There was a significant reduction in the number of questions in the form from 108 questions to approximately 46 questions.

Previously, users had the option to enter their tax information manually or use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Beginning with 2024-25, all persons on the FAFSA must provide consent for the Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status directly from the IRS. Regardless of whether they file a US tax return, all students, parents, and spouses must check a box that grants the IRS permission to transfer any data they have directly into the FAFSA form. All parties whose Federal Tax Information (FTI) is included on a student's FAFSA form must consent annually. If no information is on file with the IRS, specific codes will be sent indicating that person’s status with the IRS. All contributors providing information on the form must grant permission, or the student will not be eligible for federal student aid. Transferring data directly from the IRS is expected to significantly reduce federal verification requirements and requests for additional documentation.

A contributor—a new term being introduced on the 2024-25 FAFSA—refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student's form (such as a parent/stepparent or spouse). Each contributor needs an FSA ID (basically a username and password) in order to log in to the application and complete the appropriate section. All contributors will have their own sections that can only be accessed and completed by them. There is one exclusion: if two contributors are married to each other and filed a joint return, only one contributor needs to secure an FSA ID and complete the FAFSA. The last contributor completing a section of the FAFSA will be permitted to submit the application.

Contributors will receive an email informing them that they've been identified as such, and will need to log in using their own FSA ID (if they don't already have one) to provide the required information on the student's FAFSA.

Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the student's education costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA or the application will be incomplete and the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.

Students will be prompted to list the email addresses of other required contributors such as parents on the FAFSA application.

The Student Aid Index more accurately describes the number used to determine aid eligibility and, unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number down to -1500.

Previously, the FAFSA calculated the number of household members attending college into the EFC, dividing it proportionately to determine federal aid eligibility. Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA, the application will still ask how many household members are in college, but your answer will not be calculated into the SAI. As such, some students with siblings in college may see a change in their federal aid eligibility.

When students log in, they can only access student questions. When a parent or spouse logs in, they will only have access to questions about their role. Only when the final contributor finishes their section will the form be able to be submitted.

Family size is based on federal tax information (FTI) transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA via the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FADDX). This means the number of dependents in the family size is now based on the number of individuals who are claimed as dependents on either the applicant’s (if independent) or parent’s (if dependent) U.S. federal tax return. If the family size has changed since filing the 2022 tax forms, a family size question will allow for reporting the updated family size. However, the contributor cannot see what family size was reported from the IRS Direct Data Exchange, as the transferred FTI is masked.

Therefore, will only need to be reported for those families required to report assets. Child support paid out of the household is no longer a question on the form.

For dependent students, financial information was previously needed from the parent(s) the student had lived with the most in the last 12 months. With the new FAFSA, financial information will be required from the parent(s) who provided the most financial support to the student.

Families with an adjusted gross income above $60,000 or specific schedules must report assets. There are no exemptions for reporting net business or family farm value. If the family farm includes the principal place of residence, applicants should determine the total net value of all farm assets and subtract the net value of their principal residence to determine the final value of their farm assets. Some current FAFSA filers may see an increased SAI due to the inclusion of all business or farm net values, even with no income changes.

As usual, the FAFSA will ask for each contributor to report the value of cash, savings, and checking accounts, and investments. 529 accounts still count as parent assets, but parents will only need to report the value of a 529 account for the student, and no longer need to report the value of 529 accounts for any other children.

After submitting the FAFSA, a student will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). Previously called the Student Aid Report (SAR) the FSS compiles all of the information submitted on the FAFSA and also provides the student's SAI.

Students who don't qualify as independent but aren't able to provide their parent(s)' information on the FAFSA due to unusual circumstances can still submit the application and will be given provisional independent status. Any student with this status will need to provide additional information to the Financial Aid Office to verify this status and be declared officially independent.

Any incomplete FAFSA will expire and disappear after 45 days, which means the form will need to be restarted after those 45 days have passed. Contributors who have not completed their sections will receive a reminder every 7 days to do so.