FAST General FAQ

Deadline dates are established by the school. Deadlines can be typically found on the main application screen under Start/Resume Application. If no deadline dates are reflected, we do suggest contacting the School directly to ensure that applications are still being accepted.

Gathering the necessary information to complete this form is similar to gathering information to complete your taxes. Once you have collected all your financial information, it should take approximately 45 minutes to complete this application. You do not have to complete everything at one time. You may log out of the application and come back at a later time, using 'Resume Application' and logging in with your username and password.

If you start a section and are unable to complete it at that time, or do not know an answer to a question, you may place the field on hold by entering a question mark (?) in the field. You may then return later to enter data in those fields placed on hold. All fields within each section must have an amount or a question mark in order for the system to save the information for a later time.

Once all sections have been fully completed, the application can be submitted.

If your application is set up as a Two Household situation, both household's respective portions will have to be completed entirely before the application can be submitted

If you are divorced or separated, each parent needs to file a separate but linked application. To do this, we ask that one parent begin the process by clicking on the Start Application button on the opening page. From now on, you will be referred to as Family 1 in a Two Household Application.

This designation has no significance with respect to financial responsibility. It only indicates who initiated the application.

After answering a few questions about family structure and custody, you will be asked to provide an email address for the other parent, who then becomes known as Family 2. If there is no other parent living, or if there is a reason why the other parent can't be contacted, explain those circumstances in the box provided.

If you have been designated Family 2, you will receive an email that contains a link to create your own confidential username and password. Family 1 does not have access to your username and password, or your information, and vice versa.

The FAST application can only process multiple applicants who share biological/adoptive parents. If applicants share only one biological/adoptive parent,please fill out a separate application for each applicant.

If you are divorced, separated, widowed, or never married, once you reach the Application Setup section of the FAST application, you will answer the following question as 'No': Is Your Family Comprised of Two Biological and/or Adoptive Parents Who Reside in the Same Household and Have Sole Custody of All Applicants?

By selecting No, that indicates that it is a Two Family scenario, and you will then be asked to provide an email address for the other parent/guardian, who then becomes known as Family 2. If there is no other living parent, or if there is another reason why the other parent can't be contacted, you will have the opportunity to explain in the box provided in lieu of entering an email address.

The person designated as Family 2 will receive an email invitation which will allow them to create their own FAST account and complete their portion of the FAST application. You will not have access to Family 2's account, and vice versa. When Family 2 accepts the invitation, the applications from both households will be appropriately linked.

Only authorized ISM staff members and authorized administrators at the school to which you are applying have access to your information. This access enables the FAST staff to assist you in resolving any issues that may arise. In the case of divorced or separated families, all information is kept separate. Spouses who are separated can not access one another's confidential information.

There is only one fee required to submit a Two Family application. It is up to you and Household 2 to decide who will pay the application fee. Only after Family 1 and Family 2 have completed their respective applications can payment be made. The Application Status page located near the bottom of the navigation bar within your application displays which sections have been completed by each family, so you can easily determine whether payment can be made to submit the application, or not.

Notes/Other Circumstances:

If you are a foster parent, please establish the application as a Two Family application (select NO for the question that asks 'Is your family comprised of two biological and/or adoptive parents who reside in the same household and have sole custody of all applicants?') and enter information in the field provided as to why the biological parents cannot participate in the application process. This will allow you to complete the application with solely your household’s information.

If a grandparent of the applicant(s) is financially supporting the household, but does not reside in the same household as the applicant, please set up the application as a Two Family application (select NO for the question that asks 'Is your family comprised of two biological and/or adoptive parents who reside in the same household and have sole custody of all applicants?'). Then, enter an email address for the supportive grandparent, who will become Family 2.

If a grandparent of the applicant(s) is financially supporting the household, and resides in the same household as the applicant, please set up the application as a One Family applicationand add the grandparent as an Adult in the Household. (Select YES for the question that asks 'Is your family comprised of two biological and/or adoptive parents who reside in the same household and have sole custody of all applicants?')

If Household 2 does not respond to the initial email invitation, it is possible for Household 1 to resend the email invite by clicking into Application Setup in your application navigation bar and clicking 'Resend Link'.

If you entered Household 2's email incorrectly and they have not accepted the invitation as of yet, you also have the ability to edit the email address in the Application Setup section. If Household 2 has already accepted the invitation, please contact Customer Service for further assistance.

If Household 2 is uncooperative with the application process, and you have received approval to remove them from the application by the organization to which you are applying, you may do so by clicking into Application Setup in your application navigation bar and deleting the email address previously provided. Then, you will enter an excuse as to why Household 2 will not be participating in the box provided, which will allow you to proceed solely with your household's information.

When you click on a field, there is a Help Bubble to explain what information is needed for that field. A summary of the information is listed in the downloadable worksheet on the Navigation bar. If you still have questions, contact our Call Center at 1-877-326-3278 or email help@ismfast.com.

FAST only saves information from completed sections. Please see instructions in the previous FAQ box on how to make sure a section is completed prior to closing out of the unfinished application.

If, for example, you are working on Income, you need to complete the entire section in order for that information to be saved.

Line 512 provides an area in which you can include additional information about your assets. You also have the ability to add additional information in the Liabilities (Line 558), Income (Line 610) and Expenses (Line 718) areas to help you clarify any of your answers. In addition, there is space provided in the Letter/Agreement section of the application to include any information you feel is pertinent.

Yes, you do. On lines 601 and 601b we ask you to list your gross wages before any deductions are taken.

Once your application has been submitted, supporting documentation is required for verification purposes. The Quick Processing Wizard, which is available to you after payment has been made, will walk you through a series of questions to help provide you with a detailed list of what documents are needed, based on how you file your taxes. Documents that are typically required may include, but are not limited to: Federal Taxes, State Tax Forms, W2 forms from your employer and Business Taxes. There may be some additional documents required by your school that may be requested as well. For Canadian families, documents that are typically required may include, but are not limited to: T1 General Form and supporting schedules, T4 Slips, Business Taxes and CRA Notice of Assessment.

If a family does not file taxes, we accept Social Security Benefit Statements, Disability Benefit Statements, or Unemployment Statements. If the family does not have any of these forms, they will need to contact the school directly to inform them of their situation to see which documents the school wishes for them to submit in place of the required tax documents

Those who do not file U.S. taxes should have their tax forms translated to English and all financials converted to USD (U.S. Dollars). Oftentimes, a letter from their employer(s) stating their annual income for the specific tax year the school requires is also requested. Business owners should provide an annual statement for the required tax year (translated to English and US dollars). If a family is unable to provide these forms, which are required, the family would need to contact the school to see how to proceed.

1. Go to the top right hand corner for the menu button which looks like 3 lines going down.
2. Click on More Tools
3. Click on Extensions
4. If the first option has a check mark next to enable (should be some sort of ad block program), click on the check mark to remove it.
5. Log out of your application and log back in and all portions will now appear.

This error message will appear only when attempting to submit your payment if the application is a two family application and both portions are not completed. If you are applying in a two family situation, both 'Family 1' and 'Family 2' need to complete their portions of the application before payment can be made for this application. Only one payment of the FAST application fee will be required to cover both portions of the application.

Absolutely not! We take security very seriously and confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us. Your e-mail address will never be shared with anyone but the school to which you are applying.

Click Resume Application and then choose 'Forgot Username/Password'. Enter the email address used for the FAST application, which will prompt an email containing a password reset to be sent to that specific email address. Due to security reasons, the password reset link will not be sent to any other email address except for the one listed on file.

The non-refundable FAST application fee may be paid with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. If you do not have any of the mentioned cards, please contact your school directly for any payment alternatives they may have, if any.

Please make sure all portions of the application are completed. If you are experiencing a blank screen on the payment page, that is indicative that the screen has timed out, for security purposes. Please log out of your application and log back in, in order to make payment.

If your application has been set up as a Two Family application, both portions will have to be completed entirely before payment can be made.

Once you complete an application in the FAST system and pay the non-refundable FAST application fee, you will receive an email to the email address used on the application with instructions on how to apply to additional schools that use our services only.

When using the PIN email provided, 95% of the information is carried over except for any fields that may be specific to the additional school. There will be a reduced fee of $10.00 USD per every additional application; however, the PIN instructions must be followed in order to receive the reduced fee.

Once a school is selected from the drop-down menu, the only way to access it again for that financial aid year is by logging in through that specific schools website using the same username and password as the first submitted application. Please note that FAST does not transfer documents to each application submitted so a new tax submission will be required.

Before Submitting Your Application:

You will still have access, on your end, to correct any answers until payment is submitted. Once the application has been completed and payment has been made, if you feel you still need to make a correction, please follow the instructions in the next section.

After Submitting Your Application:

You may request changes to your submitted application, by following these instructions:

• Go to your school's Web site to access the FAST link
• Click 'Resume Application' and enter your username and password
• On the Post Application Features screen, follow the 'Request Correction' link
• Enter your edit providing as much detail as possible and send

Your information is immediately uploaded to the school. Once the requested tax information is received it will be verified and the recommended award will then be available to the school. Award decisions, however, may not be made until all applications are submitted and verified. Your school will notify you directly regarding the financial aid decision. Awards are often contingent upon the funds available and the number of families requesting aid. Any inquiries you may have regarding Financial Aid determination should be directed to your school.

You may check the status of the tax documents by following these steps:

• Go to your school's website and access the FAST link from there (usually found under Admissions or Financial Aid)
• Click the FAST link 'RESUME APPLICATION'
• Log in using the username and password you have created.
• The POST APPLICATION screen should appear which displays your current tax status.

Awards are based not only on need, but are also affected by the funds your school has available. This means that even though you may qualify for more aid, a school's financial condition might limit what it can offer. Any questions regarding award decisions must be directed to the school. Our 24/7 Help line does not have access to any award decisions or calculations.

Authorized personnel at the school to which you are applying and FAST employees who need to handle your application are the only ones with access to your records.