Missing bank account information on submitted FAFSA - need correction?

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.

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

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.

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.

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!!!

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!

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!

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

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.

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!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a parent going through this process for the first time with my daughter's FAFSA, and I had the exact same panic when those bank account questions never showed up. I kept refreshing the page thinking it was a technical error! It's really reassuring to see that this is actually part of the new streamlined system and not something we messed up. The explanations about the income thresholds and SAI changes are super clear - I wish FAFSA had better communication about these changes upfront so parents wouldn't worry. Definitely going to follow the advice here and check with her school's financial aid office to see what additional documentation they might need beyond the federal form.