Thanks everyone for the helpful information! To summarize what I learned: 1) Report the 529 as a PARENT asset since I'm the custodian 2) Include ALL 529 plans I own for all children, not just my daughter's 3) Parent assets are assessed at max 5.64% vs 20% for student assets. I feel much better about completing this section correctly now!

Just wanted to add one more helpful tip for anyone reading this thread: when you're entering your 529 values on the FAFSA, use the account balance as of the day you're filing, not the balance from your last quarterly statement. 529 account values can fluctuate quite a bit with market changes, so if your statement is from a few months ago, it might not reflect the current value. Most 529 plan websites let you check your current balance online. This ensures you're reporting the most accurate information and won't run into issues if the school requests verification documents later.

Update: I finally got through to the financial aid office! You all were right - the first payment was from my Pell Grant after tuition was paid, and the second was from my subsidized loans. They said I won't get any more payments until spring semester (January). Thank you everyone for your help! This makes so much more sense now.

Great advice from everyone here! @Zainab Khalil - since you're new to this, I'd also recommend downloading your school's mobile app if they have one. Most schools now have apps that let you check your financial aid status, disbursement dates, and account balance on the go. It's way easier than trying to navigate the student portal on your phone. Also, keep all your disbursement emails/notifications in a folder so you can reference them later when budgeting. The financial aid process gets much less confusing after your first year - hang in there!

Update: Federal Student Aid has now posted an official notice on their website acknowledging the verification code delivery issue. They estimate it will be resolved by tomorrow morning. They've also stated they're working with schools to ensure students aren't penalized for this technical problem. If your school has a priority deadline today, I recommend emailing your financial aid office with: 1. Screenshots showing your attempts to log in 2. A link to the FSA system status page showing the outage 3. A request for deadline accommodation due to the verified system issue Most institutions will be understanding given this is a documented problem.

Just wanted to share that I finally got through after trying since yesterday! The verification codes started working again around 11 PM last night. For anyone still having issues, I noticed the codes were coming through much faster when I used my school email address instead of my personal Gmail. Not sure if that was coincidence or if there's something with how different email providers are handling the FSA messages. Also, make sure to check your "Updates" or "Promotions" tabs in Gmail - one of my codes ended up there instead of my main inbox. Don't give up! The system seems to be stabilizing.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm going to report it as untaxed Social Security benefits on question #92h as advised. I'll also call SSA tomorrow to see if I can get documentation specifically showing my son's portion of the benefits in case we get selected for verification. Really appreciate everyone clarifying the difference between SSI and SSDI dependent benefits - the terms are so similar it's easy to get confused!

Just wanted to add that you can also check your Social Security account online at ssa.gov to see the benefit history for your son. When you log in, there's a section that shows all benefits paid to dependents under your husband's record. This might be easier than calling and waiting on hold. Also, if you do get selected for verification later, having that online statement printed out usually satisfies the financial aid office's documentation requirements. The online records are super detailed and show exactly what was paid and when.

Update: I finally got it to work! I put 4 for household size (including my husband) and was able to complete that section. Turns out tax filing status and FAFSA household definition are completely different things. For anyone else confused - if you're married, you count your spouse in the FAFSA household regardless of how you file taxes. Thanks everyone for your help!

Congrats on getting it figured out! This is such a common confusion point with the new FAFSA. I'm a first-time filer and was worried I'd make the same mistake. Your experience really helps clarify that marital status and tax filing status are treated completely differently for financial aid purposes. Definitely saving this thread for reference when I fill out my form next week!