As a newcomer to both this community and the Parent PLUS loan process, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and practical advice! This thread has been incredibly educational for me as I'm facing a similar situation with my daughter starting college in the fall. Reading through all these experiences, I'm convinced that the specific amount approach is definitely the way to go. The stories about excess funds being spent on non-educational expenses really drive home why precision matters so much, especially with those high interest rates. I have a follow-up question: for those who successfully used the specific calculation method, how did you handle potential changes in costs between when you applied for the loan and when bills were actually due? I'm thinking about things like textbook costs that might be higher or lower than estimated, or unexpected fees that pop up during registration. Did you find that your buffer amount was sufficient, or did some of you need to make adjustments mid-year? Also, I'm wondering about the timing of when to submit the Parent PLUS application relative to when financial aid packages are finalized. Should I wait until I have the absolute final numbers from the school, or is it okay to apply based on preliminary estimates? Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative discussion - it's exactly what nervous parents like me need when navigating this complex process!

As someone completely new to the Parent PLUS loan process, this entire discussion has been incredibly valuable! I'm facing a similar situation with my son starting college this fall, and reading through everyone's real-world experiences has convinced me that the specific amount approach is absolutely the right way to go. What really strikes me is how consistently those who borrowed precisely what they needed felt good about their decisions, while the stories about excess funds being misused serve as such important cautionary tales. The psychological aspect that Owen mentioned about having "extra" money leading to rationalized spending is something I hadn't considered but makes perfect sense. I'm planning to follow the advice here: calculate our exact gap ($38,750 - aid received), add a modest buffer for legitimate academic surprises (around $1,200-1,500), and request that specific amount. The tips about contacting the bursar's office early to ensure any refunds come to me rather than my son, and keeping detailed records of what the loan covers, are going straight onto my to-do list. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - both the successes and the mistakes. This kind of peer-to-peer guidance is invaluable for families navigating this complex process for the first time. I feel much more confident about making an informed decision now!

I'm also new to this whole FAFSA process and got married just last month, so this thread has been both helpful and confusing! Reading through all the responses, I'm seeing a lot of conflicting information about whether to include both spouses when you get married after the tax year. @Heather Armstrong's point about the FSA handbook is really important - it does seem like the official guidance requires both married parents to contribute regardless of when they got married. But I'm also seeing people say they successfully completed their FAFSA with only one parent's information after mid-year marriages. As someone who's completely overwhelmed by this process, I think I'm going to err on the side of caution and follow the official FSA handbook requirements rather than rely on anecdotal experiences. Has anyone else found the actual FSA handbook section that addresses mid-year marriage timing specifically? I want to make sure I'm not missing any exceptions or special provisions before I submit. This whole process is so much more complicated than I expected! Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and especially for bringing up the official guidelines.

As someone who just went through this exact situation a few months ago, I want to add some clarity to this discussion. I got married in October and completed my son's FAFSA in January. After reading through all the conflicting advice here, I ended up calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly (used Claimyr to avoid the hold time - thanks @Victoria Scott for that tip!). Here's what they told me: The key is the FAFSA question that asks if your marital status changed after December 31, 2023. If you answer YES to this question, you only need to provide YOUR 2023 tax information, not your spouse's, because you weren't married during that tax year. The FSA representative was very clear about this. @Heather Armstrong - while the handbook language you quoted is generally correct, there IS a specific provision for marriages that occur after the tax year ends. The FAFSA system accounts for this timing difference, which is why that marital status change question exists. My son's FAFSA processed smoothly with just my income information, and we received his aid package without any issues. The school did request our marriage certificate during routine verification, but that was it. I'd recommend calling FSA directly if you're still unsure - the representatives are trained on these specific timing scenarios and can give you the definitive answer for your situation.

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I want to express my gratitude for this incredibly informative thread! I'm currently helping my son with his 2025-2026 FAFSA application, and like many others here, I was completely confused about how to properly report my pension income. After reading through all the detailed advice and real-world experiences shared here, I now have a clear understanding: the taxable portion of my pension distributions will be captured automatically through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (as part of my AGI), while the untaxed portion needs to be manually entered in the "Additional Financial Information" section under "untaxed portions of IRA distributions and pensions." The warnings about double-counting income and the resulting delays in aid processing really emphasize how important it is to get this right the first time. I'm going to make sure I have my 1099-R form ready and follow the advice about being conservative with estimates rather than risking underreporting. Thank you to everyone who shared both their successes and costly mistakes - this community is truly helping families navigate one of the most stressful parts of college planning!

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this detailed discussion! My husband recently started receiving pension distributions and I was completely overwhelmed trying to figure out how to report them on our daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - it's clear I'm not alone in finding this confusing! Based on all the advice here, I now understand that the taxable portion of pension income gets captured through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (included in AGI) while the untaxed portion needs to be manually entered in the "Additional Financial Information" section under "untaxed portions of IRA distributions and pensions." The cautionary stories about double-counting income and the resulting SAI calculation errors really opened my eyes to how critical accuracy is. I'm definitely going to have our 1099-R form ready and follow the advice about being conservative with estimates. Thank you to everyone who shared both successes and mistakes - this thread is going to help so many families avoid costly errors!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to echo what everyone else has said - this thread has been incredibly reassuring! I submitted my FAFSA last week and had that exact same moment of panic when I couldn't find where to enter my savings account balance. I actually logged out and back in multiple times thinking the page wasn't loading correctly! It's amazing to see how many people had this identical experience with the new simplified system. The explanation about the FAFSA Simplification Act and the shift to direct IRS data integration makes so much sense - it really does seem like a much more efficient and accurate approach than having students manually enter all their asset information. Reading through everyone's stories has transformed my initial worry about an incomplete application into genuine appreciation for how much better this new system is designed. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and helped newcomers like me understand these significant changes!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm in the middle of my FAFSA application right now and was starting to panic because I couldn't find anywhere to enter my checking account information. Like so many others here, I kept going back through each section thinking I must have missed something important. Reading through everyone's shared experiences has been such a huge relief - it's amazing how the new simplified system has eliminated those manual asset entries by using IRS data directly instead. The fact that this is actually how the 2025-2026 FAFSA is designed to work, rather than being some kind of error or oversight, makes me feel so much more confident about my application. Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain the FAFSA Simplification Act changes - this thread has turned what felt like a major mistake into understanding of a genuinely improved system that's more accurate and less prone to errors. It's wonderful to see such a supportive community helping people navigate these significant changes!

As a newcomer here, I'm so grateful to find this discussion! My ex-husband and I are in the exact same boat with our daughter who's starting college this fall. We've been alternating tax years for about 6 years now, and I had absolutely no clue that wouldn't matter for FAFSA under these new rules. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both enlightening and a bit overwhelming. It sounds like we really need to sit down and calculate who actually provides more financial support, which is something we've never formally tracked. We've just naturally fallen into patterns where I handle certain expenses and he handles others. What I'm finding most helpful is everyone's emphasis on documentation and keeping detailed records going forward. The stories about verification processes taking months when you're not prepared definitely have me motivated to get organized now rather than scrambling later. One question I have after reading all these responses: For those who went through the expense calculation process, how did you handle shared costs like family vacations or big purchases that benefit your child? Did you split those 50/50 or assign them based on who actually paid? Thanks to everyone for sharing your real experiences - this community is already proving to be more helpful than hours of trying to decode the official FSA guidelines!

As someone new to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this discussion! My ex-wife and I have been alternating tax claims for our son for the past 5 years, and I was completely confused about how this would affect his FAFSA application for next year. After reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that I need to have that difficult conversation with my ex about who actually provides more financial support. We've been pretty informal about splitting expenses - I cover his health insurance, school fees, and most extracurricular costs, while she handles clothing, some food expenses, and entertainment. What really concerns me after reading these responses is the verification process. It sounds absolutely crucial to have documentation ready from the start rather than trying to piece everything together later if we get flagged. I'm definitely going to start tracking all expenses going forward using a spreadsheet approach like several of you suggested. One specific question: For those who calculated housing costs as part of support, how did you handle the situation where your child has bedrooms at both parents' homes? Did you count the full value of providing housing, or did you prorate it somehow based on time spent at each location? Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed, real-world experiences. This has been infinitely more helpful than trying to navigate the official FSA guidance alone!