FAFSA skipping asset questions then showing errors - income threshold issue?

lol same thing happened to me. the new FAFSA is such a mess. I think if your income is under a certain amount it skips those questions automatically but then the system gets confused when it processes. good luck trying to fix it

There actually is a simplified needs test where FAFSA doesn't ask about assets if your income is below $60,000. It's part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. But it sounds like you've got a technical glitch where the system initially determined you qualified for the simplified test, but then in processing decided you didn't. Try these steps: 1. Call the Federal Student Aid help line directly (though good luck getting through) 2. Try logging in from a completely different device or browser 3. Clear your cache and cookies, then try again 4. If the school's financial aid office is open, ask them to check your SAI calculation to see if it shows assets as required

Those stupid error messages nearly made me LOSE MY MIND last month!!! The FAFSA site is GARBAGE this year with all these changes! I kept getting the same runaround about assets but my income definitely qualifies me to skip those questions. What finally worked was completely deleting my application and starting over from scratch. It was annoying but at least it worked.

I can provide some clarity here. The Simplified Needs Test (which allows families to skip asset questions) is available when adjusted gross income is below $60,000 AND you either: received certain means-tested federal benefits (like reduced lunch), filed a simplified tax form, or were not required to file taxes. The issue you're experiencing is likely due to a verification flag in the system. The Department of Education has acknowledged there are some technical issues with the verification process in the new FAFSA system where it incorrectly flags simplified needs test applications as incomplete. Two recommendations: 1. Contact your school's financial aid office - they can often override these flags 2. If you need to speak with someone at Federal Student Aid, use Claimyr (claimyr.com) to skip the phone queue. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ I've had several students successfully resolve similar issues this way.

u should check if yr income is actually under the threshold bc sometimes reduced lunch qualifies at different levels depending on yr state and the FAFSA uses federal numbers

I know this is a bit off-topic but does anyone know if retirement accounts count as assets for FAFSA? I have a decent 401k but barely any actual savings and I'm trying to figure out if I'll need to report that when I file for my twins next month. The new FAFSA is so confusing I can't even tell what they want anymore.

just wanna say the new fafsa sucks so bad. took me 6 tries to get mine to go through without errors

Did you check if your income matches what was on your tax return EXACTLY? My daughter's FAFSA kept giving errors because I rounded my income to the nearest dollar instead of putting the exact amount with cents. The system is incredibly picky this year with the new changes.

Quick update for everyone in this thread: The Department of Education just released a bulletin acknowledging this specific issue with the Simplified Needs Test and asset questions. They're working on a fix, but in the meantime, they recommend: 1. If you qualify for the simplified form but are getting asset errors, contact your school's financial aid office directly 2. Schools have been given special guidance to override these errors in their systems 3. Your SAI calculation will still be correct even with these error messages Hope this helps ease some concerns!

did u put any schools on your fafsa? i think the error might not appear until you add schools, and then when u go back to fix it the questions still dont show up. its so frustrating!!!!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! My family income definitely qualifies for the simplified needs test (we get free lunch, not just reduced), but I keep getting these cryptic error messages about missing asset information even though the system never asked me about assets in the first place. What's really maddening is that when I try to make corrections, it just takes me through the same exact screens again - no new asset questions appear - and then I submit and get the SAME errors! It's like being trapped in some kind of digital purgatory. Based on what @Diego Vargas shared about the Department of Education acknowledging this issue, I'm going to contact my daughter's school financial aid office first thing Monday morning. Hopefully they can override these errors on their end while the feds figure out how to fix their broken system. This whole rollout has been such a disaster - I feel bad for all the families dealing with this stress during an already overwhelming process.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! My family's AGI is well under the $60k threshold and we qualify for reduced lunch, but I keep getting asset error messages even though the system never asked me about assets initially. What's really frustrating is that I've tried the correction process three times now and it just keeps looping me through the same screens without ever showing asset questions. After reading through all these responses, I'm planning to try a few things: first, I'll contact the financial aid offices at my son's target schools since @Diego Vargas mentioned they can override these errors. I'm also going to try logging in from a different browser/device like @Omar Hassan suggested, just in case it's a technical glitch on my end. It's somewhat comforting to know this is a known issue with the Department of Education, but incredibly frustrating that families are having to deal with this during such a stressful time. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know I'm not going crazy!

I'm dealing with this exact same frustrating situation! My family's income is around $52k and we qualify for free lunch, so we should definitely be eligible for the simplified needs test. But just like everyone else here, I'm getting stuck in this endless loop where the system gives me asset error messages even though it never asked about assets in the first place. What's really driving me crazy is that I've attempted corrections four times now, and each time it takes me through identical screens, I submit, and then get the same error messages again. It's like the system is completely broken for families who actually need the most help with financial aid. After reading through all the helpful responses here (especially @Diego Vargas's explanation about the Department of Education acknowledging this as a known issue), I'm going to contact my son's top choice schools directly tomorrow. It sounds like the financial aid offices can override these system errors while we wait for the feds to fix their mess. Has anyone had luck with the different browser/device approach, or does it seem like this is purely a backend system issue that won't be resolved by clearing cookies? This whole FAFSA rollout has been such a nightmare - I feel terrible for all the students and families going through this stress during what should already be an overwhelming process.