Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice! To summarize what I've learned: 1) Under new FAFSA rules, grandparent contributions paid directly to the school won't affect our federal aid like Pell Grants 2) We should wait until AFTER all financial aid packages are finalized before grandparents make any payments 3) Some private schools using CSS Profile might still consider these funds differently 4) It's better to have them contribute in later years of college to minimize impact on future aid cycles. I'll make sure to discuss this carefully with my parents so we handle it correctly. Really appreciate all the guidance!

One additional tip that might help - consider having your parents set up a 529 education savings plan with your son as the beneficiary if they haven't already. Contributions to a grandparent-owned 529 don't count as assets on the FAFSA, and qualified distributions directly to the school also won't impact aid calculations under the new rules. This could be a great way for them to help with future years' expenses while maintaining maximum financial aid eligibility. Just make sure they understand the gift tax implications if they're contributing large amounts!

As someone who's new to navigating financial aid, this entire thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea that FAFSA is just the application and not where all the grants actually show up. The distinction between what appears on StudentAid.gov versus the school portal makes so much more sense now. What really struck me is how much the timelines vary - it sounds like patience is key but also being proactive about following up. The advice about asking for a pending aid hold and getting written confirmation of what financial aid offices tell you seems crucial. I'm definitely taking notes on all these tips for when I go through this process with my own kids in a few years. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to see real examples of how this all plays out rather than just trying to decipher official websites that don't explain the practical realities!

As someone completely new to this financial aid process, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly educational. I had no idea that different grants come through on such different timelines - I was expecting everything to appear together once the FAFSA was processed. The distinction between what shows up on StudentAid.gov versus the school portal is something I never would have understood without this discussion. And all the practical tips about creating spreadsheets to track everything, asking for pending aid holds, and getting written confirmation from financial aid offices are going to be so valuable when I go through this with my own daughter next year. It's really reassuring to see that the stress and confusion around these timelines is completely normal for first-time parents. The fact that schools are used to working with these delays and have systems in place (like pending aid holds) to accommodate them gives me a lot more confidence about the whole process. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to piece together information from official websites!

my sister just went thru this. make sure u keep track of all the different passwords and usernames for both kids! we got so confused trying to keep track of which FSA ID went with which kid lol

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is timing - make sure to submit your younger daughter's FAFSA as early as possible after it opens (October 1st for the 2025-2026 academic year). Even though the federal deadline isn't until later, many states and schools have much earlier priority deadlines for their own aid programs, and some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, keep detailed records of both applications and any correspondence with financial aid offices. Having two kids in the system means twice as many deadlines, requirements, and potential issues to track. I learned this the hard way when my twins were applying - a simple spreadsheet with important dates and requirements for each child saved me so much stress! And don't forget that your tax information will be used for both FAFSAs, so make sure you file your taxes early to avoid any delays in processing either application.

Financial aid counselor here. The simplified FAFSA has changed asset reporting requirements. Here's what you need to know: 1. Many families with AGI under $60,000 don't report assets at all 2. The system now primarily looks at investments and business assets, not basic bank accounts for most families 3. The SAI calculation puts less emphasis on cash savings than before 4. The system determines which assets are relevant based on your tax return 5. If you received certain federal benefits, you may qualify for an automatic $0 SAI Your tax information was likely transferred through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which is now mandatory for most applicants. If you're concerned, you can always review your Student Aid Index once it's calculated to see if anything seems incorrect.

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can confirm what others are saying - the new FAFSA really has changed dramatically! I was prepared with all my bank statements and was surprised when it never asked. My financial aid office at my daughter's school explained that the Department of Education realized that penalizing families for having emergency savings wasn't helping anyone. The new formula focuses more on income capacity rather than punishing people for being financially responsible and keeping some money in savings. It's actually a really positive change for most middle-class families who were getting penalized before for having a few thousand in emergency funds.

This is such a stressful situation, but you're definitely not alone! I went through something similar with my daughter's FAFSA two years ago. Here's what helped us get through it quickly: Before you delete, gather ALL your tax documents, bank statements, and any other financial info in one place. Screenshot or write down any tricky answers you remember from the first application (like asset values, untaxed income amounts, etc.) so you don't have to look them up again. When you resubmit, definitely use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool if you filed taxes already - it'll save you tons of time and reduce errors. Also, most schools have seen this exact situation many times, so don't stress too much about it looking like you're submitting late. One thing that really helped us was creating a simple timeline and sharing it with the financial aid offices: "Original FAFSA submitted on [date] with incorrect parent, discovered error on [date], deleted and resubmitted corrected version on [date]." They really appreciated the transparency and it showed we were being proactive about fixing the mistake. You've got this! It's frustrating but totally fixable, and you still have plenty of time before that deposit deadline.

I've been working as a financial aid advisor for over 8 years and this parent correction issue comes up more often than you'd think! Here's my advice to make this as smooth as possible: **Before you delete anything:** - Take screenshots of ALL pages, especially the school list and any special circumstances you noted - Write down your daughter's FSA ID and make sure you know yours too - Have your 2023 tax return, W-2s, bank statements, and investment records ready **The deletion process:** - Your daughter must log into studentaid.gov with her FSA ID - Go to "My FAFSA" and select the 2025-2026 form - There's a "Delete FAFSA Form" option - she'll need to confirm multiple times **When resubmitting:** - Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool if you've filed taxes - it's a lifesaver - Double-check that YOU are listed as the contributing parent this time - Submit during business hours if possible in case you need help **Communication with schools:** Send a brief email to each financial aid office: "My daughter [name, student ID if you have it] is resubmitting her FAFSA due to an incorrect parent being listed as contributor. Original submitted [date], corrected version will be submitted by [date]." Trust me, schools see this ALL the time and won't penalize her for it. You're doing the right thing by fixing it now rather than later!