To summarize the correct approach: 1. Report the $17,450 in the business checking account under the "cash, savings, and checking" section of the FAFSA 2. You do NOT need to report the business itself as an asset since it's a family-owned service business with fewer than 100 employees 3. Minor assets like a laptop ($800) used for business aren't significant enough to worry about for FAFSA purposes 4. If you're ever selected for verification later, just be prepared to explain that the business is a service-only sole proprietorship with no significant assets beyond the reported checking account This is the standard approach for service-based sole proprietorships on FAFSA and shouldn't cause any issues with your application or SAI calculation.

I went through this exact same situation last year with my mom's freelance graphic design business! She was also a sole proprietor with just a business checking account and her computer equipment. I was so confused about whether to try to calculate some kind of business value, but after talking to my school's financial aid office, they confirmed what others are saying here - just report the cash in the business account under cash/savings, and don't worry about trying to value the business itself. The FAFSA exclusion for small family businesses means you don't need to stress about calculating intangible value for service-based businesses. My aid package worked out fine and no issues during verification!

uhh not to make things worse but my friend lost her entire financial aid package because of an error like this that never got fixed. she had to drop out for a semester. just saying you should prepare a backup plan maybe??

Update: I just helped another student with this exact issue last week. It turned out to be a parent FAFSA signature problem. Even though the FAFSA showed as complete, one parent's electronic signature wasn't properly recorded in the CPS system. The solution was to have the parent log in to studentaid.gov using their FSA ID, navigate to the submitted FAFSA, and re-sign electronically. Within 72 hours, the error cleared and the student's aid was reinstated. This is a known issue with the latest FAFSA processing system - the signature appears complete on the student view but hasn't properly registered in the school's interface.

After you make the correction, I'd recommend following up with your daughter's financial aid office directly. Sometimes they need additional context for changes like this, and it can help prevent delays in processing. Explain the situation clearly, including the permanent nature of the arrangement.

I went through this exact situation two years ago when my father-in-law moved in with us for medical care. The key thing is that since she moved in permanently and you're providing more than half her support, you absolutely should update the FAFSA household size. It did help lower our SAI and increased my daughter's aid eligibility. One tip: when you make the correction online, add a brief note in the comments section explaining the change and the date she moved in. This helped us avoid any confusion during verification. Also, keep copies of any medical records or correspondence that show the permanent nature of the move - we ended up needing them later. The process was straightforward and worth the potential aid increase!

Just wanted to update everyone - I got it figured out! I followed the advice about adding both parents' AGIs and finding the business income section. I also called FSA using that Claimyr service someone mentioned and actually got through to a person who confirmed I was doing it right. My SAI score came out higher than I expected, but at least I know the information is correct. Thanks to everyone who helped!

Great to see you got it sorted out! For anyone else dealing with married-filing-separately situations, I'd also recommend keeping copies of both parents' tax returns handy when filling out the FAFSA. I made the mistake of only having one parent's return available and had to start over twice. Also, if your parents have any business partnerships or rental properties, those can get tricky too - the FAFSA treats different types of business income differently, so don't hesitate to use the help resources or call FSA if you're unsure. The verification process is much smoother when everything is accurate from the start!

So glad I found this thread! I'm a college counselor and I constantly have students running into browser compatibility issues with FAFSA. I've started recommending Firefox as the first choice and Edge as backup, but it's frustrating that the Department of Education hasn't fixed these Chrome issues yet. For anyone still struggling - another tip is to make sure JavaScript is enabled and try disabling browser extensions one by one if you're still having problems. The FAFSA site is notoriously finicky with modern browser security features.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who works in IT support - the Chrome/FAFSA compatibility issues are actually related to Chrome's recent security updates and how they handle cross-origin requests. The FAFSA site uses some older web technologies that don't play nice with Chrome's stricter security policies. Firefox and Edge are more lenient with these legacy systems, which is why they work better. If you absolutely must use Chrome for some reason, you can try adding studentaid.gov to your trusted sites and temporarily lowering your security settings, but I'd honestly just recommend Firefox like everyone else here. It's saved me so much headache when helping family members with their applications!