Gather your materials.
The FAFSA form allows families to estimate their financial information using information from their federal tax returns. In order to complete the FAFSA, you will need to have the following information in hand:
Your Social Security Number and your parents’ Social Security Numbers if you are providing parent information
Your driver’s license number if you have one
Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen;
2009 federal tax information or tax returns (including IRS W-2 information) for yourself and spouse if you are married, and for your parents if you are providing parent information. If you have not yet filed a 2009 income tax return, you can still submit your FAFSA but you must provide income and tax information in the form of W-2 forms or other records of money earned.
Records of untaxed income, such as Social Security benefits, welfare benefits (e.g., TANF), and veterans benefits, for yourself, and your parents if you are providing parent information.
Information on mortgages and savings (bank statements), investments (stocks, bonds), and business and farm assets for yourself, and your parents if you are providing parent information.

   Go online and get your FAFSA PIN number.
When you attend the College Goal Sunday event, an advisor will help you fill out an electronic FAFSA form that you will then submit via the Internet. Before submitting the form, you must first digitally sign it using a PIN (Personal Identification Number), which is a unique identifier that is assigned to you by US Department of Education. If you don't already have a USDE PIN, you'll need to apply for one online here at the US Department of Education PIN Web Site. You will be able to view your PIN or have it emailed to you immediately. Remember, you will need to bring your PIN with you to the College Goal Sunday event!

   Check out the FAFSA4caster.
The new FAFSA4caster helps you to estimate how much federal student aid you might get and what your expected family contribution might be if you apply using a FAFSA. Setting up a FAFSA4caster account can also start your application process. Information from your account will be used to pre-fill your FAFSA, so your FAFSA will be that much easier to complete on College Goal Sunday.

You can also use the FAFSA Worksheet to get ready for College Goal Sunday. The FAFSA worksheet allows you to read and complete the kinds of questions that appear on the FAFSA, such as your social security number, highest school your parents completed, financial information. Having this information in advance can help you complete the FAFSA at the College Goal Sunday event.

New York’s College Goal Sunday is a service project of the New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association and the New York State Higher Education Services Corp., the state financial aid agency. It is funded through a generous grant from the Lumina Foundation and supported by funds from the federal College Access Challenge Grant.

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