FAFSA Only Asked About EIC - Missing Financial Questions When Contributing as Parent?

The new FAFSA is supposed to be simplified, but that sounds WAY too simplified. Did you check the top of the screen to make sure you were completing all required sections? There should definitely be more financial questions even with direct tax data transfer. At minimum they should ask about untaxed income, some assets, and household size information.

maybe ur tax info got pulled automatically from irs? the new fafsa has that direct data transfer thing now. did it mention anything bout that at the beginning?

This is actually a known issue with the new FAFSA for certain tax situations. It's likely the system determined your son qualifies for an Auto-Zero EFC calculation based on your EIC status. The FAFSA system may have determined that based on your AGI and EIC status, your Student Aid Index (SAI) would automatically be calculated at the minimum, so it skipped the remaining financial questions. I'd recommend taking these steps: 1. Print a copy of the completed FAFSA confirmation page 2. In 3-5 business days, check the SAI calculation in your son's account 3. If the SAI seems wrong or you get an error message, THEN you should be concerned The new simplified FAFSA is actually working as designed for certain income levels when EIC is claimed.

The exact same thing happened to me!! I was totally freaking out thinking I broke the system or something. All it asked was about EIC and then signature. Called FSA like 15 times and couldn't get through to anyone. Still don't know if it processed right or not. The whole new FAFSA is A COMPLETE DISASTER if you ask me. Why can't they just make things SIMPLE instead of "simplified" which actually means BROKEN!!

I had this exact issue last week! After panicking and trying to call Federal Student Aid for two days straight (getting disconnected every time), I finally got through using Claimyr. Check out their service at claimyr.com - they basically hold your place in line and call you when they get an agent. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed that for certain income levels, especially with EIC, the system is designed to skip most questions because you'll automatically qualify for maximum aid. Still should have explained that better on the form though!

wait the FAFSA can do that?? like just decide not to ask questions?? sounds sketchy to me. i would definitely call and double check. my sister filled hers out last month and they asked her like 50 questions even tho she makes like no money at all.

Just to follow up on what others have said - the Auto-Zero EFC (now called minimum SAI) threshold for the 2025-2026 FAFSA is $41,000 AGI. If you earned the Earned Income Credit and your AGI is below that threshold, the system will skip additional financial questions. It's working as designed, but the Department of Education really should have added better explanations in the form itself to prevent confusion.

anyone know how long it takes to get the SAI score after submitting? been waiting almost a week for my daughters

UPDATE: Got my son's SAI score today (took 4 days) and it's showing the minimum SAI amount just like you all suggested! So the system was working correctly. I still wish they'd explain this better on the form, but I'm relieved everything worked out. Thanks everyone for the help and reassurance!

So glad to see this update! I was having the exact same anxiety about this issue. The new FAFSA really needs better user communication - like a simple popup saying "Based on your tax information, we're using streamlined processing" or something. It's crazy how many parents are going through this same panic. Thanks for following up with the resolution - it helps everyone else who finds this thread!