just remember FASFA for 2024-2025 is gonna be that new FASFA with the changes so its opening in december not october like before and everyones saying its gonna be a mess lol

As someone who just went through this process with my own kid, I wanted to add that you should also check if your state has any specific summer aid programs! Some states offer additional grants specifically for summer enrollment that aren't tied to the regular FAFSA timeline. Also, if your daughter is considering taking prerequisite courses over summer to stay on track for graduation, some schools have emergency aid funds available for students who need summer classes to maintain academic progress. It's worth asking about all available options when she meets with financial aid!

My son is also a veteran and we had the same concern! The thing nobody tells you is the new FAFSA actually helps veterans more because it doesn't just exclude the disability payments but also gives better treatment to other military benefits. Did you deploy to a combat zone? That income is treated differently too. We actually saw our SAI go DOWN with the new system even though they changed the formula.

THEY COUNT EVERYTHING NOW!!! The whole "simplified" FAFSA is just a way to give less aid to families. My brother has 100% VA disability and his daughter got WAY less aid this year even though nothing changed in their finances. Don't believe what they tell you about "not counting" certain income - the new algorithm is a complete black box and nobody can see how they're calculating the numbers. The old system was better because at least it was transparent.

To answer your follow-up question - yes, if your ex has higher income and he's considered the contributing parent, that could potentially result in a higher Student Aid Index (SAI) and potentially less need-based aid. However, there are two important things to know: 1. If you have a formal arrangement where you'll be paying for college despite him claiming the kids on taxes, you can submit a special circumstances form to the financial aid office at each college explaining the situation. 2. Many schools have a supplemental form called the CSS Profile that collects information from both parents in divorced situations, regardless of who claims the student on taxes. If your daughter is applying to private colleges, they may use this more comprehensive form.

Just went through this exact situation last month! My advice would be to document everything showing you provide the majority of her living expenses - bank statements, receipts for school supplies, medical bills you pay, etc. Even though your ex claims her on taxes, having proof that you're the one actually supporting her day-to-day will really help when you file that special circumstances appeal with the colleges. Also, make sure to apply this to EVERY school she's considering - don't assume they'll all have the same response to your appeal. Some schools are way more flexible with divorced parent situations than others.

UPDATE: I finally submitted my FAFSA! I reported the account balances as assets but did NOT include the VA disability payments as income. Thanks everyone for your help. Now I just have to wait and see what kind of aid I qualify for...

Congrats on getting it submitted on time! You made the right call - VA disability payments are definitely excluded from income reporting, but the account balances still need to be reported as assets. Just wanted to add that if you ever need to make corrections later, you have that option, but it sounds like you handled it correctly. Good luck with your aid package!

FYI - If you run into trouble regardless of browser, the FAFSA customer service number is basically useless right now. Been seeing 3-4 hour wait times all month because of the new FAFSA rollout issues. Just be prepared with snacks and movies if you need to call them! 😂

Just wanted to add my experience - I used Chrome on Windows and had success, but the key was definitely doing it during off-peak hours like others mentioned. I started around 6 AM on a Sunday and breezed through the whole thing. One tip I haven't seen mentioned yet: make sure to save your progress every few sections by clicking "Save and Continue" rather than just moving forward. The auto-save feature seems unreliable, so manually saving gave me peace of mind. Also, have all your tax documents and bank statements ready beforehand - the less time you spend hunting for info, the less chance of timing out or encountering glitches. Good luck!