Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! To summarize what I learned: - I fill out the FAFSA alone since my daughter lives with me more (60%) - My current husband's income WILL count even though he's not legally responsible - I need to report the child support I receive as untaxed income I'll start gathering all our tax info and get this submitted asap. Really appreciate all the help!

Just want to add one more important detail that helped me - make sure you have documentation ready about where your daughter actually lived during the past 12 months. I kept a simple calendar/log showing which nights she stayed at each house because the financial aid office at my son's school actually asked for proof when our custody situation was close to 50/50. They accepted things like school enrollment records, medical records showing your address, or even a simple signed statement. Better to have it ready than scramble for it later if they ask!

Congratulations on getting it sorted out! This is such a helpful thread for other parents dealing with the same nightmare. I'm bookmarking this for future reference - my younger daughter will need to do her MPN next year and I'm dreading it already. The fact that there was a tiny checkbox you missed with NO error message is just terrible UX design. Thanks for updating us with the solution that worked!

As someone new to this whole financial aid process, I can't thank you enough for documenting this journey! My son will be starting college next year and I had no idea the MPN submission could be such a technical nightmare. The combination of solutions you found (Edge InPrivate mode + disabling security software + clearing specific cookies + checking ALL boxes) is incredibly valuable. I'm screenshotting this entire thread to keep as reference. It's ridiculous that studentaid.gov doesn't provide clear error messages when something goes wrong - how are parents supposed to troubleshoot blind like that? Really appreciate everyone who chimed in with solutions!

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! My son's FAFSA has been flagged THREE times since mid-April - first for income verification, then for dependency status, and now for some "institutional verification" that I don't even understand. Each time we submit documents, a new flag appears 1-2 weeks later. It's absolutely maddening! What's really frustrating is that each college portal shows different information about what's needed, and the studentaid.gov site seems to update at random times. I've been keeping a spreadsheet tracking every document we've submitted and when, because I'm starting to lose track of what we've already sent where. The worst part is watching other families get their financial aid packages while we're still stuck in verification limbo. My son's top choice school said they can't process ANY aid until ALL verification is complete, so we have no idea what our actual costs will be. Really hoping this new consolidated review process that @Hattie Carson mentioned actually works!

I'm so sorry you're all going through this! I'm a newcomer here but dealing with the exact same issue. My daughter's FAFSA has been flagged twice so far - once in early April for tax verification and again last week for "household composition verification." What's been most helpful for us is keeping detailed records like @Selena Bautista mentioned with the spreadsheet. I've also learned to screenshot everything in the studentaid.gov portal because the information seems to change or disappear randomly. One thing that's given me some peace of mind - I called our state's financial aid hotline (didn't even know this existed until recently!) and they confirmed that colleges are required to work with families experiencing FAFSA delays this year. They suggested asking each school specifically about their "professional judgment" process, which can sometimes allow them to make aid determinations based on estimated information while verification is pending. Hang in there everyone - it sounds like we're all in this together and hopefully the new consolidated review process will help!

One more important thing: when you use your 2023 tax information, make sure you're directly transferring the data using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool in the FAFSA application. It automatically imports your tax information and reduces the chance of errors. Some types of aid are first-come, first-served, so accuracy from the start is important.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can confirm everyone is absolutely right - use your 2023 tax return for the 2025-2026 FAFSA! The "prior-prior year" rule is confusing at first but it's actually helpful once you understand it. One tip I wish I'd known: gather ALL your 2023 tax documents before you start, not just your 1040. You'll need W-2s, 1099s, and any other tax documents because the FAFSA asks for specific line items. Also, if you and your spouse filed separately, you'll need both returns. The silver lining is that since you're using 2023 taxes (which are already filed and finalized), you won't have to estimate anything or go back and make corrections later when you file your 2024 taxes. Good luck with your daughter's applications!

After reviewing the comments and your situation, I think I see what happened. With the new FAFSA formula, your son's SAI of 2600 puts him in a partial Pell Grant range. The formula takes your $32,000 income, subtracts various allowances, then adds in assessed portions of your assets and your son's assets. With your son's $8,000 in savings (assessed at 20% = $1,600), plus the $3,600 in child support counting as untaxed income, plus potentially some home equity depending on your state and local housing values, an SAI of 2600 actually sounds right. For the 2025-26 year, that SAI level would qualify for a partial Pell Grant of around $3,900, which matches what you were offered. It's not the maximum, but it's still significant aid that doesn't need to be repaid. Definitely pursue that Professional Judgment review, and have your son apply for as many scholarships as possible!

I'm going through something similar with my daughter's FAFSA! The new system has been so confusing compared to when my older son applied a few years ago. One thing that helped us was creating a spreadsheet to track all the different factors affecting her SAI - it made it easier to see exactly where the money was "going" in the calculation. Also, don't forget to check if your son's school offers any institutional aid or work-study programs that might help bridge the gap. Some schools have emergency funds for students whose families are struggling financially. Good luck with the Professional Judgment review - I hope they can increase his aid package!