ED Announces Updates for Upcoming 2026-27 FAFSA Along With Beta Testing Plans
By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Managing Editor
The Department of Education (ED) has detailed two major updates for the 2026-27 FAFSA, with plans to enable real-time identity verification and a ‘simplified’ contributor invite process.
The department, as a part of Monday’s announcement, has also provided details on their planned beta testing period to prepare for the form’s October 1 launch.
According to ED, all users with a Social Security number (SSN) who create a StudentAid.gov account will “immediately” have their accounts verified and will no longer be subject to the current one-to-three day waiting period. “This will allow for the immediate ingestion of tax information from the IRS,” the announcement notes, meaning that in a single session a student start the application process, provide their consent for the IRS to transfer their tax data, and have their tax data appear on the FAFSA, which would previously have been delayed due to the time required for identity validation. Per the guidance, this update will begin to roll out in August. However, users who do not have an SSN will instead follow previous guidance to verify their identity.
In terms of the contributor process, students completing the 2026-27 FAFSA will now be able to invite a parent or spouse as a contributor by entering that user's email address instead of needing to submit their personally identifiable information.
The contributor will then receive a non-case sensitive code through email and then be directed to an “Accept an Invite” webpage, which is only accessible through email or a StudentAid.gov account.
“The Department expects this update to ease the process for users and reduce errors associated with matching contributors to their accounts based on identifying information,” the announcement reads.
However, if a contributor begins a 2026-27 FAFSA on behalf of the student, they will then be required to use the existing process to invite the student, who must have a StudentAid.gov account, to complete the form.
In terms of beta testing for the 2026-27 FAFSA, the department plans to run two rounds of testing, with the first round slated for August 4. It is NASFAA’s understanding that ED will use the same beta testers from the 2025-26 cycle for 2026-27 testing and will not solicit additional testers for this initial testing round. During the first round of beta testing, the form will be tested both in-person and virtually with a limited number of school districts, community-based organizations, and institutions of higher education. ISIR processing will also be tested at this time with local institutions and their vendors.
The second beta period will begin once the first round concludes and is expected to launch in “late August/early September.” Groups of users will be admitted throughout the month, and all students and parents will be able to submit a request to participate in the second round of beta testing. ISIR testing will continue throughout this round, and ED plans to provide an update to Monday’s announcement later this summer when its participation request form opens.
ED also provided details on how the beta testing period will impact institutions and state agencies. Starting in August, all schools—even if they are not participating in beta testing—may begin to receive a small number of ISIRs via the FTI-Student Aid Internet Gateway. This is because students completing the FAFSA during beta testing can add up to twenty schools to receive their FAFSA data.The number of ISIRs that institutions and agencies receive will increase throughout August and September as testing progresses.
Institutions and agencies are reminded that the ISIRs they receive before October 1 are official ISIRs which they can use to package student aid, but they are permitted to process ISIRs on their preferred timeline and may wait until their internal systems are ready to import ISIRs and package aid.
During the beta testing period, ED also urges ISIR recipients to report any issues with ISIRs to both the institution’s software vendor and the FPS Help Desk so that the department can prioritize resolutions to these possible issues before the October 1, 2025, release date of the 2026-27 FAFSA.
Publication Date: 6/24/2025
Heather P | 6/24/2025 8:12:46 AM
“This will allow for the immediate ingestion of tax information from the IRS,” the announcement notes, meaning that in a single session a student start the application process, provide their consent for the IRS to transfer their tax data, and have their tax data appear on the FAFSA, which would previously have been delayed due to the time required for identity validation.
^^ a student can/may start
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