) Any current business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment records.

10) Any records indicating the amount of child support received for all children in the household.

11) Any records indicating that the parents and or student were eligible for SSI, SNAP, Free or reduced price lunch, temporary assistance for needy families, and WIC benefits for the years indicated on the FAFSA®.

12) Documentation that you are a U.S. permanent resident or other eligible non-citizen, if applicable.

13) If you are a ward of the court, in foster care, in a legal guardianship, or are an emancipated minor you will need to provide the financial aid office with a copy of legal documentation supporting your status.

The FAFSA® form must be signed by the student. If the student is a dependent student, then a parent must also sign the FAFSA® form. The student is dependent if parents are needed to provide their information on the student's FAFSA® form. The easiest and fastest way to sign the FAFSA® form is to do so electronically, using the Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. The student and parent must have their own FSA ID. FSA IDs cannot be shared.

An FSA ID can be created online.

If your original FAFSA® form was not signed, you may make a correction to your FAFSA® to add a signature.

If you have difficulty in receiving an FSA ID, or it appears that the ID is not working, please call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1.800.433.3243.

Save your FSA ID because it will be needed each year you apply for financial aid and students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID to access certain U.S. Education Department websites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents.

Your FAFSA® Submission Summary (FSS) summarizes the information you provided on your FAFSA®. It is important to review your FSS to make sure all of your information is correct and complete. If you provide an email address on the FAFSA®, your FSS will be sent by email within five days. If you do not provide an email address, your FSS will be mailed to you within three weeks.

The questions on the FAFSA® are used to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI measures your family's financial resources and is used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid. Your SAI will be listed on your FAFSA® Submission Summary (FSS). The SAI on your FSS will determine the amount of your Pell Grant and subsidized federal student loan eligibility. SAIs begin at -1500 and may be as high as a six digit number (100,000+).

If a SAI does not appear (SAI = blank), it may mean that the report is invalid. This may mean the FAFSA® is missing a signature (refer to How do I create an FSA ID) or if some information appears to be incorrect; for example, the reported taxes paid is equal to or is more than the reported income earned. If this is the case, you may make a correction to provide the missing signature or adjust any confusing data. Your FSS will indicate what is missing or which data may be confusing.

A SAI may appear on your FSS, but there may be some items that will need attention. These items will be listed on the FSS, and may include a discrepancy with the student's, parent’s name, Social Security number, or date of birth; proof of U.S. citizenship; the student having a federal loan in default, or the student having what the Department of Education thinks is an unusual enrollment history. Please check TheHub or contact the financial aid office to determine what documentation you need to provide to resolve each of these situations.

Your FSS will also notify you if you have been selected for the verification process by the U.S. Department of Education.

If you have any questions about your Student Aid Report or the status of your FAFSA® report, please call 1.800.433.3243.

There are several reasons why you would make a correction to your FAFSA® Submission Summary (FSS).

1) After reviewing your FSS you determine that some information needs to be corrected.
2) You may need to electronically sign the FAFSA® form.
3) You need to give consent to have your financial data directly imported to your FAFSA®.
4) The financial aid office requested that you make a correction to your FAFSA®. This may include information such as a parent's personal data.

To make a correction to your FAFSA® form, log into the FAFSA® website. Note the person’s data that needs to be corrected is the person that needs to log in with their FSAID. For instance, if a parent needs to correct a question in the parent section, then they must sign into the FAFSA®.

Once signed in (click on the Log In button in the Returning User section on the first page). After logging in you will see a link to make corrections. Follow the instructions and make the necessary corrections. Be sure to click on the Submit button to electronically sign the FAFSA® accepting the corrections. You will then receive a Congratulations message indicating that the corrections were saved and submitted for processing.

Hampshire College's financial aid office will receive a new FAFSA® including the corrected items within a few business days.

If you need assistance making corrections to your FAFSA®, please call 1.800.433.3243.

Tax filers may request a transcript of their tax return from the IRS, free of charge, by phone, online, or by paper mail. DO NOT send a transcript to the financial aid office unless we have specifically requested it.

Telephone Request: Call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946

Online Request: At this site you may request a transcript online or by mail. Be sure to request the Tax RETURN Transcript, not the tax account transcript. The online option will allow you to view, print, or download your transcript. If you want to request the transcript by mail, follow the instructions and the transcript will be sent within 10 days. 

Paper Request Form: IRS Form 4506T-EZ

1) Download from the IRS website.

2) Complete lines 1 through 4, following the instructions on page 2 of the form. Note that line 3 should be the most current address filed with the IRS. It is the address where the IRS Tax Return Transcript will be sent. If the address has recently changed, include the address listed on the latest tax return filed on line 4. However, if an address change has been completed through the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.

3) Line 5 provides tax filers with the option to have their IRS Tax Return Transcript mailed     directly to a third party by the IRS. DO NOT request that the transcript be sent directly to Hampshire College.

4) On line 6, enter the four-digit year of the tax return to you need. (Ex. 2022)

5) The tax filer (or spouse if requesting information from a joint tax return) must sign and date the form and enter their telephone number. Only one signature is required to request a transcript for a joint return.

6) Mail or fax the completed 4506T-EZ to the appropriate address or fax number listed on page 2 of the form.

7) Tax filers can expect to receive their transcript within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives and processes their signed request. Note: Processing form 4506T-EZ means verifying and validating the information provided on the form.

8) If any information does not match the IRS records, the IRS will notify the tax filer that it was not able to provide the transcript.

If you are having difficulty requesting a transcript:

You may send us a SIGNED copy of the actual IRS tax return and all schedules, signed by the appropriate tax filer.

Be sure the form is signed by using a pen on the Sign Here line. Send us the first 2 pages of the tax return.

Write the name and/or the college ID number of the student on all pages.

NOTE: the transcript will have data printed on both sides of each page. If you are faxing or copying the transcript, be sure to include both sides of each page.

Upload documents:

1) Log on to TheHub. 

2) Under Financial Aid Information, click on "My Financial Aid." 

3) Click on Menu and select My Documents & Messages. 

4) Find document needed from the My Documents List. 

5) Click on upload it now!

FAX:

413.559.5585

Mailing Documents:

Financial Aid Office, Hampshire College, 893 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002-3359

*DO NOT EMAIL the transcript to the financial aid office.