FAFSA completion confusion - did I miss filling out bank account info after parent invitation?

ur good! FAFSA simplified in 2024. They dont ask for bank account info anymore, only income from tax returns. thats why it feels incomplete. they use ur tax info now to determine aid eligibility. as long as it says submitted, ur probly fine

The previous poster is correct. The 2025-2026 FAFSA has been significantly simplified as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. The form no longer asks for bank account information or other asset questions for most families. They now only use adjusted gross income from your tax return and a few other factors to calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI). As long as you successfully submitted and it shows 'submitted' status in your portal, you've completed all required steps for the parent portion. One thing to verify: make sure both you AND your daughter have signed the form electronically with your FSA IDs. Both signatures are required for final submission.

DONT TRUST THE SYSTEM!! When my son applied last year it said "submitted" but 3 weeks later we got an email saying there was "missing information" and we had to redo half the application! By then we almost missed priority deadlines. The new FAFSA rollout has been FULL of glitches. I would call FSA directly to confirm everything is properly submitted before assuming you're done.

I recently had the same concerns after helping my nephew with his FAFSA. The new simplified form is legitimate - they really did remove the asset questions for most families with adjusted gross incomes below $60,000. However, checking that your application is properly processed is still important. I was struggling to get through to an FSA agent until someone recommended using Claimyr.com to skip the phone queue. They connected me to an agent in about 10 minutes instead of hours on hold. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The agent confirmed everything was properly submitted and processing normally.

lol don't overthink it. my daughter's fafsa got approved and we literally just put in the tax info it asked for. no bank stuff. got her aid package last week and its all good. the schools will contact you if they need anything else.

Financial aid advisor here. Let me clarify some points: 1. The new FAFSA (2025-2026) intentionally removed questions about bank accounts, investments, and other assets for most families as part of the simplification process. 2. The system calculates your Student Aid Index (SAI) primarily using tax return information obtained through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. 3. You should receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) via email within 3-5 days of submission. This confirms processing is complete. 4. If you don't receive the SAR email, log into studentaid.gov and check if you can view your SAR there. 5. Some families (typically higher income or with complex financial situations) may still be selected for verification, which could require additional documentation. As long as both you and your daughter electronically signed with your FSA IDs and received a submission confirmation, you've completed the current requirements.

When we did my daughters FAFSA it was super confusing too! Check if her college has a specific financial aid supplemental form. Our school required the CSS Profile IN ADDITION to FAFSA and THAT form asked about all our bank accounts and assets. Really depends on the school!

Update: I found my daughter's Student Aid Report on studentaid.gov (no email yet, but it's there in the dashboard). It shows all the information we entered and says processing is complete! It also lists her SAI number. I guess we really are done with the FAFSA portion. Now I'm checking each school's financial aid page to see which ones require the CSS Profile. Thank you all for your help - this community has been amazing!

Congratulations on getting through the FAFSA! It sounds like you figured everything out. Just wanted to add for other parents reading this - when you're checking for CSS Profile requirements, also look for any school-specific financial aid forms. Some colleges have their own supplemental forms in addition to FAFSA/CSS Profile. Also, make sure to note the deadlines for each school since they can vary quite a bit. Priority deadlines are usually earlier than final deadlines, and meeting priority deadlines can make a big difference in aid packages. Good luck to your daughter with her college applications!