The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is a part of the U.S. Department of Education. The office of Federal Student Aid is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation, offering more than $150 billion in federal grants, loans, and work-study funds each year to more than 13 million students.
** FAFSA Form Changes 24-25
The questions that have been removed from the FAFSA effective the 2024-25 award year include, but are not limited to the following:
- The student’s housing choice
- The student’s, spouse’s, and parents’ untaxed income that does not appear on the IRS 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR tax return (such as untaxed payments to tax-deferred pension and retirement saving plans represented by IRS Form W-2 Box 12 codes D, E, F, G, H, and S; housing, food, and other living allowances paid to members of the military, clergy, and others; etc.)
- The student’s interest in Federal Work-Study (FWS) employment
- Taxable earnings from need-based employment (such as need-based employment portions of fellowships and assistantships)
- Excluded income for the student, spouse, and parents. This includes other income items that have been reported under “Additional Financial Information” on the FAFSA and excluded from need analysis in prior years (such as taxable combat pay, special combat pay, and cooperative education program earnings). Child support received is still reported but as assets rather than income.
- The student’s driver’s license number and state
- The highest school completed by the student’s parents. This question now asks whether either parent attended college.
- The college degree or certificate a student will be working on when they begin the award year
- Whether the student or parent filed IRS Schedule 1
- The dislocated worker question
The FAFSA Simplification Act specifies which questions can be asked on the FAFSA and prohibits the U.S. Department of Education (ED) from asking FAFSA questions that are unnecessary for Title IV federal student aid.