Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and dealing with pension confusion on my daughter's FAFSA. After reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, I finally understand the key distinction: pension PAYMENTS are reported as income only (the monthly amounts you actually receive), while the pension itself is NOT counted as an asset. For your situation with $3,700 + $4,200 monthly payments, you'd report the annual total ($94,800) as income - which should already be included on your tax return anyway if you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. I love how everyone explained it in terms of "accessible money" - since you can't withdraw from or borrow against your pension like you could with a 401k, it's not considered an available asset for FAFSA purposes. The practical tips here about keeping pension statements organized and calculating totals ahead of time are so helpful too. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for navigating these confusing financial aid processes!

As someone new to this community who's been lurking and reading through this incredibly helpful discussion, I just wanted to add my thanks to everyone who shared their experiences! My husband and I are both retired federal employees receiving pensions (his is about $4,100/month and mine is $3,200/month), and I've been absolutely paralyzed trying to figure out how to handle this on our granddaughter's FAFSA since we're her guardians. Reading through all these explanations has finally made it crystal clear - our pension PAYMENTS ($7,300/month or $87,600 annually) go under income only, and we don't need to stress about calculating the total pension values as assets. The "accessible money vs. future benefits" explanation that several people used really made it click for me. I especially appreciate the practical tips about using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and keeping pension statements organized. It's also reassuring to know that pension income is treated the same as any other income in the FAFSA formula - I was worried there might be some penalty for having retirement income. The cautionary tales about double-counting and ending up in verification are exactly what I needed to hear to make sure I get this right the first time. Thank you all for creating such a supportive community for navigating these confusing financial aid processes!

Oliver, I just went through this exact same situation! My SAI came back at $38k with similar family income and I was panicking too. Here's what I learned: First, definitely use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to re-verify all your tax info - I found a small error in my parents' AGI that made a difference. Second, that $35k investment account is likely a big factor. Parent assets get assessed at about 5.64% after allowances, so that alone could be adding $1,500-2,000 to your SAI. Just make sure it's correctly reported as parent assets, not student assets. The good news is I ended up getting decent aid packages despite my high SAI! Several schools offered merit scholarships that weren't need-based, and one state school gave me in-state tuition even though I'm out-of-state because of my stats. Don't lose hope - the SAI is just the starting point. Focus on schools where your grades/scores are strong and apply to a good mix. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you're offered! Also definitely pursue that appeal for your dad's reduced hours. Schools are usually pretty understanding about recent changes in employment.

Hey Oliver! I'm new here but went through this exact same panic last year when my SAI came back at $42k with a family income around $120k. That sinking feeling is so real! A few things that might help you feel better about the situation: 1. **Double-check your asset reporting** - Like others mentioned, make sure you didn't accidentally include retirement accounts. Also verify that investment account is listed under parent assets, not student assets (massive difference in how it's assessed). 2. **The "middle class squeeze" is real** - Your income puts you in that frustrating zone where you're not poor enough for need-based aid but not wealthy enough to comfortably pay full price. You're definitely not alone in this. 3. **High SAI ≠ no aid** - I ended up with decent packages from several schools despite my high SAI. Merit scholarships, institutional aid, and even some state programs don't use the same formulas as federal aid. 4. **Appeal process works** - Definitely pursue that appeal for your dad's reduced hours. I had a friend whose family appealed due to job loss and got their aid package adjusted significantly. The waiting and uncertainty is the worst part, but hang in there! Focus on schools where your stats shine and cast a wide net. You might be surprised by what comes through!

It doesn't matter which parent is listed as Parent 1 or Parent 2 for PSLF purposes. The FAFSA information doesn't affect your loan forgiveness eligibility - it only affects your dependent student's aid package. Just be consistent each year with which parent is listed as which number to avoid confusion when comparing aid packages year to year. The most important thing for your PSLF is maintaining your income-driven repayment plan and filing your Employment Certification Form annually.

As someone who just went through this process last month, I can confirm what others have said - both parents definitely need separate FSA IDs! One thing I'd add is to make sure you have all your financial documents organized before you start. We made the mistake of beginning the FAFSA without having our investment statements handy, and it was frustrating having to stop mid-process to hunt down account balances. Also, if you're doing PSLF, you probably already know this, but double-check that your loan servicer has your correct employment info on file. The FAFSA process reminded me to submit my annual Employment Certification Form, which I'd been putting off. Good luck with everything!

Thanks everyone for your help! I went back into my FAFSA and found the untaxed income section (Question 41) and properly reported my SSDI benefits. I also requested a benefit verification letter from my SSA account just in case I get selected for verification later. This forum has been incredibly helpful - I feel much more confident now that I'm reporting everything correctly!

Great to see you got everything figured out! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this thread - if you're on SSDI and worried about how it will affect your aid, remember that the FAFSA has income protection allowances and other factors that help account for basic living expenses. While your disability benefits do count as untaxed income, the formula isn't designed to penalize people on fixed incomes as harshly as it might seem. Also, don't forget to check if your state has any additional aid programs specifically for students with disabilities - many do!

I'm a newcomer to this community and currently experiencing the exact same Cal Grant delay! Just submitted my FAFSA about 3.5 weeks ago and my WebGrants portal is also stuck showing only GPA verification received with everything else blank. Finding this thread has been such a huge relief - I was starting to think there was something seriously wrong with my application. Diego, thank you so much for sharing your entire journey and the resolution! The name mismatch issue you discovered is something I never would have thought to check. I'm going to go verify right now that my name is consistent across my FAFSA, Cal Grant application, and high school records. All the advice shared here has been incredibly valuable, especially learning that 4-6 weeks is actually normal processing time and understanding how FAFSA verification holds can delay Cal Grant processing. I had no idea these systems were connected in that way! The financial aid counselor's explanation about the different factors that can affect processing speed really helped put things in perspective too. I was getting anxious seeing some friends already receive their notifications, but now I understand there are so many variables involved. For other newcomers dealing with similar situations, the key insights from this thread seem to be: check for name consistency issues, confirm any FAFSA verification is complete with your school, be patient with the normal 4-6 week timeline, and don't hesitate to call CSAC after a month if needed. This community is amazing for helping navigate these stressful financial aid processes when you're not sure what's normal versus concerning!

I'm a new community member and currently going through this exact same frustrating Cal Grant delay situation! I submitted my FAFSA about 3 weeks ago and my WebGrants portal is also stuck on just showing GPA verification received with everything else blank. I was really starting to worry that something was wrong with my application until I found this incredibly helpful thread. Diego, thank you so much for sharing your whole experience and the ultimate resolution! Your discovery about the name mismatch issue was such a revelation - I never would have thought to check for something like that. I'm definitely going to verify that my name is exactly the same across my FAFSA, Cal Grant application, and all my school records. All the insights shared here have been so valuable, especially learning that 4-6 weeks is actually normal processing time and understanding how FAFSA verification issues can create delays with Cal Grant processing. I had no idea these systems were interconnected like that! The detailed explanation from the financial aid counselor about all the different factors that can affect processing speed really helped me understand why some friends might get their notifications faster while others wait longer. There are clearly so many variables at play. For other newcomers dealing with similar delays, the main takeaways from this thread seem to be: verify name consistency across all applications, check with your school about any pending FAFSA verification, understand that 4-6 weeks is the normal timeline, and don't hesitate to contact CSAC directly if it's been over a month. This community is such an amazing resource for navigating these stressful financial aid processes when you're not sure what's normal versus what actually requires action!