Which Questions Are Removed From the FAFSA Effective With 2024-25?

In order to implement the requirements of the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act (FUTURE Act) and the FAFSA Simplification Act, the questions that have been removed from the FAFSA effective with the 2024-25 award year include, but are not limited to the following:

1) The student's housing choice. See AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&A, Will Housing Choice Be Included On the 2024-25 FAFSA?

2) 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.). See AskRegs Q&A, What Untaxed Income Will Be Included On the FAFSA For Need Analysis In 2024-25 and Beyond? 

3) The student's interest in Federal Work-Study (FWS) employment. This question was never needed to award FWS to a student; it was merely an indication of the student's preference.

4) Taxable earnings from need-based employment (such as need-based employment portions of fellowships and assistantships). FWS earnings will still be excluded from need analysis, but they will not appear on the FAFSA; they will be reported separately by schools in a new reporting process. See AskRegs Q&A, Will Schools Be Required To Report Federal Work-Study Earnings To COD?

5) 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 and special combat pay and cooperative education program earnings). Child support received is still reported, but as assets rather than income.

6) The student's driver's license number and state.

7) Highest school completed by the student's parents. This question now ask whether either parent attended college.

8) The college degree or certificate the student will be working on when he, she, or they begin the award year. The assumption is that the school has this information in its admissions/academic/registration records. Grade level is still reported.

9) Whether the student or parent filed IRS Schedule 1. The FAFSA now asks if the student, spouse, or parent filed Schedule A, B, D, E, F, or H with their IRS Form 1040. It also asks for the net profit or loss from Schedule C.

10) The dislocated worker question.

Additionally, the independent student will no longer be able to provide parental data, which is needed for some of the health professions student aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), but not for the Title IV programs.

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. If the school wants this information for non-Title IV aid purposes, it will have to make alternative arrangements to collect it.

To get a full understanding of the questions that remain on the FAFSA, see the September 2023 draft 2024-25 FAFSA.

See NASFAA's comments on the second draft 2024-25 FAFSA.