If you are applying for financial aid for college in the U.S., you probably already know that you will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to have your eligibility for student aid considered.  But did you know that the 2017-18 FAFSA was released on October 1, 2016 - 3 months earlier than in years past? Another big change this year is that older, 2015 taxes will be required for FAFSA submission. The good news is that your application will not need to be updated with 2016 taxes after they're filed. Both changes were purportedly designed to make filing the FAFSA easier and less time-consuming; however, in order to ensure that your application is processed in a timely and accurate fashion, you still need to be careful to avoid these common FAFSA filing mistakes:

• Not completing the FAFSA because it is too difficult, or you're sure you won't qualify for student aid. Remember - the FAFSA not only determines federal grant awards, but also work-study opportunities, scholarships, and other available grant opportunities.
• Not setting up your FSA ID. You will need to establish a username and password to access the FAFSA web site, and complete your FAFSA application. In order to obtain this username and password (referred to as your FSA ID) you and your parent (for dependent students) will need to file online at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid.
• Listing only one college because you're concerned about colleges knowing which schools you've applied to for admissions. Colleges cannot see which schools you listed on the FAFSA, so enter as many as you are applying to, so you can be assured that your financial aid award package is applied to the appropriate school come decision time.
• Inputting incorrect information or leaving information off entirely. Believe it or not, students often enter in nicknames instead of their given name as printed on their Social Security Card; students forget to sign the FAFSA; students don't list their parental information; students don't read the directions carefully enough and list the wrong tax information or dependent details. Be sure to read everything carefully, and double check your entries before you submit the application for review.

For more information on these and other common FAFSA mistakes to avoid, visit http://blog.ed.gov/2016/09/12-common-fafsa-mistakes/. There are so many new and exciting challenges that college brings - securing financial aid doesn't have to be one of them. Start early, make sure your information is accurate and complete, and you will be on your way to financing college in no time.