FAFSA 2025-2026 not asking about parent income or 529 plans - is this normal?

Yes, this is completely normal with the new FAFSA! The updated system uses direct data transfer from the IRS through the Federal Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). When you provide consent during the application process, FAFSA automatically pulls your tax information from your federal tax returns. This includes adjusted gross income, taxes paid, and many other elements needed for the SAI calculation. You don't need to manually enter most income information anymore. Regarding 529 plans, these are now treated differently than in previous years. They're still considered in the formula, but the reporting mechanisms changed. The assets are captured through other questions or through the tax return data.

ur fine, same thing happend to me. i was like wait thats it??? lol the new fafsa is wayyyyy shorter cuz they grab everything from irs now

The simplified FAFSA is working as designed. For the 2025-2026 application, the Department of Education has fully implemented the direct data sharing with the IRS that was authorized under the FAFSA Simplification Act. Here's what's happening: 1. When you consent to data sharing, your AGI, taxes paid, filing status, and other tax elements are directly imported. 2. For 529 plans, these are now generally reported as part of the parent assets question that asks about the total value of your investments. There's no longer a separate line for education savings accounts specifically. 3. If you answered all the questions presented to you and received a confirmation number, your application is likely complete. However, if your financial situation has changed significantly since your last tax return (job loss, major medical expenses, etc.), you should contact the school's financial aid office for a professional judgment review.

Dont trust this system!! When I filed last year the exact same thing happened and then we got WAY less aid than expected because they didnt have the full picture. DEFINITELY call the financial aid office at EVERY school your student applied to and verify they have all the info!!!!

This happened to me too! I called and called the Federal Student Aid number trying to verify they had all my information and could never get through - kept getting disconnected after being on hold for hours. So frustrating!

The FAFSA has changed dramatically over the past few years, and many families are confused by what seems like missing steps. I work in financial aid at a community college, and I can confirm that the system is designed to pull tax information directly from the IRS for both parents and students (with permission). However, there's an important nuance regarding 529 plans: while income information is pulled automatically, asset information like 529 plans should still be reported somewhere in the application. Usually there's a question about investments that should capture this. If you didn't see such a question, it's possible you qualified for what's called the Simplified Needs Test, which exempts some families from asset reporting altogether based on income thresholds. I recommend reviewing your Student Aid Index (SAI) once it's calculated. If it seems unusually low or high based on your circumstances, then it might be worth contacting the financial aid office.

random question but since we're talking about 529s - does anyone know if having one hurts ur chances for financial aid? my parents have been saving in one for my brother but now they're worried it was a mistake

Just to add some clarity about 529 plans specifically: For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, 529 plans owned by parents are still reported as parental assets (as mentioned above). However, there was a significant change: 529 plans owned by grandparents or other relatives no longer impact financial aid eligibility at all. This is because the new FAFSA eliminated the reporting of untaxed income, which is where distributions from non-parent-owned 529s used to be captured. So if you have family members who want to help with college costs, having them own the 529 rather than the parents can be advantageous in some situations.

I'm going through the same thing right now with my son's FAFSA for 2025-2026! It's such a relief to read everyone's responses here because I was also panicking that something was wrong. The whole process felt too easy compared to previous years when I had to manually enter every piece of tax information. One thing I want to add is that after submitting, I received an email confirmation with a summary that showed some of the key financial data points that were imported from our tax return. It might be worth checking your email for that confirmation - it helped me feel more confident that the system actually did capture our information correctly. Also, for those worried about contacting financial aid offices, I found that most schools have updated their FAQs on their websites specifically about the new FAFSA process. My son's school had a whole section explaining how the direct data transfer works, which was really helpful.

I'm also a parent dealing with the new FAFSA for the first time and had the exact same concerns! What really helped me was logging back into the FAFSA website a few days after submitting and checking the "View and Print FAFSA" option. It actually shows you a summary of all the data that was imported from your tax return, including AGI, taxes paid, and filing status. This gave me confirmation that the system did pull our financial information correctly even though I never had to type it in manually. For the 529 question - I remember there being a section about "investments" where I entered the current value of our 529 plan. It wasn't labeled specifically as "529" but was grouped with other investment accounts. If you answered that section, you should be all set. The key thing to remember is that if you completed all the screens the system presented to you and got a confirmation number, you've provided everything they need. The new system is designed to be much more streamlined than the old one!

As someone who just went through this exact same experience, I can totally relate to the confusion! I completed my daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA last month and had the exact same reaction - it felt way too simple compared to previous years. Like others have mentioned, the new direct data transfer from the IRS is working as intended. One thing that really helped ease my anxiety was calling my daughter's financial aid office directly. The counselor there confirmed that they're seeing the imported tax data on their end and that the process is working smoothly for most families. She also mentioned that if there were any issues with missing information, they would contact us during their review process. For anyone still worried about the 529 reporting - I found mine was captured in the general "investments and assets" section as well. The financial aid counselor told me that as long as you answered all the questions presented to you truthfully, the system has what it needs. The key difference now is that we're not seeing all the detailed tax questions because that information is being pulled automatically with our consent. I'd definitely recommend reaching out to your school's financial aid office if you're still concerned - they've been really helpful in explaining how the new process works!