FAFSA family size blank - correction needed or automatic import?
I'm filling out the 2025-26 FAFSA and noticed the family size field is blank even though I imported my tax info through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Some FAFSA help articles say this is a correction I need to manually make, while others claim it should auto-populate when tax info is imported. I'm confused about which is correct! Has anyone else dealt with this? I don't want to delay my application by leaving something incomplete, but also don't want to override something that will be filled automatically later. Any help appreciated!
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GalaxyGlider
The family size is NEVER auto-populated from tax data! You always have to enter it manually. I work in financial aid at a community college and see this mistake all the time.
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Emma Davis
•Thank you! I'll go ahead and enter it manually. Do I need to include everyone claimed as a dependent on my taxes or just those living in the household?
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Malik Robinson
Family size isn't imported through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool because the IRS doesn't have that specific information in the format FAFSA needs. You need to manually enter it according to FAFSA guidelines, which includes you, your spouse (if married), your children who receive more than half their support from you, and other people living with you who receive more than half their support from you. It's not necessarily the same as tax dependents.
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Isabella Silva
•So it's NOT just who you claim on taxes??! I've been doing this wrong for 3 years then 😩
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Ravi Choudhury
I had this same problem last week! The family size field stays blank and you have to fill it in yourself. Nothing about the FAFSA is automatic lol
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Freya Andersen
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool only imports specific tax information like AGI, taxes paid, etc. It doesn't populate demographic info like family size or number in college. The Federal Student Aid website has a whole page about what gets transferred and what doesn't. You definitely need to add that info manually or your SAI calculation will be wrong, which affects your aid eligibility!
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Emma Davis
•Thanks for the clarification! I'll make sure to fill it in. Do you know if there's anything else major that doesn't get imported that I should watch for?
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Freya Andersen
•Number in college is another big one that doesn't import. Also watch for any untaxed income not on your tax returns, like child support received or voluntary retirement contributions. Those all need manual entry and can significantly impact your SAI calculation!
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Omar Farouk
When I did my FAFSA last month, I waited for days thinking it would autofill from the IRS data and then found out I had to do it myself! I tried calling the Federal Student Aid number to ask about it but was on hold for HOURS and never got through. Such a frustrating system.
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CosmicCadet
•If you're still having issues reaching someone at Federal Student Aid, I used a service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration when I was trying to resolve verification issues with my daughter's FAFSA.
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Chloe Harris
Family size is definitely NOT auto-populated! The household size is used to determine your poverty guideline threshold for your Student Aid Index calculation. For dependent students, it includes the student, parents, parents' other dependent children, and others who live with and receive more than 50% support from parents. For independent students, it's you, spouse if applicable, your children who receive >50% support from you, and others who live with and receive >50% support from you. This is one of the most important fields for determining aid eligibility!
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Emma Davis
•This is super helpful! So for a dependent student, would I count my sister who's in college but comes home for summers and breaks? She lives at school most of the year.
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Chloe Harris
•Yes, if your parents provide more than 50% of her support (regardless of where she lives during school), she should be counted in your household size. College students are usually considered part of their parents' household even when temporarily away at school. Make sure she's also counted in the "number in college" field if she'll be enrolled at least half-time in an eligible program during 2025-2026.
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Isabella Silva
I thought it got pulled from the taxes too!!! The whole point of linking to the IRS was so we don't have to enter all this stuff manually right?? So frustrating!
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Emma Davis
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'll go ahead and enter the family size manually. Seems like I also need to pay attention to the "number in college" field too. Really appreciate all the information - definitely cleared up my confusion!
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