FAFSA 2025-2026 didn't ask about 529 accounts but CSS Profile did - potential problems?

You didn't miss anything! This is actually one of the big changes in the new FAFSA. Under the FAFSA Simplification Act, the 2024-2025 FAFSA and beyond no longer asks about assets like 529 plans, cash savings, or investments when calculating your Student Aid Index (SAI). They're focusing primarily on income information from your tax returns now.\n\nThe CSS Profile, which is used by many private schools, still collects this information because they use their own institutional methodology for awarding their non-federal aid. That's why you had to report the 529 there but not on FAFSA.\n\nIt won't cause any problems or discrepancies - the two forms are designed to collect different information now.

Wow, thank you! That's such a relief. I was sure I had messed something up. So the schools won't think we're hiding anything when they see the 529 on the CSS but not on the FAFSA?

Are you SURE you didnt miss it?? When i filled out the FASFA last month it definitely asked me about our bank accounts and my daughters 529!! You might want to go back and double check because if you dont report everything they could flag your application for fraud and that would be a NIGHTMARE to fix!!! Don't risk it!!!

I just completed FAFSA too and there definitely wasn't any section about assets or 529s. Maybe you're thinking of last year's form? The 2025-2026 FAFSA is completely redesigned.

The new FAFSA (as of 2024-2025 academic year) eliminated all asset questions as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. The form now focuses on getting information directly from tax returns through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Your SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC) is now calculated primarily based on income, not assets.\n\nHowever, be aware that this means:\n\n1. CSS Profile schools will see a difference between their calculation and FAFSA's calculation specifically because of assets like 529 plans\n2. Your SAI from FAFSA might be lower than what private schools calculate via CSS Profile\n3. You may qualify for more federal aid than institutional aid at some private colleges\n\nJust make sure you're consistent with the information you provide on any supplemental financial aid forms the schools might require.

Wait so is this good or bad? If fasfa doesn't look at 529 but css does wouldn't that mean you get less money from private schools? my daughter is looking at both state and private schools so im confused about which is better

To directly answer your follow-up question - no, schools won't think you're hiding anything. This change to FAFSA is well-known among financial aid offices. They understand the FAFSA no longer collects asset information while CSS Profile still does. There won't be any red flags or suspicion of fraud.

Thank you! That makes me feel much better. The whole process has been so confusing with all these changes to the FAFSA this year.

This was driving me CRAZY too! I spent hours trying to figure out where to enter our savings and investments on the FAFSA. I even called the Federal Student Aid hotline but couldn't get through after waiting 45+ minutes multiple times. I finally found a workaround - I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual FSA agent. They connect you directly to an agent without the ridiculous wait. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nThe agent confirmed what others here said - the new FAFSA intentionally doesn't ask about assets anymore, including 529 plans. It's just using your tax info now. Saved me so much stress!

thx 4 sharing this! i tried calling fafsa like 5 times with no luck. wait times r insane this year

ok but is anyone worried that this makes the system even more unfair? like a family could have millions in assets but if their income that year was low they get more aid than someone who made more money but has zero savings?? seems like the rich get richer again

EXACTLY!!! The whole system is rigged! My brother in law has a huge investment account but took a year off work so he had

Just to clarify some of the comments here - the new FAFSA changes affect federal aid only. Private colleges using the CSS Profile will still consider your assets in their own aid calculations. So at those schools, having a 529 plan may reduce your institutional aid somewhat, but it won't affect your federal aid eligibility (Pell Grants, subsidized loans, etc.).\n\nAnd remember that using 529 funds for qualified education expenses is still tax-free, which is a significant benefit regardless of how it affects aid calculations.

Got it - so the FAFSA changes mainly affect what federal aid we might get, while private schools will still see and consider our 529 savings. That makes sense. I guess the best approach is just to be completely transparent on both forms and let the financial aid offices do their calculations.

my daughter just went through this exact same thing! the fafsa and css profile are completely different now. css asked for every penny we had but fafsa was super fast and just used our taxes. colleges know about this difference so dont worry

Thanks for sharing your experience! It's reassuring to hear we're not the only ones noticing this difference between the forms.

Does anyone know if they'll go back and verify our assets some other way?? My neighbor's daughter had her financial aid package revoked because they found out about some property they owned that wasnt on the forms. I'm so paranoid about filling everything out right!

The Federal Student Aid system has no mechanism to verify assets that aren't reported on the FAFSA because they intentionally removed asset questions. Your neighbor's situation was likely related to either the prior FAFSA format or involved verification of income-generating properties that should have been reported on tax returns. As long as your tax return is accurate, you're complying with current FAFSA requirements.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! This has been really reassuring. I guess the FAFSA changes are more significant than I realized. I'll make sure all our information is consistent across both forms and if there are any questions, I'll be ready to explain that we reported everything where required. The Claimyr suggestion is helpful too - I might use that if we run into any other issues that need clarification from FSA directly.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a newcomer to this whole financial aid process and was completely panicked when I couldn't find anywhere to report our 529 on the FAFSA. My daughter is applying to both state schools and private colleges, so we had to fill out both forms too. It's really reassuring to know that this is intentional and not something I messed up. The new FAFSA was so much simpler than I expected - almost too simple, which made me worry I was missing something important. For anyone else in the same boat, it sounds like the key takeaway is: be honest and consistent on both forms, report what each form asks for, and don't stress about the differences since the financial aid offices understand how the system works now. Thanks for all the detailed explanations everyone!

As someone who just went through this process with my twin sons, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - you absolutely did not miss anything! The new FAFSA is intentionally streamlined and no longer asks about assets like 529 plans, savings accounts, or investments. I had the exact same panic when I first completed it because it felt "too easy" compared to what I was expecting. I even went back and started over thinking I had somehow skipped entire sections! But nope, that's just how it works now. The CSS Profile schools will use both your FAFSA information AND the additional asset information they collect to make their aid decisions. They're used to seeing this difference now since the FAFSA changes took effect. You're being completely transparent by reporting what each form asks for - that's exactly what you're supposed to do. One tip: keep good records of what you reported on each form just in case any school has questions later, but honestly, the financial aid offices are well aware of how these two systems work differently now.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm a parent just starting the financial aid process and was completely overwhelmed by all the changes to FAFSA this year. Like many of you, I kept looking for where to enter our 529 savings and other assets, convinced I was doing something wrong when I couldn't find those sections. It's incredibly helpful to understand that this is an intentional change due to the FAFSA Simplification Act, not something I missed. The explanation about federal aid vs. institutional aid calculations makes perfect sense now - FAFSA focuses on federal aid eligibility while CSS Profile schools use the additional asset information for their own aid decisions. For other newcomers who might be feeling the same confusion: this thread really shows that being thorough and asking questions when something doesn't seem right is the way to go. The community knowledge here is invaluable, especially when official wait times are so long. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! As a first-time parent going through the financial aid process, I was completely lost when I couldn't find asset questions on the FAFSA. I actually spent an entire evening searching online and found conflicting information everywhere. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - especially knowing that this confusion is totally normal and that the schools understand the difference between the two forms. The detailed explanations about the FAFSA Simplification Act and how it affects federal vs. institutional aid calculations really helped me understand the bigger picture. I particularly appreciate the practical advice about keeping records of what's reported on each form and being consistent. It's also reassuring to know that financial aid offices are well aware of these changes and won't think we're trying to hide anything. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences - this community is an amazing resource for navigating what can be a really stressful process!

I'm also new to this community and going through this exact same situation! My daughter is a high school senior and I just completed both the FAFSA and CSS Profile last week. Like so many others here, I was absolutely convinced I had missed something crucial when the FAFSA didn't ask about our 529 plan or any other assets. I actually called my accountant thinking maybe I had made an error with the IRS data retrieval, but she explained the same thing everyone here has mentioned - it's all intentional due to the FAFSA Simplification Act. What a relief! Reading through this thread has been incredibly educational. I had no idea that the federal aid calculation would now be so different from what private colleges use for their institutional aid. It makes sense that schools need different information for different types of aid, but as a newcomer to this process, it was definitely confusing at first. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and knowledge - this community is such a valuable resource for parents trying to navigate these changes!

I'm a newcomer to this community and just went through this exact same experience! I completed my son's FAFSA for 2025-2026 about two weeks ago and had the same panic when I couldn't find anywhere to report our 529 savings account. I kept going back through the application thinking I had somehow missed entire sections. Reading through this thread has been such a huge relief - I had no idea about the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. Like many others here, I was prepared for a much more complicated process based on what older parents had told me about previous years. When the FAFSA only asked for tax information and was done in about 20 minutes, I was convinced something was wrong! We also had to complete the CSS Profile for several private schools my son is applying to, and that's where we reported all our assets including the 529. Now I understand why the two forms were so different - they serve different purposes for different types of aid. Thank you to everyone who has shared their knowledge and experiences here. As someone new to the financial aid process, this community has been invaluable for understanding these changes and providing reassurance that we're doing everything correctly. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when you hear from real families who've actually been through it!

I'm new to this community and this thread has been absolutely incredible! Like so many others here, I just completed the FAFSA for my daughter and was completely panicked when I couldn't find where to report our 529 plan. I actually re-started the application twice thinking I had somehow taken a wrong path or skipped sections. The explanations about the FAFSA Simplification Act have been so helpful - I had no idea these changes were implemented. When I filled out financial aid forms for my older son five years ago, it was a completely different experience with detailed asset reporting. This new streamlined version felt almost "too good to be true" which made me worry I was doing something wrong. We also completed the CSS Profile for her private school applications, and now I understand why that form was so much more comprehensive while the FAFSA was relatively quick. It makes perfect sense that federal aid and institutional aid would use different calculation methods. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and knowledge here. As a newcomer, this community has provided exactly the kind of real-world insight and reassurance that you can't get from official websites. It's such a relief to know we're all navigating these changes together and that the confusion is completely normal!

I'm also new to this community and just went through this exact same experience! My daughter is applying for the 2025-2026 academic year and I had the same moment of panic when the FAFSA didn't ask about our 529 account or any other assets. I literally called my husband into the room saying "I think I broke something - this can't be right!" Reading through this entire thread has been such a relief. Like so many others here, I was expecting a much more complex process based on horror stories from other parents about previous FAFSA versions. When it was done in under 30 minutes using just our tax information, I was convinced I had somehow skipped crucial sections. We also completed the CSS Profile for several of her target schools, which did ask about everything including our 529 savings. Now I understand that this difference is completely intentional - federal aid calculations versus institutional aid calculations use different methodologies. What I find so valuable about this community is how everyone shares not just the technical information, but also the emotional experience of going through this process. It's incredibly reassuring to know that the confusion and second-guessing is totally normal, and that financial aid offices are well aware of how these two systems work differently now. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this discussion - as a newcomer to financial aid, this has been exactly the kind of real-world guidance I needed to feel confident we're doing everything correctly!

I'm a newcomer to this community and reading through this thread has been absolutely incredible! Like so many others here, I just completed my daughter's FAFSA for 2025-2026 and was completely confused when there were no questions about our 529 savings or other assets. I kept refreshing the page thinking it hadn't loaded properly! The explanations about the FAFSA Simplification Act have been so enlightening - I had no idea these major changes were implemented. When friends told me horror stories about spending entire weekends on FAFSA applications, I was braced for the worst. Instead, it took about 25 minutes and mostly just pulled from our tax return. I was convinced I had done something terribly wrong! We also filled out the CSS Profile for her private college applications, which asked for detailed asset information including our 529. Now I completely understand why the two forms are so different - they serve different purposes for different types of financial aid. The federal government focuses on income for federal aid eligibility, while private schools need the full financial picture for their institutional aid decisions. What I love most about this community is how everyone shares both the technical knowledge AND the emotional experience of going through this process. It's so reassuring to know that the panic and confusion is totally normal, and that we're all figuring out this new system together. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this discussion - as a first-time parent navigating financial aid, this has been exactly the guidance I needed!

I'm completely new to this community and financial aid process, and this thread has been a lifesaver! I just finished my son's FAFSA for 2025-2026 last week and had the exact same panic that so many of you described. I spent hours going through every single page multiple times, absolutely convinced I had missed the sections about our 529 plan and savings accounts. Like others mentioned, I was prepared for this incredibly complex, multi-day ordeal based on what I'd heard from parents of older kids. When the whole thing was done in about 20 minutes using just our tax information, I honestly thought the website had malfunctioned! I even cleared my browser cache and started over once because it seemed impossible that it could be that simple. We also completed the CSS Profile for his private school applications, which was much more detailed and asked about all our assets. Now I understand that this isn't a mistake or inconsistency - it's because federal aid (FAFSA) and institutional aid (CSS Profile schools) use completely different calculation methods since the FAFSA Simplification Act. What I appreciate most about this discussion is how everyone has shared not just the technical explanations, but also the emotional roller coaster of thinking you've messed up something so important. It's incredibly reassuring to know that this confusion is universal among newcomers and that financial aid offices are fully aware of how these two systems work differently now. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their knowledge and experiences here - as a first-time parent dealing with college financial aid, this community has provided exactly the kind of real-world guidance and reassurance that you just can't get from official websites!