wait does this mean if my kid got money from summer job that its counted worse than if i have the same money in my account?? thats not fair!

Just wanted to add one more consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure your daughter understands the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) rules for inherited Roth IRAs. Even though the distribution she took in 2022 won't affect her 2025-2026 FAFSA income reporting, she'll likely need to take distributions over the next several years under the 10-year rule. This could impact future FAFSA applications if those distributions are large enough to be considered income in later years. It might be worth consulting with a tax professional to plan the timing of future distributions to minimize impact on financial aid eligibility.

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful information! I feel way less stressed now knowing I just need to focus on completing the FAFSA correctly. I'm going to start gathering all the documents I need and aim to submit on October 1st when it opens. One last question - do you guys think it's better to use the FAFSA mobile app or just do it on the website?

Just wanted to jump in as someone who works in financial aid - you've gotten great advice here! One thing I'd add is to make sure you have your FSA ID (Federal Student Aid ID) created BEFORE October 1st when the FAFSA opens. Both you AND one of your parents will need separate FSA IDs to electronically sign the FAFSA. Creating the FSA ID can take a few days to process, and if you wait until the last minute, you might run into delays. You can create it at studentaid.gov. Also, double-check that the name on your FSA ID exactly matches your Social Security card - mismatches cause processing delays! Good luck with your application! With your family income under $40k, you should definitely qualify for significant Pell Grant funding.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My son's FAFSA was processed in February and we've been waiting on aid packages from 5 schools. What I've learned from calling around is that each school has their own internal processing timeline even after they receive the FAFSA data. Some schools told me they're still waiting for updated SAI calculations from the federal system due to all the technical issues this year. I'd definitely recommend calling - when I did, two schools told me they had everything and packages would be out "within the next 10 business days," while another school discovered they were missing a document I thought I'd already submitted. It's nerve-wracking but sounds like we're all in the same boat this cycle!

This thread is so helpful! We're in a similar situation - my daughter's FAFSA was processed in February and we're still waiting on packages from 4 out of 6 schools. Reading through everyone's experiences makes me realize we need to be more proactive about calling. One thing I wanted to add that our high school counselor mentioned is that some schools are also dealing with staffing shortages in their financial aid offices this year, which is contributing to the delays on top of all the FAFSA technical issues. She recommended keeping a spreadsheet with each school's financial aid office phone number and the date/outcome of each call so you can follow up systematically. I'm going to start making calls this week and will definitely ask about verification requirements and check all the student portals. Thanks everyone for sharing - it's such a relief to know we're not the only ones feeling stressed about this!

I just went through this exact same anxiety last semester! One thing that really helped me was creating a "worst case/best case" budget scenario while waiting for my award letter. With your SAI of 2800, you're likely looking at a partial Pell Grant (probably $3,500-4,500 range based on what others have said), plus you'll be eligible for Direct Loans. I made a simple spreadsheet with my school's tuition/fees, estimated what my minimum aid would be, and calculated the smallest possible refund I might get. Then I did the same for a more optimistic scenario. At least then I had some numbers to work with for planning! Also, I set up direct deposit immediately - even if you don't have checks, most schools let you enter your routing and account numbers directly in your student portal. It seriously cut down my refund wait time by like a week compared to friends who got paper checks. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you need to make real financial decisions, but you're definitely on track with your timing. Most people I know got their award letters 3-4 weeks after FAFSA completion. Hang in there! 💪

I'm also a first-time FAFSA applicant and this thread has been incredibly reassuring! I was starting to panic thinking I did something wrong since it's been radio silence after submitting. One thing I discovered that might help others - my school has a "Financial Aid Timeline" page buried in their website that shows when they typically process different types of aid applications. It gave me realistic expectations about when to expect my award letter (looks like mid-April for my school). Maybe worth searching for something similar on your school's financial aid pages? Also, I called my school's bursar office (not financial aid) to ask about refund processing, and they were actually more helpful than I expected! They explained that once aid hits your student account, refunds are usually processed within 2-3 business days if you have direct deposit set up. They also confirmed I could set up direct deposit anytime, even before getting my award letter. With your SAI of 2800, you should definitely qualify for need-based aid. I know the waiting is stressful when you're trying to plan rent and expenses, but it sounds like you're right on track timing-wise. We're all in this confusing boat together! 🤞

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Just got my son's bill yesterday and nearly had a heart attack seeing the full $18,200 with zero aid showing. His FAFSA has been complete since February, he got his award letter in May, and everything shows as "accepted" in his student portal. But the bill just shows the raw tuition amount due in 2 weeks! Reading through all these comments is so reassuring - I had no idea this was such a common issue. It's insane that colleges don't put ANY note on the bill explaining that pending aid isn't reflected. They're basically giving every parent a panic attack for no reason! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the update about calling the financial aid office. I'm going to try to get through to them tomorrow just to confirm everything is on track.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can confirm this is unfortunately very normal! The disconnect between billing systems and financial aid offices seems to be a universal college problem. What helped me was creating a simple checklist to track everything: ✓ FAFSA completed and processed ✓ Award letter received ✓ All aid packages accepted in student portal ✓ Loan entrance counseling completed ✓ MPN signed. If all those boxes are checked, you're almost certainly fine even if the bill looks scary. I also recommend setting a calendar reminder for about 2 weeks before classes start to check if the aid has been applied - that gives you time to follow up if there are any real issues. The anxiety is real, but you're definitely not alone in this experience!