A flexibility that allowed students and their family members without a Social Security number to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA will be extended to the 2025-26 FAFSA.
In a July 30 Electronic Announcement, the Department of Education (ED) said it will extend this flexibility to continue temporarily enabling FAFSA applicants and other contributors without an SSN to complete and submit a FAFSA. The flexibility was developed with the 2024-25 FAFSA when problems arose in validating the identity of applicants and contributors without an SSN.
ED said it will not implement “any form” of restricted status for students or contributors without an SSN. The Department also said it plans to continue this extension until a solution is developed to fix the identity validation process as well as solution to related issue that preventing them from using the Direct Data Exchange process with the IRS to have their tax information transferred into the FAFSA.
