Introduction to the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS)

You have arrived at the website for The School and Student Services (SSS by NAIS). One or more of the private schools you have applied to has sent you to this website to begin the financial aid application process. From this site, you may begin to fill out the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS). Based on the information you provide in the PFS, SSS will provide schools an estimated amount that your family can contribute to educational expenses. Schools use this "Estimated Family Contribution" as a guideline or starting point for making fair and objective financial aid decisions.

You may complete the PFS online or you may complete a paper version of the PFS, which schools can provide to you. Most schools will also require that you submit certain documents as backup. Each school sets deadlines by which you must submit your PFS and required documents, so be sure you are familiar with those dates. Below is a basic step-by-step guide to completing the full application process.

Is Your Family Eligible for Financial Aid? If so, How Much?

The best way to find out is to fill in the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS). The PFS is the cornerstone of the financial aid process for thousands of families and more than 2,400 private schools. It gathers in one place the relevant information about your family size, income, and expenses. Once you submit your PFS, schools use the results to calculate your financial need and determine the actual financial aid grant you’re eligible for. Because the PFS is a common application—meaning that it’s the same form many private schools use—you may only have to fill out the financial statement once to apply for aid at multiple schools for all your children.

Here’s how the PFS process works

1. Access the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) in Paper or Online
   
   If you want to fill out the form on paper, ask the schools to which you’re applying to send you a printed PFS. To complete your PFS online click on the “Apply Now” button in the upper right corner of this website. You’ll be prompted to start by creating your user name and password at the login page.
   
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   What’s the advantage of filling out your PFS electronically? Using PFS Online is:
   
   * Secure: Your information is password-protected.
   * Practical: You can fill out part of the PFS in one session and complete it later, as you have time.
   * Convenient: PFS Online is an interactive, adaptive application—meaning that the computer adjusts to ask only the questions that are pertinent to you.
   * Easy: Instructions and advice are available right on your computer screen.
   * Fast: Submitting online instead of by mail helps schools get your information sooner.
   * Cheaper: The fee for submitting the PFS is $35 online and $42 on paper. (These are flat fees, for as many schools as you’re applying to.) You can pay the application fee by credit card.
   
   
2. Complete the PFS.
   
   On the PFS, indicate all schools that should receive your information. This way, you only have to complete one form to apply for aid at several schools. The fee for submitting your PFS is the same no matter how many schools you want it sent to. However, if you think you can’t afford the fee, contact the school(s) about the SSS Fee Waiver Program. 
   
   Fill in all requested information. The PFS will ask you about family size, total income, savings, investments, indebtedness, medical and dental expenses, any unusual expenses, and other assets, such as home equity.
   
   Follow the step-by-step instructions along the way. If you are filling out the PFS in print, you can refer to the instruction booklet for more detailed help.  If you are completing the PFS online, click on the question mark icon next to each question for additional help and guidance.
   
   
   
   
   If you need more answers, call the toll-free Customer Service Center at (800) 344-8328 (Mon - Fri: 9am - 8pm EST, Sat: 9am -  4pm EST) or e-mail sss@nais.org.
   
   
3. Submit the completed PFS online  -- or mail it in -- by the deadline set by the schools to which you are applying.
   
   Be sure to submit it by the deadline at each school to which you’re applying. Once SSS by NAIS receives your PFS, it analyzes the information to estimate your family’s ability to contribute to educational expenses. If you submit the PFS online, SSS will immediately transmit, to the schools you indicate, the information you submitted and the SSS determination of how much you can pay. If you mail the PFS, schools will receive the results approximately 72 hours after the printed PFS is received by mail. As you seek to meet the school's deadline, please keep this processing time in mind -- in addition to 3-5 days it will take for the PFS to be delivered by the U.S. postal service.
   
   You may also view the "Report of Family Contribution - Family Report." Click here to read how.
   
   
4. Send in any additional documents required by the school.
   
   Completing the PFS is just one step in the overall process.  Most schools require additional documents, such as your most recent income tax return. Ask each school what documents it requires, where to send them, and by what deadline. Some schools have SSS collect documents on their behalf.

IF you have been instructed by the school(s) to which you are applying to send documents to SSS, use this address:
SSS By NAIS
P.O. Box 449
Randolph, MA 02368 USA
For overnight mail, use this address: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, 437 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA 02021 USA

Three important tips if you are sending required documents to SSS:
(1) Send your documents by mail -- not by e-mail or fax
(2) Use a cover sheet. Click here to find out how to access a cover sheet.
(3) Leave enough time that you will meet the school's deadline. U.S. postal service takes between 3-5 days to deliver mail. In addition, it takes up to 3-4 days for SSS to up to sort, label, scan, verify, and upload documents.

Click here for instructions on how to check on the receipt of documents that you mailed to SSS.

1. Schools make financial aid decisions and communicate them to you.
   
   Schools will contact you directly about final financial aid decisions. SSS does not determine the amount of financial aid you receive; each school makes that determination independently. Schools use the "Estimated Family Contribution" as a starting point for making their financial aid decisions. However, each school will have additional considerations such as its total overall financial aid budget, as well as policies specific to each school.