FAFSA missing income questions for renewal application - should I submit anyway?
I'm filling out my FAFSA renewal for 2025-2026 and something seems off. The form asked about our assets and net worth, but there weren't ANY questions about our income this time around. Last year when I applied, I distinctly remember having to enter earned income, adjusted gross income from our tax return, and taxes paid. I'm at the signature page now but hesitant to submit because it seems like crucial information is missing. Has the FAFSA renewal process changed? Is it normal for them to skip income questions for returning applicants? I'm worried if I submit without this info, my SAI calculation will be completely wrong or my application will get flagged for being incomplete.
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Melina Haruko
That's definitely not normal. FAFSA always needs current income information each year since your financial situation can change. The new simplified FAFSA still requires income data - it's one of the most critical pieces for calculating your Student Aid Index (SAI). Did you perhaps click through some sections without realizing? I'd recommend going back through each section carefully before signing. There should absolutely be income questions even for renewal applications.
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Beatrice Marshall
•Thanks for confirming my suspicions! I tried going back through but there's literally no section with income questions. I'm going to try logging out and back in to see if it's some kind of glitch. Really don't want to submit an incomplete application.
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Dallas Villalobos
this happened 2 me last month!! the website glitched out and skipped the whole income section. had to clear my browser cache and start over, then the income questions showed up. don't submit it yet!!!
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Beatrice Marshall
•Omg thank you! I'll try clearing my cache right now. Did you lose all your progress when you started over or was some of it saved?
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Reina Salazar
I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!! The stupid website did this to me twice before I finally got it to work. The income questions are DEFINITELY supposed to be there - they're using 2023 tax info for the 2025-26 FAFSA. What worked for me was completely closing my browser, restarting my computer, and using a different browser altogether (went from Chrome to Firefox). Such a waste of time but at least it finally showed all the sections correctly.
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
•Same! Their website has been a mess since they rolled out the new "simplified" FAFSA. I tried 3 different browsers before it worked properly. The phone support is useless too - sat on hold for 2 hours only to get disconnected 🙄
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Demi Lagos
Financial aid counselor here - this is definitely a technical glitch in the system. The redesigned FAFSA still requires income information for both initial and renewal applications. The income data is essential for your SAI calculation. Do NOT submit the form without completing the income section, as this will either result in an incorrect SAI calculation (potentially reducing your aid eligibility) or trigger verification flags that will delay your application processing. In addition to the browser solutions others suggested, try accessing the FAFSA during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening). The Department of Education systems have been experiencing significant load issues during peak application times.
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Beatrice Marshall
•Thank you so much for the expert advice! I tried clearing cache and cookies but still having the same issue. I'll try again tonight when hopefully the system isn't as busy. Really appreciate knowing for certain that I shouldn't submit without those income sections completed.
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Mason Lopez
I had a similar thing with my kid's application last week! What worked for us was using the mobile app instead of the website. For some weird reason, the app showed all the sections correctly including income questions. Maybe try downloading the myStudentAid app if the website keeps glitching?
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Beatrice Marshall
•That's a great suggestion! I didn't even think about the app. I'll download it right now and see if that works better. Thanks!
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Vera Visnjic
If you're still having trouble after trying the technical solutions, I highly recommend using Claimyr to get through to a Federal Student Aid agent quickly. I was dealing with a similar glitch last month that I just couldn't resolve on my own. After spending days trying to get through on the regular number, I used claimyr.com and got connected to an FSA agent in about 15 minutes. They were able to look at my application and help me resolve the technical issues. There's a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent I spoke with confirmed there's been a known issue with certain renewal applications skipping the income section, and they had a way to reset just that portion without losing all my other data.
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Beatrice Marshall
•Thank you! After trying everything suggested here with no luck, I'm going to try this. I've been calling the regular FSA number for two days with no success - either busy signals or getting disconnected after waiting. Really appreciate the recommendation!
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Dallas Villalobos
my cousin had this problem 2. he ended up submitting without the income and got a $0 SAI which sounds good but then got flagged for verification and his aid was delayed by like 2 months. dont risk it!!
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Melina Haruko
•This is a really important point. When income information is missing, the system might initially calculate a very low SAI (which would appear to qualify for more aid), but this will absolutely trigger verification flags. During verification, they'll discover the missing income data and recalculate, potentially resulting in less aid than you're eligible for AND significant delays in processing.
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Jake Sinclair
Just wanted to mention that the FAFSA website has been having tons of issues this application cycle. My daughter and I had to try 5 different times over several days before we could get through all the sections properly. So frustrating! Keep trying and don't submit until you can enter all your information correctly.
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Beatrice Marshall
UPDATE: Success! After trying multiple browsers and getting nowhere, I used Claimyr to reach an FSA agent (took about 20 minutes to get connected). The agent confirmed there's a known glitch affecting some renewal applications. They had me create a new FAFSA ID and start a fresh application rather than using the renewal option. This time all sections appeared correctly including the income questions! For anyone else experiencing this: DO NOT SUBMIT without income information. It's absolutely required and your application will either be rejected or flagged for verification, which will significantly delay your aid. Better to start fresh than submit incomplete info. Thank you all for your help!
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Demi Lagos
•Great solution! This is exactly right - sometimes the renewal process can inherit corrupted data structures from previous applications. Starting fresh ensures all required sections are properly presented. Thanks for sharing your resolution, this will help others facing the same issue.
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