One more tip - make sure you're filling out the 2025-2026 FAFSA if your daughter is starting college next fall. The application periods changed recently and some people are still filling out the wrong year's form!

I went through this exact same confusion when I filled out my son's FAFSA two years ago! The interface could definitely be clearer about this. Just to add to what everyone else has said - yes, it's the parent's birthdate in the parent section. One thing that helped me was to think of each section as literally being filled out BY that person. So the student section is as if your daughter is filling it out herself (her info), and the parent section is as if you're filling it out about yourself (your info). Also, if you're married and filing jointly, you'll need both parents' birthdates. Good luck with the application - you're doing great by being careful and asking questions!

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm also dealing with a similar situation where my son's SAI disqualified him from subsidized loans but I'm hoping work-study might still be possible. Reading everyone's experiences gives me so much hope - especially hearing from the financial aid professionals about how the eligibility formulas are actually different. I'm taking notes on all the actionable advice here: calling instead of emailing, asking specifically for a financial aid counselor, mentioning our multiple kids in college, and asking about both federal and state work-study programs. The tip about spring semester potentially having more available funds is something I never would have considered. One thing I'm curious about - for those who successfully got work-study, did you find that the hourly pay and number of hours allowed made a meaningful difference in covering college expenses? I want to set realistic expectations for my son about how much this might actually help with his costs.

This is exactly the situation we found ourselves in last year! My son had an SAI of $17,500 - no subsidized loans but we desperately needed him to work on campus for the schedule flexibility. After reading through everyone's advice here, I wanted to add that persistence really does pay off. We were initially told "no funds available" but I called back three different times over two months, each time speaking with a different counselor. The third person we spoke with found discretionary funds that had just become available from students who had dropped out. Also want to echo what others said about having documentation ready - we brought proof of our mortgage payment, medical expenses for our younger child with special needs, and documentation showing we had another kid starting college the following year. The counselor said having concrete numbers rather than just saying "we're struggling" made all the difference in their ability to justify the allocation. One more tip - ask about graduate student positions too! My son ended up getting a research assistant position through the work-study program that not only paid well but gave him valuable experience in his field. Sometimes the best work-study jobs aren't the obvious ones like dining hall or library work.

Thank you all SO much for these helpful responses! I feel much more confident now. To summarize what I've learned: 1. I need the 2025-26 FAFSA for Fall 2025 enrollment 2. It opens October 1, 2024 3. We'll use our 2023 tax information 4. I should create FSA IDs for myself and my daughter now 5. Check for both school AND state priority deadlines 6. Also check if any schools require the CSS Profile 7. Apply early in case of technical issues I'm going to start gathering all our documents now and will mark October 1st on my calendar. This community has been incredibly helpful - thank you again!

Welcome to the FAFSA journey! As someone who just went through this with my oldest last year, I can tell you that you're asking all the right questions early, which puts you ahead of the game. One thing I wish I had known earlier is to also check if your daughter's potential schools have any institutional financial aid forms beyond FAFSA and CSS Profile. Some schools have their own supplemental forms that can unlock additional aid opportunities. Also, if your family has any unusual financial circumstances (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), document those now as you may need to submit a "special circumstances" appeal later. The learning curve is steep but manageable - you're going to do great! And don't hesitate to reach out to the financial aid offices at your daughter's prospective schools directly. They're usually very helpful and can give you school-specific guidance.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who made this way more complicated than it needed to be! When I was filling out my daughter's FAFSA last year, I spent hours trying to figure out how to handle my ex-husband who hasn't been involved financially. Turns out I was overthinking it completely - the FAFSA truly only cares about where your daughter actually lives and who supports her day-to-day. Since she lives with you and your current husband, that's it! One thing that really helped me was thinking of it this way: the FAFSA is trying to figure out what resources are actually available to help pay for college. Your ex isn't providing any resources, so he's not relevant to their calculation. Your current husband is part of your household and willing to help, so his income matters. It's actually pretty logical once you wrap your head around it. You've got this!

I'm also going through this process right now with my stepdaughter and had the same confusion! It's so reassuring to see everyone confirming that you only need to include yourself and your current husband. I was worried because her biological mom hasn't contributed anything in years either, but lives in another state. One thing I learned that might help - if you're using the online FAFSA form, there's actually a "Help and Hints" section that specifically addresses divorced/remarried parent situations. It clearly states that only the custodial parent and their current spouse (if any) need to provide information. Sometimes seeing it directly from the official source helps ease the worry! Also, don't forget to gather all your tax documents and your husband's before you start - having everything ready makes the process much smoother. Good luck!

Just wanted to add a helpful tip from my experience last year - if you have complicated investments like you mentioned, consider having your tax preparer create a summary sheet of all the schedules and forms you'll need for FAFSA. When I was filling out my son's application, I kept having to flip between different pages of our tax return to find specific line items the FAFSA was asking for. Having everything organized in advance made the process much smoother, especially since the new system can be glitchy and you don't want to spend extra time hunting for information while the application might time out on you.

Great advice about the summary sheet! Another tip I'd add is to make copies of your 2023 tax return and all schedules before you start the FAFSA application. I learned this the hard way when my computer crashed halfway through filling out my daughter's FAFSA last year and I had to start over. Having physical copies meant I could continue on a different device without having to dig through files again. Also, if you're like me and your spouse handles different parts of the finances, make sure both of you know where all the tax documents are stored - you never know who might end up being available to complete the application when it opens in October.