I'm dealing with this exact same issue! Just submitted my daughter's FAFSA yesterday and realized afterward that it never asked for any of my financial information as a parent. No IRS data retrieval, no income questions, nothing. The whole parent contributor section seems to have vanished. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring (it's not just me!) and terrifying (this could delay her aid). I'm going to try that Claimyr service mentioned above since calling FSA directly seems impossible. Will also reach out to her college's financial aid office proactively to let them know about the glitch. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least now I know what steps to take!

I'm a financial aid advisor and wanted to add some additional guidance for everyone dealing with this issue. Beyond the steps already mentioned, here are a few more things that can help: 1. Screenshot your current FAFSA summary page before making corrections - this documents the error for your records 2. If you're close to school deadlines, consider submitting a CSS Profile (if schools accept it) as backup documentation of your financial situation 3. When corrections open, double-check that your FSA ID is properly linked as a "contributor" - sometimes you need to re-verify your identity in the system 4. Keep detailed records of all phone calls/case numbers from FSA - this helps if you need to escalate later Also worth noting: some schools are automatically extending FAFSA deadlines due to these widespread system issues, so don't panic if you're cutting it close. Most financial aid offices are very aware of these problems and are working with families on solutions. The Department of Education has also set up a dedicated email for FAFSA technical issues: FAFSAsupport@ed.gov - sometimes faster than phone support.

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just discovered this incredibly helpful thread while struggling with the exact same FAFSA household size question. My older brother is in his second year of graduate school for computer science, and my family has been so confused about whether to include him or not. After reading through all these detailed explanations, I finally understand the key distinction - household size is about the 50% support test (include him since my parents pay his rent, health insurance, groceries, and phone bill), while the number in college is only for undergraduate students (don't include him). The spreadsheet idea that multiple people have mentioned is absolutely brilliant - I'm going to create one immediately to track all my parents' contributions to my brother's expenses. It's such a relief to find a community where people share real experiences and practical solutions instead of just repeating confusing official jargon. This thread has turned what felt like an impossible decision into a clear, manageable process. Thank you all for making the FAFSA less intimidating for newcomers like me!

Hi everyone! I'm completely new to this community and just found this thread while frantically searching for answers about FAFSA household size. This has been such a lifesaver! My situation is almost identical - my older sister is in graduate school for public health and my parents have been going back and forth about whether to count her. After reading through all these amazingly detailed responses, I finally understand that since my parents pay for her apartment, health insurance, car payment, and groceries when she visits (definitely over 50% of her total expenses), she should be included in household size but NOT in the number attending college since she's a grad student. The spreadsheet idea that so many people have mentioned is genius - I'm literally creating one right now to document every expense my parents cover for my sister. It's incredible how this community has turned such a confusing FAFSA rule into something actually manageable. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and practical advice - this has made the whole process so much less stressful for newcomers like me!

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I called FSA using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above and actually got through to a real person in about 10 minutes. They confirmed that adoption subsidies are NOT reported as income on the FAFSA. They're classified as means-tested benefits which are excluded from the SAI calculation. They also explained that this is different from the Adoption Tax Credit (which does impact my AGI on taxes but is already factored into the tax return numbers I'll use for FAFSA). What a relief to have this clarified! Now I can finish up our application with confidence.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my adopted daughter and have been stressed about the FAFSA for months. It's reassuring to see that multiple people have confirmed adoption subsidies don't count as income. The fact that you got official confirmation from FSA makes me feel much more confident about leaving those payments off our form. Thanks for sharing your experience and the resolution!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - my son's SAI is about 6800 and we received an aid package with federal loans but no Pell Grant. After reading all these responses, I'm now confident this is a processing error that needs to be addressed. The explanation about verification holds causing partial FAFSA processing really makes sense. I checked our FAFSA status online and it does show "under review" for certain sections, which probably explains the missing Pell Grant while other federal aid was processed. I'm planning to call the financial aid office tomorrow armed with all the great advice from this discussion - especially asking about verification status and requesting an email summary of our conversation. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise - this community is such a valuable resource for families navigating the financial aid maze!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by how helpful and knowledgeable everyone has been in this thread! I'm currently going through the financial aid process with my oldest child, and this discussion has been such an eye-opener. I had no idea that processing errors like missing Pell Grants could happen even when other federal aid is awarded correctly. The detailed explanations from the financial aid professionals about verification holds and partial FAFSA processing have been incredibly valuable. It's clear that families need to be proactive in reviewing their aid packages rather than assuming everything is automatically correct. I'm definitely going to use the advice shared here - asking about verification status, requesting email summaries of conversations, and not being afraid to escalate if needed. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise. This is exactly why communities like this are so important for families navigating complex processes like financial aid. I'll be sure to pay it forward by sharing what I learn as we go through this journey!

As someone who just went through this process with my twins (yes, double the FAFSA fun!), I can confirm what others have said - you absolutely need to report ALL parent-owned 529 accounts regardless of beneficiary. I initially made the same mistake and only reported the accounts for each respective child, but had to go back and correct both applications. The key thing that helped me understand this: the FAFSA views ALL parent assets as potentially available to support ANY of your children's education costs. So even though you mentally earmark specific 529s for specific kids, legally the parent owns all of them and could theoretically use any of the funds for any child's education. One tip that saved me time: if you're unsure about ANY aspect of asset reporting, it's worth getting it right the first time rather than dealing with verification later. The verification process can seriously delay aid disbursement, and colleges won't hold your spot in line while you sort things out.

I'm actually going through this exact same situation right now with my daughter's FAFSA! After reading through all these responses, I feel much more confident about reporting ALL our 529 accounts. We have three kids too, and I was initially leaning toward only reporting my oldest daughter's account. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - I called our 529 plan provider (Vanguard) to get the exact account values as of the FAFSA filing date, and they were super helpful in explaining how to calculate the current net worth. They also confirmed that as the account owner, I need to report all accounts regardless of beneficiary. Thanks everyone for the detailed explanations, especially about the difference between FAFSA and CSS Profile rules. This community has been a lifesaver for navigating this confusing process!