Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I feel much more confident about what we need to report now. Just to summarize what I've learned: - We DO report: bank accounts, investments including our daughter's 529, and the inheritance money - We DON'T report: our home, retirement accounts, personal property - My son's personal checking account gets reported as HIS asset (at the higher 20% assessment rate) I'm going to start the application tonight and will update if I run into any other confusing questions!

Good luck with your FAFSA application! Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - make sure to keep documentation of all the assets you're reporting (bank statements, investment account statements, etc.) as of the date you submit your FAFSA. Sometimes schools will ask for verification documents later, and having everything organized will make that process much smoother if you get selected for verification. Also, don't forget that you can make corrections to your FAFSA after submitting if you realize you made an error - it's better to fix mistakes than to leave them uncorrected!

I went through this exact same situation last year with our small hobby farm! Just wanted to add a couple things that might help: For the checking account balances - I ended up taking screenshots of our accounts on the day I filed the FAFSA and kept those for my records. Our financial aid office said that was perfect documentation if we got selected for verification. Also, if you're unsure about the "materially participate" requirement, the IRS definition is helpful - you need to work at least 100 hours per year OR 500 hours if it's your primary occupation. For most small ranch families like ours, the 100 hour threshold is pretty easy to meet between daily chores, maintenance, etc. One last tip: when I wasn't sure about something, I erred on the side of reporting it and then explained the situation in the "Additional Financial Information" section. Better to over-report and let the financial aid office sort it out than to accidentally under-report and get in trouble later! Good luck with your FAFSA - it's definitely confusing but you've got this!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation with our small ranch operation! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. Just wanted to share what our CPA told us when we were preparing for this year's FAFSA: He emphasized that the key distinction for the family farm exclusion is that you have to BOTH live on the property AND actively work it yourself (not just lease it out to someone else). Since you mentioned your husband handles the livestock while working his regular job, that definitely sounds like you qualify for the exclusion. For the farm checking account, we decided to include it in our liquid assets but made sure to note in the additional information section that it's exclusively for agricultural expenses with minimal balance. Our CPA said this shows transparency while still being accurate. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - if you do get selected for verification, having your Schedule F forms organized and ready to go makes the whole process much smoother. The financial aid office will want to see proof of your farming activity and that you actually live on the property. The whole process is definitely overwhelming when you're trying to balance farming life with college planning, but it sounds like you're asking all the right questions!

Just wanted to add that timing matters too! If you're applying for fall semester, try to get your Parent PLUS application submitted by late spring/early summer. The earlier you apply, the sooner your daughter's financial aid office can finalize her complete aid package. Also, if you're denied for the PLUS loan (which can happen even with decent credit due to their specific criteria), your daughter becomes eligible for additional unsubsidized federal loans - up to $4,000 more for freshmen/sophomores and $5,000 more for juniors/seniors. So it's not the end of the world if you don't get approved! Best of luck with the process - it's confusing at first but once you get through it the first time, it becomes much easier for subsequent years.

Marina, I went through this exact same confusion last year with my son! Here's what I learned: you definitely need to apply through studentaid.gov (not FAFSA directly), and you'll need your own FSA ID as others mentioned. But here's something that might help - before you apply for the Parent PLUS loan, call your daughter's financial aid office and ask about their "Cost of Attendance" breakdown. They can tell you exactly how much gap you have between her current aid and total costs, so you know exactly how much to borrow. Also, some schools have Parent PLUS loan information sessions in April/May - worth asking if they offer one. It really helped me understand the whole process better than trying to figure it out alone online!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly helpful! I'm currently going through the same concerns with my daughter who just started a part-time job at a local grocery store. Reading through everyone's experiences has really put my mind at ease. The explanation about the prior-prior year tax information timing is such a relief - I had no idea that current year earnings wouldn't impact next year's FAFSA. And learning about the student income protection allowance makes the whole system seem much more fair and reasonable than I initially thought. I'm particularly grateful for the insights from the financial aid professional who emphasized that the system is designed to encourage students to work rather than penalize them. That perspective really helps shift my thinking from worrying about aid reduction to focusing on the valuable work experience and life skills my daughter is gaining. The work-study information is also incredibly valuable - I'll definitely have her look into those opportunities once she starts college since that income doesn't count against future aid eligibility. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your knowledge and experiences. This kind of peer support makes navigating the financial aid process so much less overwhelming!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this incredibly detailed discussion! I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation - my son just got his FAFSA results with a substantial Pell Grant, and he's been eager to start working part-time. I've been losing sleep over whether his earnings might jeopardize his financial aid. Reading through all these responses has been such an education. The prior-prior year tax information timing is absolutely crucial to understand - knowing that his 2024 earnings won't affect the 2025-2026 FAFSA completely changes how I'm approaching this decision. And the explanation of the student income protection allowance ($7,600+) makes the system seem so much more reasonable than I initially feared. I'm particularly appreciative of the financial aid professional who emphasized that the system encourages rather than penalizes student work. That perspective really helps me focus on the bigger picture - the work experience, responsibility, and networking opportunities are probably worth far more than any minor future aid adjustments. The work-study tip is golden! I had no idea that income from those positions doesn't count against future FAFSA calculations. That sounds like the perfect solution once he starts college. Thank you all for sharing your expertise and real-world experiences. This community is such a valuable resource for parents navigating these complex decisions!

I'm so glad I found this thread! My daughter and I have been dealing with this exact same FSA ID verification issue for the past 10 days. We've tried everything - different browsers, devices, times of day, and even went to three different FAFSA workshops hoping someone could help us get past that dreaded page 6 verification step. Reading through all these responses gives me so much hope! We're going to try the combination approach tonight: new email address + very early morning hours (around 2-3 AM) + incognito browser + making sure we use her exact legal name from her Social Security card. I also really appreciate the tip about contacting the schools directly and documenting everything. I've been taking screenshots of every error message we get, so hopefully that will help if we need to appeal any deadlines. One question for those who got through - after you finally completed the FSA ID verification, were you able to go straight into filling out the FAFSA or did you have to wait for any additional verification steps? Just want to know what to expect once we hopefully get past this hurdle! Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions. It's such a relief to know we're not alone in this frustrating process!

I'm dealing with this exact same FSA ID verification nightmare right now! My son has been stuck on that page 6 verification for almost two weeks and we're getting desperate with his college deadlines approaching fast. After reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, I'm planning to try the combination approach tonight: creating a brand new email address, attempting at 2-3 AM Eastern time, using Microsoft Edge in incognito mode, and making absolutely sure we use his exact legal name as it appears on his Social Security card (no nicknames or shortened versions). I've also been documenting everything with screenshots and call logs, which seems like it will be crucial if we need to contact his schools about deadline extensions. The tip about emailing FSA.TechnicalSupport@ed.gov is golden - I'm sending them our documentation first thing tomorrow morning. It's both reassuring and infuriating to see so many families going through this same technical disaster. The fact that students are missing priority deadlines because of THEIR broken system is absolutely unacceptable. But I'm so grateful everyone is sharing what worked for them - gives me real hope we can get through this! Will definitely update this thread with our results to help other families dealing with this mess. Fingers crossed the middle-of-the-night approach works for us like it did for others!