I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since I just went through almost the exact same situation a couple months ago. I was separated for 2.5 years without formal legal documents and had been filing "married filing separately" with two kids. What really made the difference for me was being proactive about contacting my school's financial aid office before even attempting to submit the FAFSA. They walked me through their specific "professional judgment" process and gave me a checklist of documentation they'd need. The key documents that helped my case were: - 2+ years of "married filing separately" tax returns - Lease agreements and utility bills showing different addresses - Bank statements proving completely separate finances - School records showing me as sole emergency contact for kids - A detailed written timeline of the separation My financial aid counselor explained that while I technically had to mark "married" on the FAFSA initially, they had procedures for cases where spouse information is impossible to obtain. The whole process took about 4 weeks from my initial meeting to final approval. Miguel, your 2-year track record of separate living and tax filing should definitely work in your favor! Don't get discouraged if the first counselor you meet with isn't immediately helpful - sometimes it takes finding the right person who's familiar with these edge cases. The system is complicated, but there are definitely pathways through it. Hope your Thursday meeting goes smoothly - looking forward to hearing how it turns out!

I'm new to this community but wanted to add my experience since I went through something very similar about 6 months ago. I was separated for almost 3 years without legal papers and also filing "married filing separately" with kids. One thing that really helped my case that I haven't seen mentioned yet is including documentation of any changes you made to beneficiaries on insurance policies, retirement accounts, or other financial accounts. When I separated from my ex, I changed all my beneficiaries from him to my children, and my financial aid counselor said this was additional evidence of our intent to live completely separate financial lives. Also, if you have any text messages, emails, or other communication that shows discussions about living separately or dividing responsibilities for the kids, save those too. I know it sounds weird to include personal communications, but my counselor said it helped demonstrate that this wasn't just a temporary separation but a genuine dissolution of the marriage relationship. Miguel, your documentation sounds really solid with 2 years of separate tax filings and addresses. The fact that you're claiming the kids as dependents and have been the primary caregiver should definitely strengthen your case. Good luck with your Thursday meeting - this thread has been so helpful for all of us dealing with this frustrating situation!

Update: My Student Aid Index calculation just came through! Only took 4 days, which seems really fast. And I was approved for the same Pell Grant amount as last year, so I guess not being routed to the IRS verification didn't hurt anything. Thanks everyone for calming my nerves!

Congrats on getting your SAI so quickly! This is really helpful to see how the new system is working. I'm a first-time FAFSA filer and was also confused about not getting the IRS verification step - I kept double-checking that I had completed everything correctly. It's reassuring to hear that the streamlined process can actually speed things up rather than cause problems. Thanks for sharing your update!

Just wanted to add that you can also check your application status on StudentAid.gov to make sure everything was submitted properly. I always get anxious after submitting too, but the new FAFSA really is much simpler. The fact that it let you submit without errors is a good sign - the system would have stopped you if something was missing. Good luck with your aid package!

I'm a newcomer to all this FAFSA stuff and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I was actually dreading filling out my application because I heard horror stories from older siblings about having to report every penny in their accounts. It's honestly a huge relief to know they've simplified the process. Quick question though - does this change affect how much aid we might get compared to previous years? Like, are students getting more or less aid now that they're not counting our small savings accounts against us?

Hi Keisha! Welcome to the community - I can totally relate to the FAFSA confusion as a new parent! Just wanted to add one more perspective that might help ease your mind. I went through this exact situation with my daughter who started mid-year, and here's what I wish someone had told me upfront: while everyone's advice about one FAFSA per academic year is absolutely correct, don't panic if you feel like you're behind or missing something. The most important thing is getting that 2025-2026 FAFSA submitted for her spring start. Once that's done, you can breathe a little easier and tackle the summer question step by step. I found that breaking it down into smaller tasks made it feel much more manageable - first submit the main FAFSA, then research the summer situation, then worry about next year's renewal. Also, something that really helped me was connecting with other parents from her specific college through the school's Facebook page or admitted students group. They often share school-specific timelines and tips that you won't find anywhere else. You're doing great by asking these questions early - your daughter is lucky to have such a proactive advocate! The first year is definitely the hardest, but it gets so much easier once you understand your particular school's system.

Hi Keisha! I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in because I literally just went through this exact same confusion last month with my daughter! Reading through all these responses brought back so many memories of my own FAFSA panic. One thing that really helped me was calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center early in the morning (like 8 AM EST) - I found the wait times were much shorter then compared to midday. The number is 1-800-433-3243 if you want to try that approach. Also, I created a simple checklist that included: 1) Submit 2025-2026 FAFSA, 2) Email financial aid office about summer 2026 coverage, 3) Mark calendar for 2026-2027 FAFSA (October 2025), and 4) Research any school-specific summer aid forms. Breaking it down like this made it feel so much less overwhelming! Your daughter is lucky to have such a dedicated mom advocating for her. The first year navigating all this is genuinely difficult, but you're asking all the right questions and getting great advice here. Once you get through this first FAFSA cycle, next year will feel like a breeze in comparison. You've got this! 💪

I'm new to this community and just went through the exact same experience! I submitted my 2025-26 FAFSA two days ago and had that same panicked feeling when I didn't see any document upload section. After years of hearing horror stories about having to upload tax forms and dealing with "unreadable document" errors, it felt almost too easy to just complete the application and submit without any file uploads. Reading through everyone's responses here has been so helpful and reassuring. It's clear that the automatic IRS data sharing is the new standard process, and honestly, it sounds like a huge improvement over the old manual system. I made sure to consent to the IRS data access during my application, and since my tax situation is straightforward (just W-2 income from my part-time job), I'm hoping for smooth processing. Now I'm in that anxious waiting period, checking my StudentAid.gov account every day for my SAI to appear. Based on what others have shared, it sounds like 1-3 weeks is typical for processing, so I'm trying to be patient. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know that we're all figuring out this new streamlined system together and that the missing upload section is completely normal now!

I'm a new member here and just submitted my 2025-26 FAFSA yesterday! I had the exact same experience as everyone else - kept waiting for that document upload section that never came and started second-guessing myself wondering if I'd somehow skipped something important. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. It's amazing how literally everyone seems to have had that identical moment of panic about the missing uploads! The automatic IRS data sharing definitely feels weird at first when you're expecting the traditional process, but it sounds like it should eliminate so many of the frustrations from previous years. I made sure to consent to the IRS data access during my application, and my tax situation is pretty straightforward (just standard W-2 income), so I'm cautiously optimistic everything will process smoothly. Now I'm in that nerve-wracking waiting period checking my StudentAid.gov account daily for my SAI to appear! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know we're all navigating this new streamlined system together and that the missing upload section is completely normal now. Fingers crossed the promised 1-3 week processing timeline holds true!