As a financial aid advisor, I want to emphasize how excellent this discussion has been! You've all covered the key points perfectly. Just to add one more practical tip for families in similar situations: when you do file your FAFSA (before the funds become accessible), consider adding a note in the "Additional Information" section briefly explaining the situation. Something like "Student has court-controlled settlement funds not accessible until age 18 in March 2025 - not included in asset reporting per federal guidelines." This proactive documentation can help streamline any verification process and shows you're being transparent about your financial situation. It's always better to over-communicate these unique circumstances rather than let them come up as surprises during verification.

This entire discussion has been incredibly valuable! As a parent just starting to navigate the college financial aid process, I had no idea there were so many nuanced situations that the standard FAFSA guidance doesn't address clearly. The court-controlled settlement scenario is so specific, yet the principles everyone discussed - like the difference between owning vs. accessing assets, and the importance of timing - apply to many other complex asset situations. I'm particularly grateful for the mentions of ABLE accounts and the strategic timing considerations. The suggestion to proactively document unusual circumstances in the Additional Information section is brilliant - it shows transparency while preventing verification surprises. What really stands out is how this community shared practical, ethical strategies rather than trying to circumvent the system. The level of detailed, real-world knowledge shared here goes far beyond what you can find in official publications. This is exactly the kind of peer support that makes navigating these complex processes manageable for families who aren't financial aid experts. Thank you to everyone who contributed their experiences and expertise - this thread will definitely be a reference point for many families in similar situations!

FAFSA REALY NEEDS TO SIMPLIFY THEIR PROCESS!!!! I have 3 kids in college and its ABSURD having to fill out basicaly the SAME INFORMATION over and over each year! The worst part is when they make tiny changes to the form and suddenly your previous approach doesn't work. The new FAFSA for 2025-26 is supposd to be "simplified" but they've already delayed the opening date TWICE!

I really appreciate all the responses! Just to make sure I understand correctly: 1. Submit FAFSA once per academic year (not per semester) 2. The 2025-2026 FAFSA opens December 1, 2024 3. Submit as early as possible since some aid is first-come, first-served 4. Check my school's financial aid office for any additional forms/deadlines 5. Keep checking my email/portal throughout the year in case I get selected for verification Did I miss anything important? This is way more straightforward than I thought!

One final tip - after you receive all the financial aid packages, create a simple spreadsheet to compare them side by side. Include: 1. Total Cost of Attendance (tuition, room, board, fees, etc.) 2. Total Gift Aid (grants, scholarships - money you don't repay) 3. Self-Help Aid (work-study, student loans) 4. Parent Loans offered (Parent PLUS loans) 5. Remaining Gap (what you'll pay out of pocket) This makes it much easier to see which school is truly the most affordable when you account for all factors. Sometimes a school with higher tuition actually has a lower net cost after aid.

As someone new to this process, I just want to say thank you all for this incredibly helpful discussion! I'm in a similar situation with my daughter who was accepted to 4 schools, and I was making the same mistake of thinking we needed to commit before seeing aid packages. Reading through all these responses has been like a masterclass in financial aid - especially the points about CSS Profile requirements, GPA requirements for scholarship renewal, and the difference between grants vs loans. I had no idea about any of this! The spreadsheet idea is brilliant too. I'm definitely going to create one to compare all our offers when they come in. This community is amazing - you've probably saved us from making some costly mistakes!

This thread has been absolutely amazing! I'm brand new to the federal workforce and was completely panicking about how to handle my TSP on my son's FAFSA application. I kept going back and forth on whether it needed to be reported as an asset, and the official FAFSA instructions were so confusing about federal retirement plans specifically. Reading through everyone's responses here - especially getting that definitive confirmation from Alana who works at the Department of Education - has been such a huge relief! The consistent message that TSP is treated exactly like any other retirement account (401k, IRA, etc.) and therefore NOT reported as an asset makes total sense once explained properly. I really appreciate all the real-world examples from other fed employees who've successfully gone through verification without any issues. It's incredible how this community breaks down these complex government processes into understandable terms for newcomers like me. Thank you all for sharing your expertise and experiences - this is exactly the kind of guidance people need when navigating FAFSA for the first time!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! As someone who just started working for the federal government and is completely new to the FAFSA process, I was really stressed about how to properly report my TSP for my daughter's application. The clear consensus from everyone here - especially that official confirmation from Alana at the Department of Education - that TSP accounts are NOT reported as assets because they're considered retirement plans has given me so much peace of mind! I was definitely overthinking this and worried about making a mistake that could hurt her financial aid eligibility. It's amazing how this community breaks down these complex government processes into understandable terms. The simple distinction that retirement accounts (including TSP) are excluded while regular investments and savings must be reported is exactly the clarity I needed as a newcomer. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and expertise - this is such a valuable resource for federal employees navigating FAFSA for the first time!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My twin sons are both trying to create their FSA IDs for the first time and we keep getting that "phone number already in use" error. What's really confusing is that they have different phone numbers, but BOTH numbers are supposedly "already in use" - how is that even possible? We've been at this for almost a week and I'm getting really stressed about missing their college deadlines. Based on all the helpful advice in this thread, we're going to try the skip-phone-number method tomorrow morning. It's honestly mind-boggling that such a critical federal system has these kinds of basic functionality problems. Thank you everyone for sharing your solutions - this thread has been a lifesaver!

I'm new to this community but found this thread while frantically searching for solutions to the same phone number error! My daughter has been trying to create her FSA ID for her first FAFSA application and we keep hitting that "already in use" wall. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring (we're not alone!) and incredibly helpful. The skip-phone-number workaround seems to be the consensus solution, so we're definitely trying that approach. Thank you all for sharing your real-world solutions - it's amazing how this community comes together to help families navigate these technical nightmares. Fingers crossed we can get past this hurdle and actually submit her application before her priority deadline next week!