Notes for question 8 (page 3)
Enter your Social Security Number (SSN) as it appears on your Social
Security card. If you are a resident of the Freely Associated States (i.e., the
Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated
States of Micronesia) and were issued an identication number beginning
with “666” when submitting a FAFSA previously, enter that number here.
If you are a rst-time applicant from the Freely Associated States, enter
“666” in the rst three boxes of the SSN eld and leave the remaining six
positions blank and we will create an identication number to be used
for federal student aid purposes.
Notes for questions 14 and 15 (page 3)
If you are an eligible noncitizen, write in your eight- or nine-digit Alien
Registration Number. Generally, you are an eligible noncitizen if you are
(1) a permanent U.S. resident with a Permanent Resident Card (I-551); (2)
a conditional permanent resident with a Conditional Green Card (I-551C);
(3) the holder of an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department
of Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations:
“Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,” “Parolee” (I-94 conrms that you were
paroled for a minimum of one year and status has not expired), T-Visa
holder (T-1, T-2, T-3, etc.) or “Cuban-Haitian Entrant;” or (4) the holder of
a valid certication or eligibility letter from the Department of Health and
Human Services showing a designation of “Victim of human tracking.”
If you are in the U.S. and have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA), an F1 or F2 student visa, a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa,
or a G series visa (pertaining to international organizations), select “No, I
am not a citizen or eligible noncitizen.” You will not be eligible for federal
student aid. If you have a Social Security Number but are not a citizen or an
eligible noncitizen, including if you have been granted DACA, you should
still complete the FAFSA because you may be eligible for state or college
aid.
Notes for questions 16 and 17 (page 3)
Report your marital status as of the date you sign your FAFSA. If your
marital status changes after you sign your FAFSA, check with the
nancial aid oce at the college. Consistent with the Supreme Court
decision holding Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
unconstitutional, same-sex couples must report their marital status
as married if they were legally married in a state or other jurisdiction
(foreign country) that permits same-sex marriage, without regard to
where the couple resides.
Notes for questions 21 and 22 (page 3)
To be eligible for federal student aid, male citizens and male immigrants
residing in the U.S. aged 18 through 25 are required to register with the
Selective Service System, with limited exceptions. This requirement
applies to any person assigned the sex of male at birth. The Selective
Service System and the registration requirement for males preserve
America’s ability to provide resources in an emergency to the U.S.
Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard). For more
information about the Selective Service System, visit www.sss.gov.
Forms are available at your local U.S. Post Oce.
Notes for questions 33 (page 4)
and 81 (page 6)
If you led or will le a foreign tax return, a tax return with Puerto Rico,
another U.S. territory (e.g., Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, Swain’s Island or the Northern Marianas Islands) or one of the
Freely Associated States, use the information from that return to ll out
this form. If you led a foreign return, convert all monetary units to U.S.
dollars, using the exchange rate that is in eect today. To view the daily
exchange rate, go to www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/current.
Notes for questions 35 (page 4)
and 83 (page 6)
In general, a person is eligible to le a 1040A or 1040EZ if he or she
makes less than $100,000, does not itemize deductions, does not receive
income from his or her own business or farm and does not receive
alimony. A person is not eligible to le a 1040A or 1040EZ if he or she
makes $100,000 or more, itemizes deductions, receives income from
his or her own business or farm, is self-employed, receives alimony or
is required to le Schedule D for capital gains. If you led a 1040 only
to claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit or Lifetime Learning Tax
Credit, and you would have otherwise been eligible to le a 1040A or
1040EZ, answer “Yes” to this question. If you led a 1040 and were not
required to le a tax return, answer “Yes” to this question.
Notes for questions 38 (page 4)
and 87 (page 7) — Notes for those who led a 1040EZ
On the 1040EZ, if a person didn’t check either box on line 5, enter 01 if he
or she is single or has never been married, or 02 if he or she is married. If
a person checked either the “you” or “spouse” box on line 5, use 1040EZ
worksheet line F to determine the number of exemptions ($3,950 equals
one exemption).
Notes for questions 42 and 43 (page 4), 45j (page 5),
and 91 and 92 (page 7)
Net worth means current value minus debt. If net worth is negative, enter 0.
Investments include real estate (do not include the home in which you
live), rental property (includes a unit within a family home that has its
own entrance, kitchen, and bath rented to someone other than a family
member), trust funds, UGMA and UTMA accounts, money market funds,
mutual funds, certicates of deposit, stocks, stock options, bonds, other
securities, installment and land sale contracts (including mortgages
held), commodities, etc.
Investments also include qualied educational benets or education
savings accounts (e.g., Coverdell savings accounts, 529 college savings
plans and the refund value of 529 prepaid tuition plans). For a student
who does not report parental information, the accounts owned by the
student (and/or the student’s spouse) are reported as student investments
in question 42. For a student who must report parental information, the
accounts are reported as parental investments in question 91, including
all accounts owned by the student and all accounts owned by the parents
for any member of the household.
Money received, or paid on your behalf, also includes distributions to
you (the student beneciary) from a 529 plan that is owned by someone
other than you or your parents (such as your grandparents, aunts, uncles,
and non-custodial parents). You must include these distribution amounts
in question 45j.
Investments do not include the home you live in, the value of life
insurance, retirement plans (401[k] plans, pension funds, annuities, non-
education IRAs, Keogh plans, etc.) or cash, savings and checking accounts
already reported in questions 41 and 90.
Investments also do not include UGMA and UTMA accounts for which
you are the custodian, but not the owner.
Investment value means the current balance or market value of these
investments as of today. Investment debt means only those debts that
are related to the investments.
Business and/or investment farm value includes the market value of
land, buildings, machinery, equipment, inventory, etc. Business and/or
investment farm debt means only those debts for which the business or
investment farm was used as collateral.
Business value does not include the value of a small business if your
family owns and controls more than 50 percent of the business and the
business has 100 or fewer full-time or full-time equivalent employees.
For small business value, your family includes (1) persons directly related
to you, such as a parent, sister or cousin, or (2) persons who are or were
related to you by marriage, such as a spouse, stepparent or sister-in-law.
Investment farm value does not include the value of a family farm that
you (your spouse and/or your parents) live on and operate.
Notes for question 49 (page 5)
Answer “Yes” if you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or are
a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who is on active duty for other than
state or training purposes.
Answer “No” if you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who is on
active duty for state or training purposes.
Notes for question 50 (page 5)
Answer “Yes” (you are a veteran) if you (1) have engaged in active duty
(including basic training) in the U.S. Armed Forces, or are a National
Guard or Reserves enlistee who was called to active duty for other than
state or training purposes, or were a cadet or midshipman at one of the
service academies, and (2) were released under a condition other than
dishonorable. Also answer “Yes” if you are not a veteran now but will be
one by June 30, 2016.
Answer “No” (you are not a veteran) if you (1) have never engaged in
active duty (including basic training) in the U.S. Armed Forces, (2)
are currently an ROTC student or a cadet or midshipman at a service
academy, (3) are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee activated only for
state or training purposes, or (4) were engaged in active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces but released under dishonorable conditions.
Also answer “No” if you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces
and will continue to serve through June 30, 2016.
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Notes continued on page 9.
