FAFSA not asking about spouse's assets after remarriage - is this normal?

This is completely normal! For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, they've changed how asset reporting works. The updated FAFSA only asks about assets from the person completing the main application (you in this case). Your spouse only needs to authorize the IRS data retrieval for tax information, but you would have been prompted to enter household assets during your portion of the application. Did you remember seeing questions about bank accounts, investments, etc. when you were completing your section?

wait i'm confused. my wife and i both had to input our assets seperately when we did our daughters fafsa last month?? did they change somthing mid-year??

The streamlined FAFSA (introduced for 2024-2025 and fully implemented for 2025-2026) consolidated asset reporting to reduce redundancy. The primary filer now reports all household assets, which includes assets owned by the spouse. This helps reduce the complexity of the form and decreases completion time. When your spouse authorized the IRS data retrieval, that was all that was needed from them - their income information is automatically imported. The system assumes you already reported your combined assets when you completed your portion.

lol they change the rules every year I swear!! I filed as divorced last year and now I'm remarried too and got so confused by all the changes. the new SAI formula is completely different from the old EFC calculation too btw

The SAI (Student Aid Index) does handle remarriage differently than the old EFC system. Since you got married in July, and assuming you filed taxes separately last year, the FAFSA will use both your and your new spouse's income information from the prior-prior year tax returns, but combine them as if you were married during that tax year. This might indeed result in a higher SAI calculation than if you were single. One important note: if your child is applying to schools that require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, those schools may request additional asset information directly from your spouse, as the CSS Profile often has more detailed financial questions than FAFSA.

When my husband and I got married last year, I got so frustrsted trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to confirm we were filling everything out correctly. After getting disconnected 5 times and waiting on hold for hours, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FAFSA agent in about 20 minutes. They connected me directly to FSA's phone system but somehow bypassed the wait. Saved me so much stress! Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or their website claimyr.com if you need to speak with someone directly about your specific situation.

BE CAREFUL! Even though your spouse didn't have to enter asset info separately, make sure when YOU did your part that you included ALL household assets including his. I made the mistake of only including my own assets last year and got flagged for verification because they could tell from our tax returns that we should have had more assets. The verification process delayed my son's financial aid package by months and almost cost him his housing spot!

anyone know if this works the same way for parent PLUS loans? my daughter is starting her sophomore year and we're refinancing

Thank you all for the helpful information! I feel much better knowing we did it correctly. The whole process is so confusing, especially with the recent changes and our new marriage situation. I did make sure to include all of our household assets in my section, so it sounds like we're good to go. I'll definitely keep an eye out for any verification requests though, and make sure my daughter follows up with the schools requiring the CSS Profile for additional information from both of us.