First, you will need to decide whether you will file electronically on FAFSA on the Web or complete a paper FAFSA.

To complete FAFSA on the Web, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and click on "Before Beginning Your FAFSA." You will be guided step-by-step through the preliminary application process using the links below:

• Get documents you need
• Print a Pre-Application Worksheet
• Plan How to sign your FAFSA
• Speed the process with your PIN
• Establish your eligibility
• Note important deadlines

If you do not sign your FAFSA on the Web application electronically with a PIN, you, and your parents, if applicable, will need to print out, sign, and mail in a signature page with the proper signatures included within 14 days. Submitting a signature page will increase the time it takes to

• Process your application
• Transmit your application data to the schools you listed on your application

To complete a paper FAFSA, first obtain an application from: the school you plan to attend, a high school counselor, your local library, or by contacting the FSAIC at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). If you choose to fill out a paper form, use a pen with black ink. Also, dollar amounts should be rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Dates must be reported in numbers in the boxes provided, and numbers below 10 should have a zero in front. (For instance, April would be reported as 04.) Print clearly in capital letters and skip a space between words.

As you complete the FAFSA, you—and your parents, if applicable—should have the following records available to help you answer questions on the application:

• Your Social Security card

• Your driver's license

• Your Alien Registration Receipt Card (if applicable)

• Your W-2 Forms and other 2003 records of money earned

• Your 2003 income tax return (see the instructions for Questions 32-47 if you have not yet completed your tax return)

• Records of 2003 untaxed income including Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, and veterans benefits

• Records of child support paid

• Records of taxable earnings from Federal Work-Study or other need-based work programs

• Records of student grant, scholarship, and fellowship aid, including AmeriCorps awards, that was included in your (or your parents') AGI

• Stock, bond, and other 2003 investment records

• Business and farm records for 2003

• Current bank statements

A dependent student (as determined in Questions 48-54 ), should have all the records listed above from his or her parents except for their driver's licenses.

Be sure to read the information on the Privacy Act and use of your Social Security Number.