What’s Changing
• Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID
Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA, all users/contributors must have an FSA ID and password to fill out the FAFSA, even those who don’t have a Social Security Number (SSN). Those without a SSN, however, cannot yet create an FSA ID. We expect this access to become available around the same time the FAFSA is released. Processing your FSA ID can take up to 5 business days, so we recommend creating it at least a week before you start your FAFSA.
• Contributors:
A contributor refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA, including the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adopted parent, or the parent’s spouse. Being a contributor does not imply responsibility for the student’s college costs.
- You, the student, will need the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to invite them to complete the required portion of your FAFSA.
- Contributors will need to provide personal and financial information on their section of your FAFSA. They will be able to see and complete only their own specific section of your FAFSA.
- All contributors must provide consent to have their federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. If consent is not provided by all parties, you will not be eligible for federal financial aid. In previous years, transferring IRS data was optional; moving forward, it’s required.
• Which Parent to Use in Divorced/Separated Situations:
If your parents are divorced or separated, the contributing parent(s) is the parent (and their spouse, if remarried) who provided the greater portion of your financial support during the 12 months immediately prior to filing the FAFSA.
It no longer will default to the parent you primarily lived with during the past 12 months.
• Family Size and Number in College:
The number of people in your family will be automatically pulled in from your federal tax information.
The number of family members in college will still be asked on the FAFSA, but it will be excluded from the federal, state, and institutional financial aid calculation.
• Small Business and Farm Assets:
The net worth of any small business and/or farm assets must be included on the FAFSA.
Remember, net worth = asset value – asset debt.
• Terminology: EFC > SAI
The final figure calculated by the FAFSA will no longer be called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Rather, it will be called the Student Aid Index (SAI) to more accurately describe how that number is used to determine financial aid eligibility.
Student Aid Report (SAR) > FAFSA Submission Summary
Similarly, the SAR, which is the confirmation of what’s been submitted, will now be referred to as the FAFSA Submission Summary.
