Teacher's Manual
Page 23
Overhead 11
Common Errors on FAFSA
1. Leaving a field blank. If the answer is zero, write 0.
2. Using a nickname. Use your legal name as it appears on your Social
Security card.
3. The word "You" and "Yours" refer to the student, not the parent.
4. A legal dependent is a person for whom you provide and will continue to
provide more than half of their support.
5. If you have an unborn child, and that child will be born before or during the
award year (July 1 through June 30) and that child will receive more than
half of his or her support from you, then that child should be counted as a
member of the household.
6. Remember to count yourself, the student, as one of the people who will be
college students during the award year.
7. If your parents are separated or divorced, the parent with whom you lived
the most during the past twelve months is the parent responsible for filling
out the FAFSA.
8. Prepaid tuition plans are not reported as assets on the FAFSA.
9. If you are required to register for Selective Service and have not
registered, you will not be eligible for federal student aid.
10. Do not include any additional information with the FAFSA. Relay
additional information to the school's financial aid administrator.
