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Great to hear you got confirmation from the financial aid office! That's always the best source for peace of mind. For anyone else reading this thread, it's worth noting that while retirement accounts don't count as assets, any distributions you take FROM those accounts (other than rollovers) would count as income on the FAFSA. So if you're retired and taking regular distributions to live on, those would be reported. But sounds like you're all set with just the rollover situation!
This is such valuable information! I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and was really worried about how my husband's retirement savings would affect our son's aid eligibility. It's reassuring to know that as long as we're not taking distributions, the retirement accounts themselves won't hurt his chances. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding the difference between retirement assets and regular investments on the FAFSA!
This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation - my husband just retired and we have both a 401k rollover AND a pension lump sum option we're considering. From reading all these responses, it sounds like the 401k rollover to IRA won't be reported as an asset, but I'm wondering about the pension. If we take the lump sum and roll it into an IRA, would that be treated the same way? Or would a pension lump sum be considered differently on the FAFSA? We want to make sure we make the right choice before our daughter starts college next year.
Great question about the pension lump sum! If you do a direct rollover of the pension lump sum into a qualified IRA, it should be treated the same as a 401k rollover - meaning it won't count as an asset on the FAFSA. The key is making sure it's a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer so it doesn't show up as taxable income on your return. However, pension rules can be more complex than 401k rollovers, so I'd definitely recommend talking to both your pension administrator and a tax professional to make sure you understand all the implications before making that decision. The timing could also matter depending on when you'd take the lump sum versus when you'll be filing the FAFSA.
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This thread is so helpful! As someone who's about to start this process with my youngest, I'm bookmarking all these solutions. Quick question - for those who had to call FSA, about how long did the actual fix take once you got through to an agent? My daughter's application deadline is coming up fast and I want to know if this is something that can be resolved in one call or if it requires multiple follow-ups.
From my experience and what I've seen others share here, once you actually get through to an FSA agent, the resolution can usually happen in a single call if it's a straightforward verification issue like name formatting or account merging. The agent can see both systems (FSA and SSA) in real-time and make the corrections immediately. However, if there are more complex identity verification issues, they might need to escalate it to a specialist which could take 3-5 business days for follow-up. I'd recommend calling as soon as possible given your tight deadline - better to have extra time than be scrambling at the last minute!
Thanks for this detailed thread! I'm going through the exact same issue with my son right now. The "account already established" error is driving me crazy. Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like the PSAT connection might be our problem too - he definitely created some kind of College Board account for testing. I'm going to try the Claimyr service to get through to FSA and see if they can merge accounts like they did for Andre's daughter. Really appreciate everyone sharing their solutions - this community is a lifesaver!
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As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by the depth of knowledge and support shared in this thread! I'm also a disabled veteran receiving VA compensation, and my twins will be applying for college aid next year. Like many others here, I was completely overwhelmed by how to handle the FAFSA process without traditional tax documentation. This discussion has been a revelation - learning about selecting "Will Not File," properly categorizing VA benefits as untaxed income, and understanding the SAI calculation differences has made everything click into place. The practical tips about early documentation gathering, the IRS non-filing verification process, and backup resources like Claimyr are incredibly valuable. I'm especially grateful to learn about professional judgment reviews and school-specific veteran programs that could make a real difference for our family. What started as anxiety about navigating an impossible system has transformed into confidence with a clear roadmap, thanks to everyone's generous sharing of real-world experiences. This community is exactly what military families need when dealing with financial aid complexities that standard guidance simply doesn't address adequately!
Welcome to the community, Malik! As another newcomer who's been absorbing all the incredible wisdom in this thread, I completely understand that transformation from anxiety to confidence - it's exactly what I experienced too! Having twins going through this process simultaneously adds another layer of complexity, but at least you'll become an expert quickly and can apply the same knowledge to both applications. The advice everyone has shared here about early preparation is going to be especially valuable for your situation since you'll essentially be doing everything twice. I've been taking notes on all the key points mentioned throughout this discussion, and it's amazing how this community has turned what seemed like navigating a foreign language into a clear, step-by-step process. The fact that so many veteran families have successfully made it through gives me hope that we can too. Thank you for adding your voice to this supportive conversation - it's reassuring to know there are others starting this journey at the same time!
As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have discovered this incredibly detailed discussion! I'm a disabled veteran receiving VA disability compensation, and my daughter will be starting her college applications soon. Like so many others here, I was completely lost about how to navigate the FAFSA without traditional tax returns. This thread has been absolutely transformative - learning about the "Will Not File" option, understanding that VA benefits should be categorized as untaxed income, and discovering the nuances of SAI calculations has changed everything for me. The practical advice about gathering VA award letters early, proactively requesting IRS non-filing verification, and having backup resources like Claimyr ready has given me a concrete action plan. I'm also relieved to know about professional judgment reviews as an option if our circumstances don't fit the standard formulas. What strikes me most is how this community understands that military families face unique challenges that aren't addressed in typical financial aid guidance. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences and creating such a supportive environment - you've transformed what felt like an impossible obstacle into a manageable process with clear steps forward!
Welcome to the community, NebulaNova! As another newcomer who just discovered this incredible thread, I completely share your sentiment about going from feeling completely lost to having a clear roadmap. It's amazing how this one discussion has addressed so many of the specific concerns that veteran families face with the FAFSA process. Like you, I was completely unaware of the "Will Not File" option and had no idea how to properly categorize VA disability benefits. Reading through everyone's real experiences - from the technical details about SAI calculations to the practical tips about documentation and backup resources - has been like finding a comprehensive guide that actually addresses our unique situations. What really stands out to me is how generous everyone has been with sharing not just what worked, but also the challenges and mistakes they encountered along the way. It gives me so much confidence knowing that other military families have successfully navigated this process and are here to support newcomers like us. Thank you for adding your voice to this supportive conversation - it's reassuring to know there are others starting this journey with the same initial concerns but now feeling much more prepared!
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This whole situation is so stressful! I'm dealing with something similar - my family's income changed significantly after we filed our taxes, and I've been waiting weeks for my school to process my appeal. Reading through all these responses is really helpful though. I had no idea about the distinction between SAI adjustments and the official Professional Judgment workflow in the new system. I'm going to try calling my financial aid office tomorrow and specifically ask for a "preliminary professional judgment decision letter" like Diego suggested. It's such a relief to know that other people are going through this too and that there are actually people getting their appeals processed now. Fingers crossed we can all get this sorted out before the May 1st deadline!
I'm in the exact same boat! It's so frustrating feeling like you're the only one dealing with this, but seeing everyone's experiences here makes me feel less alone. I actually just got off the phone with my school after reading Diego's advice about asking for a preliminary decision letter, and they're going to have one ready for me by Tuesday. The key phrase that seemed to work was mentioning the May 1st deadline and asking to speak with someone who has authority to issue preliminary decisions. Good luck with your call tomorrow - I really hope you get some answers! This whole new FAFSA system rollout has been such a mess, but at least we're all figuring it out together.
As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can confirm that the professional judgment functionality is finally working! My school processed my appeal two weeks ago after months of delays. Here's what helped me get it resolved: I scheduled an in-person appointment with my financial aid counselor (instead of just calling) and brought printed copies of all my documentation. Being able to sit down face-to-face made a huge difference - they were able to walk me through exactly what they needed and give me a realistic timeline. I also made sure to emphasize my enrollment deadline multiple times during the meeting. The whole new FAFSA system has been a nightmare, but don't lose hope! If your school still says they can't process it, ask them specifically what functionality they're waiting for, because the system capabilities have been rolling out in phases and they might not realize everything is available now.
AstroAce
I'm dealing with the exact same Chrome issues right now! Just tried to submit my parent tax information and got hit with that freezing page problem. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like Firefox is definitely the way to go. Quick question for everyone who switched - when you log back in with your FSA ID on a different browser, does it take you right back to where you were, or do you have to navigate through all the sections again to find your spot? I'm worried about accidentally overwriting something I already completed correctly.
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Zainab Omar
•When you log back in with your FSA ID on Firefox, it should take you directly to your application dashboard where you can see the status of each section. You won't lose any data - it's all saved on their servers. Just click on the section you were working on (sounds like the parent tax info part) and it'll show you exactly where you left off. I was paranoid about the same thing when I switched from Chrome, but everything was still there! Just make sure to use private browsing mode like others mentioned.
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Chloe Zhang
I've been helping students with FAFSA applications for years and can confirm that Chrome has ongoing compatibility issues, especially with the newer 2025-2026 form. Firefox is definitely your best bet - it handles the form validation and file uploads much better. One additional tip that's helped many of my students: if you're still having issues even with Firefox, try temporarily disabling any VPN or proxy services you might be running. The FAFSA site is very sensitive to network routing and sometimes blocks connections that appear to be coming from unexpected locations. Also, make sure your computer's date and time are set correctly - I've seen SSL certificate errors cause similar freezing issues when system clocks are off by more than a few minutes.
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