2025-2026 FAFSA missing income questions but asking about assets - what happened?

You're not missing anything! The 2025-2026 FAFSA has been completely redesigned. The income information is now pulled directly from the IRS using the data you authorized when you created your FSA ID and signed in. That's why you're only manually entering asset information - the system already has your AGI and other tax information directly from your tax return. It's part of the new "streamlined" process they implemented. Just make sure you're entering the asset information correctly since that's still required.

yep this happened to me too with my sons application! freaked me out at first lol. but its pulling the income stuff straight from IRS now. one less thing we gotta manually enter i guess?

The 2025-2026 FAFSA uses direct data exchange with the IRS through the Federal Data Services Hub. When you provided consent during login, you authorized this transfer. The system imports your Adjusted Gross Income, taxes paid, and specific schedules from your tax return. To view what data was imported: 1. Go to the "Review & Submit" section 2. Look for "IRS Data Used" tab or section 3. You should see a summary of your imported tax data If your financial situation has changed significantly since your imported tax information, you'll need to contact each school's financial aid office after submitting the FAFSA to request a Professional Judgment review (sometimes called a Special Circumstances review).

My niece just did her FAFSA and we had the same confusion! The financial aid office told us they're using the 2023 tax year for the 2025-2026 FAFSA. weird that they go back so far but thats how they do it i guess

I've been having TERRIBLE trouble with the IRS data retrieval part of the new FAFSA. It keeps saying it can't find my tax return even though I definitely filed. Been trying to call Federal Student Aid for THREE DAYS and can't get through - constant busy signals or disconnects after waiting for 2+ hours. Finally used Claimyr to get through to an actual agent (claimyr.com). Their service connected me to FSA in about 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed that if the IRS retrieval fails, you should still submit the FAFSA and then immediately contact each school's financial aid office to explain the situation. They'll give you instructions for providing tax documentation directly to them.

THIS IS WHY THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!! They pull data from 2 YEARS AGO to determine aid for NEXT year?!!! How does that make ANY sense??? My husband lost his job 8 months ago and now we look like we're making WAY more than we actually are. The whole FAFSA system is DESIGNED to deny aid to families who actually need it. And you can't even talk to a real person without waiting for HOURS. Such garbage.

Just finished my daughter's FAFSA last week and was wondering the same thing! The new system is definitely different. My collegue at work said her son got way more aid with the new formula, so maybe this is actually better? Has anyone compared their SAI from previous years to see if it's better or worse with the new system?

Update: I'm back with a quick follow-up. I finally completed and submitted the FAFSA. I found the review section where I could see all the imported tax data before submitting. It was accurate (pulled from our 2023 return), but like I mentioned, we had unusual circumstances that year. I've started contacting the financial aid offices at each school on my daughter's list to request professional judgment reviews. So far, two schools have sent me their special circumstances forms asking for documentation of our current income. It's extra paperwork but better than having her aid calculated on misleading information. Thanks everyone for helping clarify how the new system works!

Glad you got it sorted out! For anyone else reading this thread who might be dealing with similar issues, here are a few additional tips: 1) The FAFSA opens October 1st each year, so try to complete it as early as possible since some aid is first-come-first-served, 2) If you're self-employed or have complex tax situations, the IRS data retrieval might not capture everything accurately - definitely flag this with financial aid offices, and 3) Keep copies of all your documentation because you might need to verify information later. The new streamlined process is definitely an adjustment, but once you understand how it works, it's actually pretty efficient!

As someone who just went through this process with my son's FAFSA, I wanted to add that the new IRS data retrieval system is definitely a huge improvement once you understand it! The confusion is totally normal - I spent an hour looking for income fields that weren't there. One thing I'd recommend is double-checking that your FSA ID is linked to the correct Social Security number, because that's how the system matches your tax data. Also, if you filed an amended return for 2023, the IRS data might not reflect those changes, so you'll want to mention that to the financial aid offices when you contact them about your special circumstances. The system isn't perfect, but it does eliminate a lot of the manual data entry errors we used to see with the old FAFSA.

Just went through this exact same confusion with my twin daughters' FAFSAs last month! I was panicking thinking I'd somehow skipped the most important section. The automatic IRS data pull is definitely a game-changer, but I wish they explained it better upfront. One thing I learned that might help others - make sure you've actually filed your 2023 taxes before starting the FAFSA, because if the IRS doesn't have your return processed yet, the data retrieval will fail and you'll be stuck manually entering everything anyway. Also, if you're married filing separately or have any non-standard tax situations, double-check what data actually got pulled because it might not capture everything correctly. The system has definitely improved from the old days of manually transcribing tax line items, but the learning curve for parents is real!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a complete newcomer to the FAFSA process (my oldest is a junior in high school), and I've been dreading dealing with all the financial paperwork. It's actually reassuring to learn that the new system pulls most of the tax information automatically - that sounds way less error-prone than manually entering everything. I do have a question though: if the system is pulling 2023 tax data for the 2025-2026 school year, when should I plan to start the application? Should I wait until after I file my 2024 taxes, or does it not matter since they're using the older data anyway? Also, for those who've been through this - any other "gotchas" or surprises I should prepare for as a first-time FAFSA parent?

As a newcomer to this whole process, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who's shared their experiences here! I was completely lost when I started my son's FAFSA and couldn't figure out why there were no income questions. Reading through this thread has been like getting a crash course in the new system. The automatic IRS data retrieval makes so much more sense now, and I feel way less anxious about potentially messing something up by entering tax information incorrectly. I'm definitely going to create our FSA IDs early and make sure I understand how to access that review section to verify what data gets pulled. It's such a relief to know that other parents were just as confused initially - sometimes you feel like you're the only one who doesn't understand these things!

As someone completely new to the FAFSA process, this thread has been a lifesaver! I was just about to start my daughter's application and would have been totally panicked when I didn't see any income questions. It's actually pretty clever that they're pulling tax data directly from the IRS now - seems like it would eliminate a lot of transcription errors that probably happened with the old system. My main concern is making sure I understand the timeline correctly. If they're using 2023 tax data for 2025-2026 aid, and we had some unusual income that year, should I go ahead and submit the FAFSA first and then contact schools about special circumstances? Or should I try to address the special circumstances before submitting? I don't want to delay her application, but I also want to make sure the schools have accurate information about our current financial situation.

As a complete newcomer to this process, I can't thank everyone enough for this incredibly helpful thread! I'm just starting to research the FAFSA for my daughter who's a high school junior, and I had no idea about any of these changes. The automatic IRS data retrieval actually sounds like a huge improvement over manually entering all that tax information - I'm sure I would have made mistakes transcribing numbers. I'm curious though - for those of you who've completed the new FAFSA, roughly how long did it take compared to the old system? I'm trying to plan when to block out time for this, and it sounds like the asset questions are still manual entry, but everything else is streamlined. Also, is there a good resource for understanding what types of assets need to be reported? I want to make sure I'm prepared with the right information when the time comes.

As a newcomer to this whole FAFSA process, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm just getting started with my son's application and was completely bewildered when I opened the form and couldn't find any income questions. I kept thinking I was missing something obvious or had clicked on the wrong section. The automatic IRS data retrieval makes so much sense now that everyone has explained it - honestly, it sounds way more efficient than the old system where you had to manually enter all those tax line items. I'm relieved to know that the confusion is normal and that other parents went through the same initial panic. Now I feel much more confident about moving forward with the application. My plan is to get our FSA IDs set up this week, gather our asset information, and then complete the FAFSA early in the process. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - you've turned what felt like an overwhelming task into something that actually seems manageable!