(GENERAL-24-52) Update on Access to the 2024-25 FAFSA Form for Individuals Without a Social Security Number (Updated August 2, 2024)

Author
Federal Student Aid
Electronic Announcement ID
GENERAL-24-52
Subject
Update on Access to the 2024-25 FAFSA Form for Individuals Without a Social Security Number (Updated August 2, 2024)

Note

Update on August 2, 2024: The Department is revising this announcement to reflect the extension of a process change that allows those without an SSN to immediately access the online FAFSA form after creating a StudentAid.gov account, as announced in the July 30, 2024 electronic announcement (GENERAL-24-95). On April 30, 2024, the Department announced changes to our system to temporarily allow those without an SSN to immediately access the online 2024-25 form after creating a StudentAid.gov account, foregoing the need to have the identity validation process completed prior to a student submitting their FAFSA form. We also noted that they must complete the identity validation process before the beginning of the 2025-26 application cycle to avoid their account being placed in a restricted status. As of the July 30 announcement, the Department is extending this process change into the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle and will not implement any form of restricted status for students or contributors without an SSN.

This extension will continue until the Department both develops:

  • A longer-term solution to the manual identity validation process that avoids the delays and confusion associated with the current process; and

  • The ability for those without an SSN to utilize the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) to transfer their tax information into the FAFSA form.

Update on May 6, 2024: Today we updated this announcement by adding an attachment that provides step-by-step guidance for use by applicants and contributors without a Social Security number (SSN) to immediately access the online 2024-25 FAFSA form after creating a StudentAid.gov account. Updates to the online step-by-step instructions will also occur by adding two new questions to the bottom of the existing, How To Submit the 2024–25 FAFSA® Form if Your Contributor Doesn’t Have an SSN.

Today, the Department is announcing changes to our systems to allow applicants and contributors without a Social Security number (SSN) to immediately access the online 2024-25 FAFSA form after creating a StudentAid.gov account. These changes should significantly streamline the application process for students who have contributors without an SSN. The Department continues to address known issues impacting applicant experiences as outlined in the Issue Alerts page and the Technical FAQ Known Issues Guide to continuously improve the 2024-25 FAFSA experience.

The Department is temporarily allowing individuals without an SSN to enter and complete the 2024-25 FAFSA. Students and contributors without an SSN must continue to manually enter their tax information. Students without an SSN must verify their eligible noncitizen status through their school before they receive any federal funds.

As previously posted to the Issue Alerts page on the Knowledge Center, students and contributors without SSNs cannot be matched with the IRS. Until the IRS data retrieval issue is resolved, students and contributors without SSNs must manually enter their tax information and can use the flexibility around the identity validation process described in this announcement. The Department currently has no timeline available for resolution, but we will share updates when they are available.

What this means for applicants and their families:

  • New users who request a StudentAid.gov account and cannot validate their identity using the knowledge-based questions (as generated by TransUnion) must still complete the manual process to validate their identity. However, they will not have to wait to have their identity validation completed before they can use their account username and password to access and complete the online 2024-25 FAFSA form.

  • Individuals who are currently awaiting the results of the identity validation process may begin using the StudentAid.gov account they created to immediately access the form. The Department will also email these individuals to notify them if they are affected by this change.

  • Individuals can check the status of their identity validation on their StudentAid.gov dashboard. If the status on the “Personal Information” page of their Account Settings is “no-SSN” with a green check icon, individuals are able to progress to the FAFSA form. Please note that this status is the same for those who have completed the validation process and those who are temporarily allowed to enter and complete the form. Individuals will receive an email this week if they fall in the latter category.

  • Individuals who are currently waiting for results from the Department do not need to resubmit any documentation to complete the identity validation process.

  • The Department is aware that there has been some erroneous information posted on public sites regarding the identity validation process, creating confusion for some individuals on where to submit documents and how to start the process. Official guidance for completing the identity validation process for those without an SSN can be found on StudentAid.gov. If an individual’s StudentAid.gov account does not show a status of “no-SSN” with a green check icon and they have not received an email notifying them of this temporary change, they will need to follow the instructions for individuals without an SSN to create a StudentAid.gov account, as they are not currently in the Department’s system.

  • The Department encourages all users without an SSN to complete the identity validation process without delay, even after the student’s FAFSA form is submitted.

  • Undocumented students and students who have received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) remain ineligible for federal student aid. To receive federal student aid, a student must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national, a citizen of the Freely Associated States, or a lawful U.S. permanent resident or other eligible noncitizen.

What this means for institutions:

  • Bypassing the identity validation process does not preclude student applicants without an SSN (who are citizens of the Freely Associated States) from having to meet eligibility requirements for federal student aid. As in previous years, Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) received for students without an SSN who are also citizens of the Freely Associated States will not have an A-Number and will also not go through DHS match. Instead, schools must request documentation to verify the student’s eligible noncitizen status, as a citizen of the Freely Associated States. Additional guidance on verifying the citizen and eligible noncitizen status of students can be found in the 2024-25 FSA Handbook, Volume 1: Student Eligibility, Chapter 2. Schools must ensure that the student’s identity and citizenship status is verified before disbursing aid.

  • Schools may direct students and families who have questions about their eligible noncitizen status, or concerns that their parent or spouse’s citizenship status impacts their eligibility for federal student aid, to our guidance for non-U.S. citizens.

If an individual without an SSN continues to have issues logging in to StudentAid.gov, they should contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center for assistance with signing in to their account.

Attachments

The Department of Education strives to make all content accessible to everyone. While this document does not currently meet the standards of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Federal Student Aid is working to create an accessible version. If you need access to this document before the accessible version is available, please contact the Information Technology Accessibility Program Help Desk at ITAPSupport@ed.gov to help facilitate.

How To Submit the 2024–25 FAFSA® Form if Your Contributor Doesn’t Have an SSN in PDF Format, 9 Pages, 533KB

Last Modified: 08/02/2024