Will ED Be Releasing Further Guidance On the Changes To Data Sharing Requirements?

Yes. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has indicated that it will be releasing separate guidance on the FAFSA Simplification changes to:

• FAFSA data and non-FAFSA data; and
• Federal tax information (FTI).

FAFSA Data and Non-FAFSA Data: The November 07, 2024, Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-24-129) provides guidance on FAFSA and non-FAFSA data. FAFSA and non-FAFSA data do not include FTI, so no inferences should be made regarding FTI based on this guidance.

Federal tax information (FTI): ED has indicated that a separate Electronic Announcement on the permitted uses and disclosures of FTI "will follow in the near future." FTI is governed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (IRC), and has more stringent access, disclosure, and use requirements than other FAFSA data. NASFAA encourages schools to wait for this guidance before sharing FTI. Be sure to stay tuned to Today's News for an announcement when future guidance becomes available.

In the meantime, see NASFAA's FAFSA Data and Federal Tax Information (FTI) webinar, ED's FAFSA Data Use in 2024-25 webinar, and the Data Use and Considerations Under the FUTURE Act and FAFSA Simplification session B010 at the 2023 FSA Training Conference. See also AskRegs Q&A, What Is Federal Tax Information (FTI)?

Data Sharing Decision Tree Note: NASFAA is in the process of updating its Data Sharing Decision Tree. When it is updated, it will be published on the NASFAA website and appear under Resources in the AskRegs Knowledgebase.