By electronically signing FAFSA on the Web or signing a PDF or paper FAFSA, you also give permission to the state financial aid agency to which information is being sent to obtain income tax information for all persons required to report income and for all periods reported on this form. Finally, by electronically signing FAFSA on the Web or signing a PDF or paper FAFSA, you are certifying that the data you are providing the Secretary of Education is true and accurate as of the date signed. The Higher Education Act provides that the Secretary can verify certain student and parental data with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other federal agencies to insure its accuracy.

You cannot submit a 2009-10 FAFSA on the Web application before January 1, 2009. Nor should you sign, date or mail a PDF or FAFSA before January 1, 2009. Note, that if you sign and submit the FAFSA before that date, we will process it (put it in the system), but you will receive a rejected SAR that you must sign and submit.

Understanding the proper use of a PIN

You should not share your PIN with anyone—even if that person is helping you complete the application—nor should your parents share their PINs with anyone. In addition, only the person providing the data should sign the application. Note that if you (or a parent, if you are dependent) sign electronically any document related to the Federal Student Aid Programs using a PIN, you certify that you are the person identified by that PIN and have not disclosed that PIN to anyone else. Revealing the PIN could make the PIN holder susceptible to identity theft.

Alternatives to a parental signature

Although parental information must be provided for a dependent student, a high school counselor or a postsecondary school's financial aid administrator (FAA) may sign the application in place of your parents in the following limited cases:

• Your parents are not currently in the U.S. and cannot be contacted by normal means.



• Your parents' current address is not known.



• Your parents have been determined physically or mentally incapable of providing a signature.

Your parents' unwillingness to sign the FAFSA or provide financial information is not, in and of itself, a reason for the FAA to sign your FAFSA in place of them.

If your counselor or FAA signs the PDF or paper FAFSA in place of your parents, he or she should provide his or her title when signing and briefly state the reason (only one reason is needed) why he or she is signing for your parents. By signing your application, however, your counselor or FAA does not assume any responsibility or liability in this process. If a financial aid office finds any inaccuracies in the information reported, you will have to submit corrections on paper, on the Web or through the financial aid office.

If you complete a FAFSA on the Web application and need a counselor to sign in place of your parent, you will need to either print a signature page or wait to receive a SAR. (Note, however, that waiting for a SAR will delay the processing of the application.)

107-109. Preparer's name/Social Security number (SSN)/signature and date. If you or your family paid a fee to someone to fill out your FAFSA, or advise you as to how to fill it out, that person must provide his or her Social Security number or Employment Identification Number (EIN) on the FAFSA on the Web, and on the paper FAFSA. That person must also sign and date the form.