FAFSA 2025-2026 changed how to report child support? No field to enter it anymore

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is completely different from previous years. Child support is now automatically imported from your tax return as part of the federal data retrieval. If the child support was reported on your taxes (which it should be), it will be included automatically. If it wasn't reported on your taxes, then you'll need to submit a correction after submission or contact your school's financial aid office for a special circumstances form.

Wait, this doesn't sound right. Child support received is NOT taxable income and doesn't show up on tax returns. That's why they used to ask for it separately on the old FAFSA.

im having the same exact issue!!!!! went thru the whole form like 3x and NOWHERE to put child support. did u ever figure it out? my sons deadline is coming up too and im so stressed

Not yet! I'm still looking for answers. I tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline but was on hold for over an hour before getting disconnected. Might try again tomorrow.

Child support isn't taxable so it doesn't show on tax returns. Maybe with the new SAI formula they don't factor it anymore? Idk seems weird they would remove it completely tho

The 2025-2026 FAFSA absolutely still considers child support received - it's definitely part of the SAI calculation. The form is redesigned and now you need to look under the

I'm a financial aid counselor at a community college. The correct answer is that child support received is now reported in the \

Thank you so much! I just went back and checked and you're right - I had selected \

I had to call the Federal Student Aid hotline about this EXACT same issue last week! It's definitely still supposed to be reported. The rep told me it's a common issue they're seeing with the redesigned form. Try using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent faster - they have this service that gets you past the hold times. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent can walk you through exactly where to enter the information or they can make notes on your application.

Thanks for the tip! I'll check that out if I can't figure it out after trying what the financial aid counselor suggested. Those hold times are brutal.

lol classic fafsa making everything more \

I understand the frustration. While the intent of the FAFSA Simplification Act was to make things easier, the implementation has been rough. The good news is that starting in the 2026-2027 form, they're planning to clarify these sections based on user feedback from this application cycle.

so do we know if the SAI calculation treats child support the same as before? i get way less than i used to and dont want it to hurt my sons aid amount

The SAI formula does still include child support received, but the weighting has changed slightly. Child support is still counted as untaxed income, but the protection allowance thresholds are higher in the new formula, which might help in your situation. If your income has significantly decreased from what's reported on your tax return, you should also file for a special circumstances review with your son's school's financial aid office after submitting the FAFSA.

UPDATE: Problem solved! I went back and changed my answer to \

omg thank u for updating!! just fixed mine too, that question was so misleading!!!

Glad you got it resolved! The new FAFSA is definitely causing confusion for many families. For anyone else who's still stuck, remember you can always submit the form as-is to meet deadlines, then go back and make corrections within the correction window after submission.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter's FAFSA, I want to add that if you're still having trouble finding where to enter child support after changing your answer to "Yes" for receiving untaxed income, make sure you're looking for the section that asks about "Money received or paid on your behalf." Child support falls under this category now, not in a separate child support field like the old FAFSA had. Also, keep good records of the amounts you enter - some schools are asking for documentation during verification since the reporting method changed this year.

Just wanted to chime in as another parent who went through this exact same confusion! I spent hours looking for a dedicated child support field before realizing it's now buried in that "untaxed income" section. What really threw me off was that the wording is so different from previous years - "Money received or paid on your behalf" doesn't immediately scream "child support" to most people. I think they really need to make the language clearer or add some examples in parentheses. For anyone still struggling, I found it helpful to have my child support documentation handy when filling out that section, including any court orders or payment records, since the amounts need to be accurate for the tax year being reported (not the current year you're receiving). The whole process definitely feels more complicated despite being called "simplified"!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I was having the exact same issue and was about to panic-submit my FAFSA without reporting child support. After reading through all the comments, I went back and changed my answer to "Yes" for receiving untaxed income, and sure enough, the "Money received or paid on your behalf" section appeared. It's frustrating that they made it so much harder to find compared to the old FAFSA where it was clearly labeled. For anyone else dealing with this, I also want to mention that if you receive child support sporadically or the amounts vary month to month, make sure you're calculating the total for the correct tax year (2023 for the 2025-2026 FAFSA), not just estimating based on recent payments. I had to go back through my records to get the exact amount. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is a lifesaver!

I'm dealing with a similar situation and want to share what I learned from my school's financial aid office. When child support amounts are variable or sporadic, they typically want to see either your divorce decree/court order that specifies the support amount, or a year-end summary of actual payments received if it differs significantly from what was ordered. Some schools use third-party verification services that can pull payment records directly from state child support agencies, which actually makes it easier since you don't have to compile everything yourself. If your actual received amount for 2023 was substantially different from what was court-ordered (either higher or lower), definitely keep documentation of both the order and actual payments. The key is being able to explain any discrepancies if asked. Also, don't stress too much about minor month-to-month variations - they're more concerned with getting the annual total right for the SAI calculation.

As a single parent who's been through this process multiple times over the years, I can confirm that the 2025-2026 FAFSA change has been incredibly frustrating! What helped me was calling my child's school directly instead of the federal helpline - the financial aid counselors at individual schools tend to be much more accessible and they're seeing these exact issues daily. They walked me through it and confirmed that yes, you need to answer "Yes" to receiving untaxed income, then look for the "Money received or paid on your behalf" section. One tip that wasn't mentioned yet - if you're divorced and your ex-spouse claims the child as a dependent on their taxes, make sure YOU'RE still the one reporting the child support you receive on your FAFSA, not them. I've seen some parents get confused about this since the simplified form doesn't make it as clear as the old version did. The whole redesign definitely feels like a step backward in terms of user experience!