# What tax documents do you need for the FAFSA? Less than you think

[Home](/) / [Tax document checklists](/checklists/tax-documents) / FAFSA tax information

By [Arthur Teboul](/authors/arthur-teboul), Founder, DokuTrak. Published 2026-11-03, updated 2026-11-03.

> **In brief:** For the FAFSA, most tax documents now come straight from the IRS once you and each contributor give consent, so you need fewer papers than before ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). You still look up current bank and investment balances, child support received, and records for anyone who did not file a U.S. return.

## The checklist: FAFSA prep list for the 2027–28 school year

**Not advice.** This page is general information, not tax, legal or HR advice. Rules change: check the cited source and ask your own professional before you rely on it. Last reviewed October 25, 2026.

One list per student. Set up the accounts and consents once; the tax papers are 2025 ones; the balances are read on the day you submit, since the form asks for them as of that day.

### Accounts and consent

- [ ] StudentAid.gov account for the student and each contributor: Student, spouse, parent, and a parent’s spouse or partner if any
- [ ] Social Security card or number for each person: Used to match each contributor with IRS records
- [ ] Consent and approval from every contributor: Given online by each person; required even for non-filers
- [ ] Which parent reports, for divorced or separated families: The parent who gave more support in the past 12 months

### Tax records to keep on hand

- [ ] Copy of the 2025 federal return for each filer: For reference; the data itself comes from the IRS
- [ ] Forms W-2 for 2025 from each employer: Needed for any contributor who did not file a return
- [ ] Territory or foreign tax return: If a contributor filed in Puerto Rico, a territory or abroad
- [ ] Signed statement of non-filing for 2025: For a parent with wages but no filing duty, with the sources and amounts of income, if a school asks

### Assets as of the day you file

- [ ] Checking and savings statements: Current balances; leave out cash under $1,000
- [ ] Brokerage and other investment statements: Value and any debt; leave out retirement accounts
- [ ] Value and debt of real estate other than the home: Rental or second property, with the mortgage balance
- [ ] Value and debt of businesses and farms: Skip a family business of 100 or fewer full-time staff

### Other income and changes

- [ ] Child support received last calendar year: Court order or payment records
- [ ] Proof of a big change since 2025: For example a layoff letter or medical bills, for the aid office
- [ ] IRS tax return transcript: Only if a school asks; online or by mail
- [ ] Student’s Form 1098-T and scholarship letters: For the student’s own tax return, not the FAFSA

Download: [PDF](https://dokutrak.com/downloads/pseo-v2/f1-tax-document-checklists/fafsa.pdf) · [Word](https://dokutrak.com/downloads/pseo-v2/f1-tax-document-checklists/fafsa.docx) · [Excel tracker](https://dokutrak.com/downloads/pseo-v2/f1-tax-document-checklists/fafsa.xlsx)

## Which tax year the FAFSA asks about

The FAFSA looks back two years. This is the **prior-prior year**, which is the tax year two years before the school year starts. The 2027–28 form asks about 2025 income and taxes ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). The 2026–27 form used 2024 tax information ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)).

So a student starting college in fall 2027 uses the return the family filed in spring 2026. That return is usually done before the form opens. For the 2027–28 school year, you can apply from October 1, 2026 ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)).

| School year | Tax year used | Return filed in |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 to 2027 | 2024 ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)) | Spring 2025 |
| 2027 to 2028 | 2025 ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)) | Spring 2026 |

## What transfers from the IRS, and the consent it needs

The **FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange** is the secure link that sends tax data from the IRS to the FAFSA, often called FA-DDX. It removed the need for most families to type in income and tax figures ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)). Data that arrives this way counts as verified ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)).

The link works only with consent. The student and every contributor must give consent and approval for the transfer ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). If anyone refuses, the student is not eligible for federal student aid ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). A contributor gives consent even if they did not file a U.S. return ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)).

A **contributor** is anyone asked to give information on the form: the student, the student’s spouse, a parent, or a parent’s spouse or partner ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)). Each person who gives data in the online form needs their own StudentAid.gov account, even without an SSN ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, the application process](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch1-application-process-fafsa-isir)).

## What you still look up yourself

The IRS does not know your bank balance. Assets are entered by hand, as of the day you fill out the form. That is why the real checklist is about statements, not tax forms.

For cash, savings and checking, enter the current total, but leave out cash under $1,000 ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). For investments, the form asks for **net worth**, which is the value minus any debts owed against it ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). Leave out the home the student lives in and all retirement accounts ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)).

Some businesses are left out too. You do not include a family business with 100 or fewer full-time employees, or a farm where the family lives ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). Any other business or rental property needs a current value and the debt against it.

Child support is asked separately. Enter the total received for the last complete calendar year ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). Gather the court order or payment records so the number is easy to back up.

## Parents who did not file, or filed abroad

The data exchange only finds U.S. federal returns. If a contributor filed in Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory, the form asks for figures from that return ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). If they filed outside the U.S., the form points to a StudentAid.gov help page on foreign tax returns ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)).

Sometimes the IRS cannot find a person or share their data, such as after identity theft. That contributor then types in income and tax figures by hand ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)). Hand-entered data is not counted as verified, so a school may ask for proof later ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)).

For non-filers on the 2026–27 form, a school that verifies must ask for a W-2 for each source of 2024 pay and a signed statement that no 2024 return was filed or required ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, verification](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch4-verification-updates-and-corrections)). The 2027–28 form looks at 2025 ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)), so a parent with wages but no filing duty should keep the 2025 W-2s within reach.

## When a school asks for copies or a transcript

After you submit, a school may select your form for verification. The current handbook, for 2026–27, lets it ask for a signed copy of a foreign or territory return ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, verification](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch4-verification-updates-and-corrections)). For other cases, a **tax return transcript** is the IRS summary of most lines from the original return as filed ([IRS, Transcript types](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/transcript-types-and-ways-to-order-them)).

You can view and download a transcript in your IRS Individual Online Account, or order one by mail ([IRS, Transcript types](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/transcript-types-and-ways-to-order-them)). Mailed copies take 5 to 10 calendar days ([IRS, Transcript types](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/transcript-types-and-ways-to-order-them)). Keep a full copy of the [prior-year tax return](/documents/prior-year-tax-return) too, with every [W-2](/documents/w-2).

If your income dropped after the tax year the form uses, the form itself will not show it. Schools can adjust aid for special circumstances, such as loss of a job ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, special cases](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch5-special-cases)). Ask the financial aid office what they need, and send papers that show the change, such as a layoff letter.

## Questions people ask

### Do I need to upload my tax return to the FAFSA?

Usually no. With consent from you and each contributor, the IRS sends the tax data to the FAFSA directly ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)). A school may still ask for copies later if it selects you for verification.

### What tax year does the 2027–28 FAFSA use?

It uses 2025 income and tax information, the prior-prior year ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). You can submit it from October 1, 2026 ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)).

### What happens if a parent will not give consent?

The student will not be eligible for federal student aid until every required contributor gives consent and approval ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). A school cannot give consent on a parent’s behalf ([FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form)).

### Which parent goes on the FAFSA after a divorce?

The parent who gave more financial support in the past 12 months, even if the student does not live with them ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). If that parent has remarried, the stepparent’s information is included too ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)).

### Does the FAFSA check my bank account?

No. You enter current cash, savings and checking balances yourself, leaving out cash under $1,000 ([2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf)). Keep the statements in case the school asks.

## Sources

- [2027–28 FAFSA form](https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf): 2025 tax information; apply from October 1, 2026; consent from every contributor, even non-filers; asset rules ($1,000 cash, net worth, family business of 100 or fewer employees); child support; territory and foreign returns; which parent reports.
- [FSA Handbook 2026–27, the application process](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch1-application-process-fafsa-isir): Each person who provides data in the online FAFSA must have a StudentAid.gov account; people without an SSN can create one.
- [FSA Handbook 2026–27, filling out the FAFSA](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch2-filling-out-fafsa-form): The FA-DDX transfers FTI from the IRS and that data is verified; consent is required and cannot be given by partners; manual entry when the IRS cannot share data; 2026–27 uses 2024 tax data.
- [FSA Handbook 2026–27, verification](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch4-verification-updates-and-corrections): For 2026–27 verification: a signed copy of a foreign or territory return; for non-filers, a W-2 for each source of 2024 employment income and a signed statement that no 2024 return was filed or required.
- [FSA Handbook 2026–27, special cases](https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/application-and-verification-guide/ch5-special-cases): Aid administrators can use professional judgment for special circumstances such as loss of a job.
- [IRS, Transcript types](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/transcript-types-and-ways-to-order-them): A tax return transcript shows most lines of the original return; view it in the Individual Online Account or order by mail, delivered in 5 to 10 calendar days.

## More on this topic

- [Prior-year tax return](/documents/prior-year-tax-return)
- [Form W-2](/documents/w-2)
- [529 plan tax documents](/checklists/tax-documents/529-plans)
- [Bank statement](/documents/bank-statement)
- [Tax document checklist (all clients)](/blog/tax-document-checklist)

## About the author

Arthur Teboul (Founder, DokuTrak) is building DokuTrak after watching professionals lose hours chasing clients for documents over email. [Arthur Teboul](/authors/arthur-teboul).

How this page was made (methodology): it is built from the primary sources listed under Sources, and every rule and figure on it links to the source it comes from. Last updated October 25, 2026. Spotted an error or a rule that changed? [Contact us](/contact).

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