FAFSA 24-25 renewal: Can information transfer automatically from 23-24 form?
I'm trying to figure out if I need to manually re-enter everything for my 24-25 FAFSA application. My financial situation is basically identical to last year, and I'm wondering if there's any way to have the information from my 23-24 form automatically transfer to the new form? I know we have to submit a new application each year (ugh), but surely there's a renewal option that just carries over all the information so I just need to update anything that changed and sign it? The new FAFSA is already intimidating enough without having to start from scratch. Does anyone know if this is possible with the redesigned form? Thanks for any help!
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Zainab Ahmed
Yes! You can use the renewal option when you log into your studentaid.gov account. Look for 'FAFSA Renewal' instead of 'Start New FAFSA' when you begin. It should pre-populate most of your basic info from last year, but you'll still need to update your tax info and reconfirm everything. Just make sure to double check all the transferred data because sometimes things get messed up.
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Connor Gallagher
•the renewal option USED to exist but with the new simplified FAFSA it might work differently now. My daughter tried to do the renewal thing last week and got confused cuz the new form layout is totally different!!
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AstroAlpha
The 2024-2025 FAFSA has been completely redesigned, so the renewal process works differently than in previous years. While your FSA ID, name, date of birth, and contact information will carry over automatically, most other information will need to be re-entered due to the significant changes in the form structure and the new formula for calculating your Student Aid Index (SAI). Even if your financial situation hasn't changed, you'll need to provide current tax information, as the 24-25 FAFSA uses 2022 tax data. The best approach is to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to automatically transfer your tax information accurately. Unfortunately, because of the FAFSA Simplification Act changes, this year requires more manual work than past renewal processes.
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Miguel Diaz
•Ugh that's what I was afraid of. So basically I have to start over from scratch? That's so frustrating when nothing has changed with my situation. Do you know if they'll eventually bring back the renewal option in future years once the new system is established?
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Yara Khoury
i had the same question and spent like 45 min on hold with fafsa trying to figure this out lol. basically you gotta do the whole thing again. its SO ANNOYING
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Keisha Taylor
•If you're having trouble getting through to someone at Federal Student Aid, I recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you skip the phone queue when calling FSA. I was on hold for hours trying to get help with my renewal questions, but with their service I got through in minutes. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ They basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available to talk. Saved me a ton of time and frustration!
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Paolo Longo
The redesigned FAFSA for 2024-2025 is a complete overhaul, so unfortunately the traditional renewal process isn't available this year. The information isn't entirely transferable because: 1. The questions are different 2. The formula for calculating aid (now called SAI instead of EFC) has changed 3. The contributor requirements have been modified 4. The form collects different financial details However, some basic information like your name and FSA ID will carry over automatically. For tax information, make sure to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool - this will automatically pull your 2022 tax information (which is what's needed for the 24-25 FAFSA) directly from the IRS, which saves a ton of time and reduces errors. In future years, once the new system is established, a more comprehensive renewal process will likely return.
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Miguel Diaz
•Thanks for the detailed explanation. At least the Data Retrieval Tool will save me some time. Do you happen to know if the new SAI calculation is more or less generous than the old EFC formula? I'm worried about getting less aid with all these changes.
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Amina Bah
My daughter just went through this and YES u have to do the whole thing again!!! So irritating! But weirdly some stuff DID transfer over and other stuff didn't? Like her personal info was there but NONE of our financial stuff transferred. The whole new system is a MESS!!
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Oliver Becker
•The inconsistent transfer of information is because they're still working through bugs in the new system. According to the Federal Student Aid office, they're planning to have a more streamlined renewal process for the 2025-2026 FAFSA once they work out all the issues with this first implementation of the redesigned form. For now, yes, it's unfortunately a bit messy. Make sure you and your daughter verify all the information that did transfer over, as there have been reports of occasional errors in the auto-populated fields.
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Miguel Diaz
Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm disappointed but at least now I know to set aside more time to complete it. I'll definitely use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to save some steps. Hopefully next year they'll have a better renewal system in place once all the kinks are worked out with this redesign.
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AstroAlpha
•That's a good plan. One more tip: save a PDF copy of your completed 24-25 FAFSA after you submit it. This way, you'll have all your information in one place to reference when you fill out the 25-26 form next year, which should make the process a bit easier even without a formal renewal option.
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