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!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm a newcomer here and just went through this exact same situation two days ago. Like everyone else, I was completely panicked when the FAFSA only asked about EIC and then went straight to the signature page. I had spent hours gathering all my tax documents, bank statements, and investment records, only to have the system seemingly ignore all of it. I was convinced I had broken something or missed a crucial step. Reading through everyone's experiences and seeing that this is actually how the system is supposed to work for families with lower AGI who claim EIC has been incredibly reassuring. Katherine, thank you for posting the update about your successful SAI - it really helps newcomers like me understand that we didn't mess anything up. I'm still waiting for my daughter's SAI to come through, but I feel so much better knowing this is normal!

I'm new to this community and just discovered this thread - what perfect timing! I literally just completed my FAFSA as a parent contributor yesterday and had the EXACT same experience. Only got asked about EIC, then straight to signature. I was sitting there with my entire tax filing spread out on my dining table, ready to enter W-2 info, bank account balances, everything - and the system just... didn't ask for any of it. I genuinely thought I had somehow skipped pages or that there was a technical glitch. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief! It's crazy how many of us went through this same panic. The Department of Education really needs to add some kind of explanation message when this streamlined processing kicks in. A simple "Based on your tax information, additional financial questions are not required" would save so many parents from thinking they broke the system. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and especially Katherine for the follow-up update!

I'm brand new to this community and just found this thread at the perfect time! I went through this exact same experience just this morning and was absolutely convinced I had somehow broken the FAFSA system. Like everyone else here, I only got the EIC question and then it jumped straight to the signature page - no income questions, no asset information, nothing about my tax documents that I had meticulously prepared. I was literally staring at my computer screen thinking "there's no way this is right!" Reading through all of these experiences has been such a lifesaver. It's honestly shocking how many parents have gone through this identical panic, and it really highlights how poorly the Department of Education has communicated this streamlined process. The fact that so many of us independently had the same reaction shows this isn't user error - it's a design flaw in explaining what's happening. Katherine, thank you so much for posting that update about your successful SAI! Seeing that everything worked out correctly for you gives me so much confidence that my application processed properly too. I'll be checking for my daughter's SAI in a few days, but I feel infinitely better knowing this is actually how the system is supposed to work for families in our income bracket who claimed EIC. This community has been incredibly helpful for a newcomer like me - thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm completely new to this community and just went through this exact same nightmare yesterday! I'm so grateful I found this thread because I was absolutely convinced I had somehow ruined my daughter's FAFSA application. Like everyone else here, I only got asked about the Earned Income Credit and then it immediately jumped to the electronic signature - no questions about my W-2, no bank account information, no investment details, nothing! I had spent the entire weekend organizing every single financial document, creating a checklist, and mentally preparing to enter all our information. When the system basically ignored everything, I thought I had accidentally skipped entire sections or that there was some major technical error. What really gets me is how this streamlined process kicks in without any explanation whatsoever. Reading through everyone's experiences here shows just how many parents are going through this same panic unnecessarily. The Department of Education really dropped the ball on user communication - even a simple message like "Your tax information qualifies you for simplified processing" would prevent so much stress. Katherine, your update about receiving the correct SAI is incredibly reassuring! Seeing that the system actually worked properly despite feeling completely broken gives me hope that my daughter's application processed correctly too. I'll be anxiously checking for her SAI over the next few days, but this thread has honestly saved my sanity. Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps newcomers like me feel less alone in this confusing process!

I'm new to this community and just went through this exact same terrifying experience yesterday! Reading through this entire thread has been such a huge relief - I was absolutely convinced I had somehow broken the FAFSA when it only asked about EIC and went straight to signature. Like everyone else, I had all my tax documents perfectly organized and ready to input, only to have the system seemingly ignore everything. The complete lack of explanation from the Department of Education about when this streamlined processing kicks in is really frustrating. It's clear from all these similar experiences that this isn't a glitch - it's just very poorly communicated. Katherine, thank you so much for posting your successful update! Seeing that your SAI came through correctly gives me confidence that mine will too. This thread should honestly be pinned somewhere because it seems like this confusion is happening to a lot of families with lower AGI who claimed EIC.

I'm brand new to this community and just went through this exact same experience last night! I was absolutely terrified when the FAFSA only asked about EIC and then jumped straight to the signature page. Like so many others here, I had spent days organizing all my tax documents, bank statements, and investment records, only to have the system ask virtually nothing. I kept refreshing the page thinking I had missed something or that there was a technical error. Reading through this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring - it's amazing how many parents have had this identical panic! The complete lack of explanation from the Department of Education when streamlined processing kicks in is really problematic. Even a simple message like "Based on your EIC status and income level, we're using simplified processing" would save so many families from this stress. Katherine, thank you so much for sharing your successful outcome! Seeing that your SAI processed correctly despite the confusing experience gives me confidence that my son's application will work out too. This thread honestly needs to be highlighted somewhere because it's clear this is happening to a lot of families in similar income situations. I'll be checking for our SAI in the next few days, but I feel so much better knowing this is actually how the system is supposed to work, even though it feels completely wrong in the moment!