As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! My situation is almost identical - my 17-year-old has about $3,200 saved from her restaurant job, and I'm joint on the account. From reading all the responses here, it sounds like the consensus is clear: she reports it as HER asset since it's her earnings, regardless of my name being on the account. One thing I'm still wondering about though - do we need any special documentation to prove the money came from her job earnings if we get selected for verification? Like pay stubs or something? I want to make sure we're prepared with the right paperwork to back up our reporting choices. Also, huge thanks to everyone who mentioned creating FSA IDs early and taking screenshots during the process. I had no idea about the technical issues people experienced last year - definitely want to avoid those headaches!

As a newcomer to the FAFSA world, this discussion has been a lifesaver! I'm dealing with the exact same situation - my 17-year-old daughter has around $3,500 saved from her part-time job at a local bakery, and I'm listed as joint holder on her accounts since she opened them as a minor. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that she should report these as HER assets since the money came from her work, even though my name is on the accounts. What I'm curious about is the verification process - how common is it to actually get selected? And if we do get selected, would her employer records (like W-2s and pay stubs) be sufficient to prove the funds came from her job earnings? Also, I see conflicting information about asset protection allowances for students - does the 2025-26 FAFSA still have any protection threshold for student assets, or is it really 20% assessment from dollar one? Just want to make sure I understand the full impact before we file. Thanks to everyone sharing their real experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the official FSA website!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to say thank you for this incredibly detailed and helpful discussion. I'm currently going through the FAFSA process with my daughter and we hit the exact same residency confusion that Lucas described. We moved from California to Colorado in 2021, but like many people, I didn't get my Colorado license right away - I was procrastinating the DMV visit! Reading through all the expert advice here, especially from the financial aid professionals, has been so reassuring. It's clear I should use my Colorado license date from 2022 rather than when we physically moved. I really appreciate how this community shares real experiences and practical solutions. The timeline approach and checking state-specific resources that several people mentioned are great tips I'll definitely use. It's comforting to know that even though the new FAFSA system has created so much confusion, we have knowledgeable people here willing to help each other navigate through it!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just stumbled upon this thread while searching for help with the exact same FAFSA residency question. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening - I had no idea there were so many nuances to establishing state residency for financial aid purposes! My family moved from Florida to North Carolina in 2020, and I've been stressing about whether to use our move date or when we got NC licenses (which was about 6 months later due to COVID delays). Based on all the expert advice here, especially from Dylan and Kelsey who clearly work in financial aid, it sounds like I should use our NC license date. I'm so grateful to have found this supportive community where people share real experiences and practical solutions. The new FAFSA system has definitely created more confusion than clarity, but at least we have knowledgeable folks here to help us navigate through it. Thank you all for sharing your expertise - this thread should be required reading for anyone dealing with FAFSA residency questions!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my daughter! We submitted our FAFSA three weeks ago and I just realized today that we need to do TAP separately. I feel so overwhelmed reading through all the different requirements and deadlines. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - it's really helpful to know we're not the only family struggling with this new system. I'm definitely going to try the tap.hesc.ny.gov website tonight and keep that HESC phone number handy in case we run into issues. One quick question - has anyone had problems with the HESC website not recognizing their FAFSA confirmation number? I'm worried we might hit that roadblock when we try to start the application.

Just wanted to jump in as another parent who went through this exact same confusion! We had the FAFSA submitted back in February and I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out where the TAP application was. Turns out my son's high school guidance counselor didn't even know they were separate applications - she thought TAP was automatically included with FAFSA too! After reading through all these helpful comments, I went straight to tap.hesc.ny.gov last night and got it done. The whole process took about 20 minutes once I had our FAFSA confirmation number ready. The website was a bit slow (like someone mentioned earlier) but switching to an incognito browser window helped speed things up. One tip I didn't see mentioned - if your son is applying to both SUNY and CUNY schools, make sure you add ALL of them to the TAP application, not just his top choice. You can change schools later if needed, but it's easier to have them all listed from the start. Also, the TAP application will ask about his intended major - this doesn't have to match his college applications exactly, but try to be consistent. Don't feel bad about being confused by this system - it really is poorly designed and the lack of clear connection between FAFSA and TAP is ridiculous. You're doing great by advocating for your son's financial aid!

As someone new to the FAFSA process, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's shared their experiences here! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. I'm in a very similar situation with my son - we have joint accounts that were set up when he was younger, and I've been stressing about how to handle them on the FAFSA. The practical advice about going through bank statements, documenting your reasoning, and being honest about the breakdown really puts my mind at ease. I especially appreciate the suggestions about using mobile banking search features and creating a simple spreadsheet to track deposit sources. These seem like manageable ways to get a clearer picture without getting overwhelmed by the complexity. One question I have: for those of you who went through this process, did your colleges' financial aid offices ever ask follow-up questions about how you categorized joint accounts, or was it pretty straightforward once you submitted the FAFSA? I'm just wondering if I should expect additional scrutiny or if most schools accept your reporting as long as it's reasonable and well-documented.

As another newcomer to this process, I wanted to thank everyone for all the detailed advice! I'm dealing with the exact same situation - joint accounts with my daughter that have a mix of her summer job earnings and occasional deposits from me for birthdays/holidays. The spreadsheet method mentioned by Ella really resonates with me, and I love the tip about searching for the employer name in mobile banking - such a simple but effective way to identify her work deposits! I think I'll follow that approach to get an accurate breakdown. One thing I'm still wondering about: if the accounts have been building up over several years (she's had summer jobs since she was 16), should I look back through all those years of statements, or is focusing on the most recent year sufficient for getting a reasonable estimate of the overall breakdown? I'm trying to balance thoroughness with not driving myself crazy going through three years of bank records! Also, for those who've been through verification - did they ask for specific documentation about joint accounts, or was it more about general income/asset verification? Just want to know what level of detail I should be prepared to provide if we get selected.

Wow, this thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - my daughter sent me the parent invitation yesterday and I'm already running into login problems. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the duplicate FSA ID issue is really common. I'm definitely going to check if I accidentally created multiple accounts before I drive myself crazy trying different passwords. The Claimyr tip is also really useful - I had no idea there was a way to skip the endless hold times. Thanks everyone for sharing your solutions!

This is such a timely thread! I'm a high school counselor and I've been getting TONS of calls from frustrated parents about this exact issue. The parent contributor login problems have been absolutely rampant this year with the new FAFSA system. A few additional tips that have helped families at our school: 1. Make sure you're not using any browser extensions or ad blockers when trying to log in - they can interfere with the FSA authentication process 2. If you're on a work computer/network, try from home instead - some workplace firewalls block parts of the FSA system 3. Write down EXACTLY what you enter for your security questions when creating the FSA ID - the system is case-sensitive and picky about punctuation 4. Don't use the "Remember Me" option - it seems to cause more problems than it solves The duplicate FSA ID issue that Beth mentioned is happening to about 1 in 4 parents I'm working with. The system really should prevent this but it doesn't always catch it. Definitely worth having an agent check for multiple accounts if you're still stuck!