Just want to emphasize something that might help other parents - when you get to the contributor section and enter your tax info, don't panic if your Expected Family Contribution (now called SAI) seems high at first. The system processes disability considerations after all information is entered. I made the mistake of thinking we wouldn't qualify for any aid when I saw the initial numbers, but the final calculation was much more favorable once everything was properly processed. Also, keep all your documentation handy - schools sometimes request verification of the SSI benefits even though you've indicated disability status on the FAFSA.

This thread has been so helpful! I'm a parent of a student with cerebral palsy who gets SSI, and I was having the exact same confusion about where to enter our tax info. Reading through everyone's experiences really clarified the process for me. One thing I learned from our school's financial aid office that might help others - if your child has significant medical expenses related to their disability that aren't covered by insurance or Medicaid, make sure to keep track of those. Some schools allow you to submit an appeal for additional consideration of unreimbursed medical expenses, which can further adjust your aid eligibility in a positive way. It's worth asking about during the verification process if applicable to your situation.

UPDATE: I managed to get through to FSA this morning after trying that Claimyr service someone suggested. The agent confirmed my PDFs were received but said one of them was showing as "unreadable" in their system. Apparently the phone scanning app I used created a format their system couldn't process correctly. I've resubmitted using proper computer-generated PDFs like someone here suggested, and they said it should be processed within 7-10 business days. Also reached out to my school's financial aid office and they're giving me a verification extension. Thank you all for your help!

So glad to hear you got it resolved! This is exactly why I always tell people to avoid phone scanner apps for important documents like FAFSA verification. The compression and formatting can cause so many issues that aren't obvious until the system rejects them. For anyone else reading this - if you need to scan documents, try to use a proper scanner or at least make sure to convert phone scans to flattened PDFs through a computer before submitting. The verification process is stressful enough without technical issues making it worse!

As someone who just went through this process last year, I completely agree with the "file now and update later" approach. We had a similar situation with an amended return that increased our AGI by about $8,000. I filed the FAFSA in early February with our original tax info, then contacted each school's financial aid office once our amendment was processed in April. Most schools were very understanding and simply asked us to complete a verification worksheet with the updated information. The key is being proactive in your communication - don't wait for them to discover the discrepancy. Also, keep detailed records of all your communications with each school since they all handle it slightly differently. Your son's aid packages might be adjusted slightly, but it's much better than missing priority deadlines entirely!

As a college financial aid counselor with 8 years of experience, I strongly echo the advice to file your FAFSA now with your current tax information. Priority deadlines are called that for a reason - schools allocate their institutional aid funds on a first-come, first-served basis after those dates. An amended return that adds $12K to your AGI will likely increase your SAI by about $1,500-2,500, but missing priority deadlines could cost you thousands more in institutional grants and scholarships that won't be available later. Here's what I recommend: 1) File FAFSA immediately, 2) Email each school's financial aid office explaining your situation and timeline for the amendment, 3) Ask if they have a preferred process for updates, and 4) Submit updated documentation as soon as your amendment is processed. Most schools appreciate proactive communication and will work with you. The worst thing you can do right now is wait and potentially lose out on aid that has strict deadlines.

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm that changing the parent contributor is absolutely doable and won't hurt your daughter's chances! My family was in a similar boat - I initially had my mom (out-of-state) as the contributor but needed to switch to my dad (California resident) for state aid eligibility. The process was pretty straightforward through studentaid.gov, though I did have to wait on hold for a while to speak with someone at Federal Student Aid to confirm I was doing it correctly. The correction took about a week to process, and I didn't lose my place in line for aid consideration at any of my schools. One tip: once you make the change, download and save a copy of the updated FAFSA for your records. Also, some schools have earlier deadlines for state aid consideration, so definitely check each of your daughter's schools' specific Cal Grant deadlines. Don't panic though - you caught this in time and it's a very fixable situation!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and this thread is SO helpful! My family is dealing with a similar situation where my parents are divorced and live in different states. Reading everyone's experiences here is making me feel less stressed about potentially needing to make changes. Quick question - when you change the parent contributor, do both parents still need to provide their tax information or just the new contributing parent? Also, does anyone know if this affects the CSS Profile too if schools require that? Thank you all for being so supportive and sharing your real experiences - it's way more helpful than the confusing official websites!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a new member here and dealing with the exact same issue - my mom is a permanent resident without an SSN and I've been stuck on this FAFSA signature page for weeks. Reading through all these solutions gives me hope that I can actually get this figured out before my deadline. It's really frustrating that there are so many different workarounds and the system doesn't make any of them clear. The fact that the solution changes depending on whether you log in as a student vs parent is just ridiculous - how are families supposed to know that? Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially @Scarlett Forster for that student account tip. I'm going to try that approach first thing tomorrow morning!

As another newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's shared their solutions here! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my stepmother doesn't have an SSN, and I've been banging my head against the wall trying to figure this out. It's honestly shocking how poorly designed this system is - the fact that there are multiple different workarounds depending on which account you use, whether you have an ITIN vs no tax ID at all, and that none of this is clearly documented anywhere is just unacceptable for something as critical as financial aid. I'm going to try the student account login approach that @Scarlett Forster mentioned first, since that seems to have the highest success rate based on the responses here. If that doesn't work, I'll move on to calling FSA with the ITIN approach that @James Maki suggested. Really appreciate this community existing - it's clear that we're all having to figure out solutions that should have been built into the system from the start!