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Destiny Bryant

Missing bank account information on submitted FAFSA - need correction?

I'm confused about something on our FAFSA submission for 2025-2026. We listed my husband as the contributor for our daughter's application, but I noticed that we never got prompted to enter our bank account balance. The application literally just skipped that question entirely! We went ahead and submitted anyway because everything else seemed complete, and now it shows as 'processed' in the system. Should I be worried? Do I need to contact FAFSA and submit a correction for the missing bank information? I don't want this to cause problems with her SAI calculation or delay her aid package. Has anyone else run into this weird glitch where it skips questions?

Dyllan Nantx

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The FAFSA simplification actually removed the cash/savings/checking account balance question for many applicants! It's part of the streamlined process. If your family's income is below certain thresholds or you receive certain federal benefits, that question is now automatically skipped. It's not a glitch - it's an intentional change to make the process simpler. If the system determined you didn't need to answer that question, you shouldn't worry about it.

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Really?? That's a relief! I was panicking thinking we'd messed something up. So there's no need to submit a correction then? I'm just worried because we do have some savings that might affect her aid amount.

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when i did fafsa last month it did the same thing for me too. never asked about my bank stuff at all. my cousin said its part of that new FAFSA changes they made

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Anna Xian

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This is indeed part of the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. For the 2025-2026 application cycle, cash assets (including bank accounts) are no longer considered in the SAI calculation for many applicants. The system automatically determines if this applies to your situation based on your reported income and other factors. If your income is below a certain threshold (around $60,000 for a family of four) or if you receive means-tested federal benefits, the system skips these questions intentionally. If the system didn't ask you for this information, it means you don't need to provide it. No correction is necessary, and this won't negatively impact your daughter's aid eligibility. In fact, not having to report cash assets typically benefits applicants.

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Thank you for the detailed explanation! That makes sense now. Our family income is right around $58,000, so I guess we fall into that category. It's just confusing because her school's financial aid checklist mentioned bank statements as something we'd need to have ready. I was expecting to enter that information.

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my daughters school still asked for bank statements even tho fafsa didnt!!! stupid double work for parents as usual lol. check with her college financial aid office cause they might want that info separately from the fafsa.

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Oh great, another thing to worry about! 😩 I'll reach out to her school's financial aid office tomorrow.

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Rajan Walker

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Don't listen to these people saying it's fine. I had the EXACT same issue and it caused MAJOR problems with my daughter's financial aid. The school ended up flagging her application for verification because the asset information was missing. Call Federal Student Aid ASAP to get it corrected before the aid packages start going out. The system is SO broken this year!!!

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That's strange - the verification process is separate from the asset questions being skipped. The Department of Education confirmed that many applicants won't see these questions anymore by design. It sounds like your daughter might have been selected for verification for a different reason.

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I was in the exact same boat last month. I called the Federal Student Aid number for THREE DAYS trying to get someone on the phone. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in like 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed what others are saying - for many families, they don't ask for bank account info anymore. It's part of the FAFSA changes. She said as long as your application shows 'processed' and you can see the SAI calculation, you're good to go. No correction needed!

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bookmarking that claimyr thing for later, always impossible to get thru to fafsa!!!

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Thank you all for the responses! I just checked our SAI calculation and it does show as complete, so it seems like everything is processing correctly. I'll still check with her college's financial aid office just to be sure they don't need additional documentation from us. This new FAFSA system is so different from when I applied for college!

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wait so do we still need to send bank stuff to the schools or not?? im confused now

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It depends on the school. Some colleges (especially private ones) require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, and that form still asks about bank accounts. Other schools might request bank statements as part of institutional verification. Best to check directly with each school's financial aid office to see what they require beyond FAFSA.

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Anna Xian

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Just to provide some additional clarity: the FAFSA Simplification Act created what's called the Student Aid Index (SAI), which replaced the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). One major change was removing small cash assets from consideration for many families. If your family's adjusted gross income is below $60,000 and you filed a 1040 form without schedules (other than EIC or child tax credit schedules), the system automatically skips the asset questions. If your application is showing as processed with an SAI calculation, the system is working as designed. Some colleges do have their own institutional methodology that may still consider assets, which is why they might request bank statements separately, especially if they use the CSS Profile.

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Thank you for this detailed explanation! I appreciate everyone who took time to respond. I feel much better now understanding this is normal and not something we did wrong.

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I'm going through the same thing right now with my son's FAFSA! I was so worried when it skipped the bank account questions because I kept second-guessing myself. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful - especially learning about the income thresholds and how the new SAI system works. I'm definitely going to contact his college's financial aid office to see if they need any additional documentation beyond what FAFSA collected. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

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