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I'm new to this community and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I've been dealing with this exact same "information doesn't match" error for the past few days and was getting so frustrated. After reading through all these solutions, I'm now pretty confident my mom has an old FSA ID from when she helped my older brother with his FAFSA about 4 years ago - we completely forgot about that possibility! It's amazing how this one overlooked detail can cause so much stress when you think you're entering everything correctly. I'm going to have her try the account recovery process tonight using any old email addresses she might have used back then. This community is incredible for providing real, actionable solutions instead of just generic troubleshooting advice. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - you've given me hope that this nightmare will actually be solvable!
Welcome to the community, JacksonHarris! I'm also new here and this thread has been absolutely amazing for solving this frustrating issue. The 4-year timeframe for your mom helping your brother makes it really likely she has an existing FSA ID that you both forgot about - that seems to be the culprit behind most of these "information doesn't match" errors. When she does the account recovery tonight, definitely have her try any email addresses she was using back then, including old work emails or previous personal accounts. Sometimes parents switch email providers over the years and forget which one they originally used for the FSA ID. It's so reassuring to know this is a widespread issue and not just us doing something wrong! This community really has figured out the actual solutions while the official help resources just give unhelpful generic advice. Can't wait to hear your success story once you get it sorted out!
I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this thread has been! I'm currently stuck on this exact same error with my parent invitation and was starting to panic about my deadline. After reading through all these solutions, I'm pretty sure my dad has an old FSA ID from when he helped my older brother about 3 years ago - we completely forgot that was even a possibility! It's so frustrating how the system just says "information doesn't match" without giving you any clue about what's actually wrong. I'm going to have him try the account recovery process tomorrow morning before we attempt anything else. This community is amazing for providing real solutions that actually work instead of just the generic "clear your cache" advice you get everywhere else. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - you've turned what felt like an impossible situation into something totally manageable!
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This has been such an educational thread! I'm getting ready to file my first FAFSA for my daughter and was completely overwhelmed by the asset reporting requirements. The distinction between investment accounts and savings accounts seemed so murky, especially with all the different terminology banks and credit unions use. Reading through everyone's experiences and explanations has really cleared things up for me. I particularly appreciate the tip about using the question mark help icons on the FAFSA form itself - I had no idea those existed! And the suggestion to cross-reference with tax documents (1099-INT vs 1099-DIV) is brilliant. I feel much more confident now about correctly categorizing our various accounts. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when you have real people explaining it in plain language rather than trying to decipher the official instructions alone.
I completely understand that overwhelmed feeling! The FAFSA can be so intimidating when you're doing it for the first time. What really helped me was breaking it down section by section rather than trying to tackle the whole thing at once. The asset reporting part was definitely the most confusing for me too. I'm glad this thread has been helpful - it's exactly the kind of practical advice I wish I'd had when I started this process. One thing I'd add is to give yourself plenty of time to complete the form. I rushed through my first attempt and ended up having to make corrections later. Take your time, use those help icons, and don't hesitate to ask questions here if you run into any other confusing sections. This community has been such a lifesaver for navigating all the financial aid requirements!
I'm so grateful for this detailed discussion! I was literally sitting here with my laptop open staring at the FAFSA asset section, completely paralyzed about where to put different accounts. Like many others, I have a mix of advisor-managed investments (about $18k) and what my credit union calls "share savings" ($3,200). The explanations here have been a lifesaver - investments for the advisor accounts, cash/savings for the credit union despite the confusing "shares" terminology. The tip about cross-referencing with 1099 forms is genius and will definitely help me feel more confident about my categorizations. It's such a relief to know I'm not the only parent who finds these forms confusing! This community is amazing for breaking down complex topics into understandable guidance.
I totally get that paralyzed feeling! I was in the exact same situation a few weeks ago, staring at my screen with all these different account statements spread out on my desk, not knowing where anything should go. The "shares" terminology from credit unions is seriously the worst - why can't they just call it savings like everyone else? But once you get past the confusing language, the actual categorization makes sense. Your $18k advisor-managed money is definitely investments since it's meant for growth, and that $3,200 credit union account is just regular savings regardless of what they call it. You've got this! The hardest part is just getting started and understanding the categories.
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Good choice! You're doing the right thing by marking 'yes'. I just wanted to add that if you're still feeling uncertain, you can always call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. They can walk you through the specific question and confirm the correct answer for your situation. The wait times can be long (as Klaus mentioned), but it might give you extra peace of mind knowing you answered correctly. Best of luck with your son's financial aid process!
That's a great suggestion about calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center! As someone new to this whole FAFSA process, I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. It's so reassuring to hear from multiple people who've dealt with similar situations. The consistency in everyone's answers (mark 'yes') gives me confidence that this is the right approach. Thanks for the phone number too - I'll definitely keep that as a backup if I run into any other confusing questions while filling out the form!
As someone who works in financial aid at a community college, I can confirm what others have said - you should definitely mark 'yes' to the Medicaid question. The FAFSA is asking about any Medicaid benefits received, period. The qualification method (income-based vs. disability waiver) doesn't change how you should answer. I see this confusion a lot with families who have special needs children. The key thing to remember is that the FAFSA uses multiple data points to calculate your Student Aid Index, not just the Medicaid question. Your actual income information (which you also provide) gives a complete picture of your financial situation. One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned - if your family has significant unreimbursed medical expenses related to your daughter's care, make sure to look into whether your son's college offers appeals for special circumstances. Many schools can adjust aid packages when families have ongoing disability-related expenses, even if your base FAFSA doesn't reflect those costs.
Thank you so much for the professional perspective! It's really helpful to hear from someone who works directly in financial aid. The point about special circumstances appeals is particularly valuable - I hadn't thought about the possibility that our ongoing medical expenses for my daughter might be considered for additional aid adjustments. Are there typical types of documentation that colleges look for when families submit these appeals? I want to make sure I'm prepared with the right paperwork if we decide to pursue that option after the initial FAFSA is processed.
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This thread has been such an incredible resource! As someone completely new to navigating financial aid with multiple kids in college, I'm amazed by how much practical advice everyone has shared. My situation is similar to many here - I have one child who's a freshman currently receiving good aid, and my second will be starting college next fall. Reading through all these experiences, I'm realizing I need to be much more proactive than I initially planned. The key takeaways I'm noting: ensure both kids submit FAFSAs around the same time, maintain detailed documentation, contact both financial aid offices directly to confirm they understand our family situation, and be prepared for potential technical glitches with the new FAFSA system. What's really encouraging is learning that having two kids in college typically helps rather than hurts your aid eligibility - I was honestly worried it would be the opposite! The explanation about how the Student Aid Index gets divided between children makes so much sense. I'm also intrigued by mentions of school-specific sibling programs and potential merit scholarship adjustments. For those who've successfully managed this process, did you create any kind of master timeline or checklist to keep track of all the moving pieces across multiple schools? With two different institutions potentially having different deadlines and requirements, I'm thinking some kind of organizational system will be crucial. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed, real-world insights!
Welcome to the community, @Olivia Evans! Your organizational instincts are spot-on - creating a master timeline will definitely be crucial with multiple schools involved. From reading through this thread, I'm planning to create a spreadsheet with columns for each school's FAFSA deadlines, required documentation, contact information for financial aid offices, and key dates for when aid packages typically get released. One thing that really stands out from everyone's experiences is how important it is to stay on top of the process rather than assuming everything will work automatically. The stories about technical glitches and schools not initially recognizing sibling enrollment really emphasize why having a detailed tracking system will be so valuable. I'm also new to this process and finding it encouraging that having multiple kids in college generally helps with aid eligibility! The explanation about SAI division that @StarSurfer provided really helped me understand the math behind it. Based on what others have shared, I'm planning to start gathering all our financial documents now and reach out to both schools' financial aid offices early in the process to establish those relationships. Thanks for contributing to this incredibly helpful discussion!
As a newcomer to this process, I'm incredibly grateful for all the detailed advice shared here! My situation is very similar - I have a junior in college who's been receiving good aid, and my youngest will be starting college this fall. I was actually worried that adding a second child might reduce our overall aid, so learning that the Student Aid Index gets divided between children is such a relief! I'm definitely taking notes on all the key points: submit both FAFSAs around the same time, keep detailed documentation of everything, contact both financial aid offices directly to ensure they know about the sibling situation, and be prepared for potential technical issues with the new system. The mention of school-specific sibling discounts and possible merit scholarship adjustments for my current student are things I never would have known to ask about. One question I have - for families who experienced processing delays or technical issues, how long did it typically take to resolve them? I want to make sure I build enough buffer time into our timeline in case we run into the glitches some of you mentioned. Thanks to everyone for creating such a valuable resource for families navigating this process!
Sofia Perez
Make sure she actually submits it NOW for the 2024-2025 year! My son's friend thought he could wait until closer to his January start date and ended up missing out on a ton of departmental scholarships because those have earlier deadlines even though the FAFSA itself can be submitted later. The whole system is RIDICULOUS honestly.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Yikes, that's terrible! I'll make sure she submits it immediately. Did your son apply to multiple schools on his FAFSA even before being accepted?
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Jordan Walker
Hi there! I went through this exact same situation last year with my daughter. She started her master's program in January 2024, and I was equally confused about the timing. Here's what I learned: Yes, she absolutely should submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA RIGHT NOW for Spring 2025 enrollment. Don't wait - I made that mistake initially and almost cost my daughter some funding opportunities. One thing that really helped us was creating a simple timeline: - Submit 2024-2025 FAFSA immediately (covers Spring 2025) - December 2024: Submit 2025-2026 FAFSA when it opens (covers Fall 2025 and beyond) Also, have her list ALL the grad schools she's applied to on the FAFSA - you can always remove schools later if she doesn't get accepted, but you can't go back in time if you miss a school's internal deadlines. The independent student status for grad school was actually a pleasant surprise - much simpler than when we were factoring in our family income for her undergrad applications. Good luck with the process!
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