Everything You Need To Know About Your FAFSA Pin Number

Each passing year, FAFSA provides around a whopping $120 billion in low-interest loans, work-study, and grants to more than 13 million students who officially filled out the form for the federal government-authorized financial aid, Federal Student Aid.

You can enjoy this financial study aid from the respected U.S. Department of Education without hassle if you keep your designated FAFSA PIN/FSA ID handy. Hence, to ensure you can use your pin number effectively, everything you need to know about this vital ID as an Arizonian student who wants to enroll in this aid is discussed below. So, do keep on reading to know more!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY FAFSA PIN NUMBER?

Federal Student Aid ID or FSA ID is the new name given to the FAFSA PIN/Pin Number and has been actively used in Arizona since 2015. To fill up the FAFSA application form, you need a federal government-assigned personal identification number to access the associated government website (studentaid.gov). Your FAFSA Pin Number is your federal government-assigned personal ID and it acts as your electronic signature which can also be used during the form submission process.

OTHER USES OF YOUR FAFSA PIN NUMBER

Here are some other uses of your FSA ID that you need to be familiar with to enjoy all the benefits that this student aid has to offer:

* For making corrections in your FAFSA (visit www.fafsa.ed.gov)
* For getting updates on your FAFSA status (visit www.fafsa.ed.gov)
* For reviewing your past federal student aid (visit www.nslds.ed.gov)
* For signing online all required federal student loan contracts

PLEASE NOTE: You can checkout www.pin.ed.gov/pin_uses.htm if you are interested in learning more on the other uses of your FAFSA PIN

HOW TO OBTAIN YOUR FAFSA PIN NUMBER?

The process to obtain your personal FAFSA PIN will be the same irrespective of the U.S. state you are applying from. Firstly, you have to visit the official U.S. Department of Education website for applying for Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov). After that, you need to create an account.

Your account gets activated after the website receives the necessary information and verifies your identity. Once it is activated, your FSA ID or FAFSA PIN will be provided to you instantly. So, it will be your username and password combination and also your electronic signature that will easily and successfully allow you to access your account and fill up the necessary legal document to receive this aid while studying in Arizona.

Alternatively, you can also visit www.pin.ed.gov to get your FAFSA Pin number. There, you will be provided with 2 options:

* Generating your PIN on your own
* Letting the site generate your PIN on your behalf

If your PIN is created by the site, you can receive it either via mail or email. The email will also hold the information on the federal government-authorized site that you need to visit for accessing the pin number.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not receive your pin number directly if you choose to receive it via email for security reasons. You will be asked to identify yourself by providing your registered personal information and the FAFSA PIN will be shown to you after this verification process. Please note it down and keep it safe and handy.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR YOUR FAFSA PIN NUMBER?

To apply for this pin number or personal identification number, you are required to submit certain valid information required by the U.S. Department of Education website. So, before logging in, keep the following at hand:

* Your correct and full first name
* Your middle initial
* Your correct and full last name
* Your date of birth
* Your Social Security number
* Your current street address
* Your e-mail ID (only if you want to communicate and stay updated via emails)

DOES YOUR PARENT ALSO NEED A FAFSA PIN NUMBER?

Based on your requirements from the Federal Student Aid, you might need to input your parent’s/guardian’s name on the FAFSA that you will be filling up and submitting using your unique FSA ID or FAFSA PIN. Hence, in such a case, your parent might need his/her very own PIN authorized by the federal government. Using this PIN, your parent can access your FAFSA and use it to sign the application online. If you have siblings, your parent can use this same PIN to sign their FAFSAs as well.

PLEASE NOTE: You can check out www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/pubs if you want to omit your parent’s information from your application (Am I Dependent or Independent?). You can also ring up 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) for the same.

DO YOU HAVE TO UPDATE/RENEW YOUR FAFSA PIN NUMBER AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR?

Both your and your parent’s FAFSA PIN will remain valid for the next school/college year as well. So, there is no requirement for any updating or renewal of your FSA ID. Even if you need to renew your FAFSA long after the end of your school year during which you receive your pin number, you can use the same ID number. It will be valid for signing loan contracts later on as well.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU FORGET OR MISPLACE YOUR FAFSA PIN NUMBER?

Please keep your FSA ID safe and do not share it with anyone. As it acts as your e-signature and is connected to your Social Security number, please take proper precautions to protect it effectively. Now, if by chance you forgot or misplaced your PIN, here is what you need to do:

* Log in to the official website of Federal Student Aid and tap/click on “Forgot Password”/”Forgot Username” as per your specific issue
* A new page will open up and you have to enter the correct/valid/registered information asked for identity verification purposes
* Once your personal information is verified, the process to reset your FSA ID username or password will be provided to you in your registered email
* Follow the process as per the instruction provided by the site and you will be provided with a new FSA ID username and password

FINAL WORD

You have come to the conclusion of this guide, and hopefully, you now know everything you wanted to know about your FAFSA Pin Number. Use what you learned here to acquire your FSA ID as an Arizonian student properly and quickly. If you require more assistance, do visit the official website of Federal Student Aid.