The next section will guide you step-by-step through the application questions. If you are using FAFSA on the Web, you will be asked to either key in your answers or use the drop-down-menus to select your answers as you progress through the Web site. If you are filing a paper FAFSA, tear out the four-page application and use the remaining instruction pages as a guide as you fill in the answers to each question.

If you are completing FAFSA on the Web, you will notice that some of the questions do not appear in the same numerical order as they do on the paper FAFSA. For reference, the number of the paper FAFSA question is shown in parentheses behind the online question.

FAFSA on the Web offers the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet. For ease of data entry into the FAFSA on the Web site, we recommend that you print a copy of this worksheet and answer the questions on the worksheet prior to submitting the data on FAFSA on the Web.

FAFSA on the Web filers may be able to skip some questions based on their answers to earlier questions. You might qualify if, for example, you (and your parents, if you are a dependent student) don't have income over a certain amount and filed, or were eligible to file, an IRS Form 1040A or 1040EZ (that is, not required to file an IRS Form 1040). You should go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to find out if you can skip certain questions. Note that even if you do qualify, some states and schools require this information anyway.