🎓FAFSA NavigatorThe parents' walkthrough
Families

The FAFSA is free. Getting it wrong isn't.

Divorced parents, a small business, a grandparent helping, a 529 in someone else's name — the form has a rule for each, and the wrong answer can cost thousands in aid. Describe your family in your own words. You get who fills in what, what counts, what doesn't, and the deadlines — before you open studentaid.gov.

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Free walkthrough

Describe your family.

Who the student lives with, parents' marital status, who works where, anything you own, anything unusual. No numbers needed yet.

Free. Takes a few seconds.

Why this exists

Families leave billions in aid unclaimed — mostly by not filing, or filing wrong.

The form is free at studentaid.gov. The rules about who counts, what counts and when are where families lose money. This is the walkthrough before the form.

How it works

Before you open the form.

01

Describe the family

Who the student lives with, who's divorced or remarried, who's self-employed, what you own.

02

Get the walkthrough

Who's a 'contributor' and needs an FSA ID, what counts as income and assets (and what doesn't), the deadlines.

03

File with confidence

A checklist of documents and the five mistakes to avoid — then studentaid.gov, free.

Plans

The walkthrough is free. The full guide is $9 — less than one college application fee.

Schools and counsellors license it for every family in the senior class.

Parents & School Pass
$19per year

Every school and kids tool — IEP and 504 letters, bullying reports the school must act on, meals and fee waivers, scholarships, FAFSA, child support estimates.

  • All school & kids tools, full versions
  • Letters in English and Spanish
  • Cancel any time

All prices in USD, handled by Stripe. The free walkthrough never goes behind a paywall.

Common questions

Is this the actual FAFSA form, or do I still have to go to studentaid.gov?

FAFSA Navigator is not the form itself — it's a plain-English walkthrough that explains what the FAFSA will ask you, based on how you describe your family. You still file the real FAFSA at studentaid.gov. Rules change yearly, so confirm anything that matters there or with the school's financial-aid office.

Is it really free, and is what I type saved anywhere?

The first walkthrough is free, as stated in the tool's description. The material provided doesn't specify what happens to what you paste, so if that matters to you, don't include anything you're not comfortable typing until you've confirmed the tool's data practices directly. Never pay any site to file the FAFSA itself.

My parents are divorced, I have a small business, or a grandparent helps with money — will this tell me exactly what to put?

That's exactly the kind of situation the tool is built for — describe your family in your own words and you'll get who fills in what, what counts as income or assets, and what doesn't, for a case like a divorce, a business, or a 529 owned by someone else. But it's explaining the rules, not filing anything for you, and rules change each award year. Confirm anything that matters at studentaid.gov or with the school's financial-aid office.

Do I need an FSA ID, and who in my family needs one?

The walkthrough tells you who in your household must create an FSA ID as part of describing your family's situation. It's plain-English guidance, not the form, so treat it as a starting point. Confirm the current FSA ID requirements at studentaid.gov.

What are the deadlines — federal and Florida?

FAFSA Navigator's walkthrough includes both the federal and Florida deadlines for your situation. Because deadlines and rules change each award year, verify the exact dates at studentaid.gov and with your state and school before you rely on them.

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Built by the same team, free to try.