FAFSA not asking for parent financial info for 2025-2026 sophomore year - glitch?

did u actually submit it or just start the application? sometimes it doesnt show all the screens until u get further in. also make sure ur using studentaid.gov not some scam site

The same EXACT thing happened to me last week! Completed my part for my son's application and zero financial questions. I called the hotline and got disconnected THREE TIMES trying to figure out what was going on. So frustrating.

This is actually normal with the new simplified FAFSA. If your daughter previously qualified for federal aid and your financial situation hasn't changed significantly, the system uses data directly from the IRS through the Data Retrieval Tool. You should've seen a consent page where you authorized this data sharing (even if you don't remember clicking it). The 2025-2026 FAFSA is continuing the streamlined approach that started with the FAFSA Simplification Act. It's designed to reduce the burden on families by directly importing tax information rather than making you manually enter everything again. You can verify this happened correctly by checking if there's a "Data Retrieved from IRS" indicator anywhere in your confirmation summary.

I'm actually a financial aid counselor at a university, and I can confirm this is by design. The new FAFSA processes for 2025-2026 are DRASTICALLY different from previous years. The system now uses what's called "direct data exchange" with the IRS. Here's what's happening behind the scenes: 1. You provided consent for IRS data retrieval 2. The system automatically pulls your tax information 3. This data is used to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI), formerly known as EFC HOWEVER - and this is important - if your financial situation has changed significantly since your last tax filing (job loss, major medical expenses, etc.), you should contact your daughter's school's financial aid office after submission. They can do a "professional judgment" review to adjust the SAI calculation based on your current circumstances. This streamlined process has been causing a lot of confusion, but it's actually working as intended.

Has anyone else tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline to confirm this? I've been on hold for LITERALLY 2 hours trying to get someone to explain the new process for my twins' applications. This is ridiculous.

OP, did your daughter ever complete her part? My son filled out his section yesterday and then suddenly MORE questions appeared for me after he was done! It was super confusing and not at all what the instructions said would happen.

Just to add some clarity on the new FAFSA process for 2025-2026: 1. The system imports tax data directly from the IRS (with your consent) 2. Some questions are presented only after the student completes their section 3. The final SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation uses both the imported tax data AND the additional household information collected later 4. Changes in financial circumstances since your last tax filing require a separate professional judgment review by each school This multi-stage process is unfortunately causing a lot of confusion, but once both the parent and student sections are complete, you should be able to review all the information before final submission.

did u end up getting the same amount of aid as last year? thats all i really care about lol. the process can be weird as long as the $$$ stays the same

This thread has been super helpful! I'm dealing with the same situation for my daughter's junior year FAFSA. The new streamlined process is definitely confusing at first, but it sounds like it's working as intended. For anyone still worried about this - I found that the Department of Education has a pretty good FAQ page about the FAFSA Simplification changes that explains the direct data exchange process. It's buried in their website but worth finding if you want more official confirmation about why the process feels so different this year.