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Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who went through this recently! I was in almost the exact same situation - remarried for 4 years but filed separately. I selected "No" for the joint tax return question and made sure to include both my income and my current spouse's income in all the parent sections. My daughter's FAFSA went through without any issues and we didn't get selected for verification. The key is being consistent - answer "No" to the joint filing question since that's literally what your tax status was, but then make absolutely sure you're reporting both household incomes accurately throughout the rest of the application. Don't overthink it - the question is asking about your actual tax filing status, not your marital status!
This is exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you for sharing your successful experience. It's so reassuring to know that someone in nearly the same situation got through without verification issues. I'm going to follow your advice - select "No" for the tax filing question and then be extra careful to include both incomes accurately in all the parent sections. Really appreciate you taking the time to share this!
I just went through this same exact situation last month! You should definitely select "No" since you filed as married filing separately - the question is specifically about your tax filing status, not whether you're currently married. I was worried about verification too, but here's what helped me: I made sure to have all documentation ready (both W-2s, tax returns for both you and your spouse, bank statements) just in case. Even though you select "No" for that question, you'll still need to report both your income and your current spouse's income in the parent sections - that's required regardless of how you filed taxes. The FAFSA considers all household income for married parents. I'd also suggest double-checking all your entries before submitting and keeping copies of everything. Good luck with your daughter's application!
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I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation! My parents are getting divorced and I'm starting to realize this could actually help with my financial aid situation. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea that divorce could potentially increase aid eligibility. A few questions for those who have been through this process: 1. When you contacted the financial aid office, did you call or email first? I'm wondering which approach gets a faster response. 2. For those whose aid increased significantly - was this mostly federal aid (like Pell Grant increases) or institutional aid from the school? 3. Did any of you have to provide tax returns from the non-custodial parent even after the divorce adjustment was approved? I'm feeling really overwhelmed trying to navigate college costs on top of everything else happening with my family situation, but this thread is giving me hope that there might be a path forward that doesn't involve massive student loans. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly - it really helps to know others have been through this successfully!
Welcome to the community! I'm also new here but have been following this conversation closely as I'm in a similar situation with my parents' divorce affecting my college financial aid. To answer your questions based on what I've gathered from everyone's responses: 1. Most people seem to have had success calling first rather than emailing - it sounds like you can get more immediate guidance on what documentation you need and the school's specific process. Plus several people mentioned that persistence is key, which is easier with phone calls. 2. From what I'm reading, it seems like it's often a combination of both federal and institutional aid increases. The divorce can lower your SAI (Student Aid Index) which might qualify you for more federal Pell Grant money, but schools also have institutional aid they can distribute through their professional judgment process. 3. I haven't seen anyone specifically mention having to provide the non-custodial parent's tax returns after the adjustment, but that's a really good question to ask the financial aid office directly since policies probably vary by school. I totally understand feeling overwhelmed - dealing with family changes and college costs at the same time is really stressful. But everyone's success stories here are definitely encouraging! It sounds like this process really can make a significant difference in aid packages.
Welcome to the community! I'm also navigating this exact situation as a newcomer here. My parents' divorce was just finalized last month, and I had no idea it could potentially help with my college financial aid until I found this thread. From what I'm learning here, it sounds like the key steps are: 1) Contact your daughter's school directly (not FAFSA), 2) Ask for their "Special Circumstances" or "Professional Judgment" form, 3) Gather documentation about the divorce/separation and income changes, and 4) Be persistent in following up. The fact that your household income is dropping by 60% after the divorce could make a huge difference in your daughter's aid eligibility. Several people here have shared success stories with significant aid increases - one person mentioned over $7,000 additional aid, another saw their loan needs drop from $15k to $8k. I'm planning to call my school's financial aid office tomorrow morning after reading everyone's advice here. It's encouraging to know that financial aid officers see these situations regularly and are usually understanding about family changes beyond our control. Don't lose hope - it sounds like there are real solutions available even though the process might take a few weeks to complete.
Thank you for the warm welcome and for summarizing the key steps so clearly! It's really helpful to see it laid out like that. Your timeline is perfect since I was planning to call tomorrow as well - maybe we can both update each other on how our conversations go. The 60% income drop is exactly why I'm feeling hopeful about this process now. Before reading this thread, I was honestly panicking about how we were going to afford her dream school with just the $5,500 Pell Grant. Knowing that other families have seen such significant increases in aid makes me feel like there's actually a realistic path forward. I'm going to follow everyone's advice about being prepared with all my documentation and writing up a summary beforehand. The legal separation papers, proof of separate households, and income information should hopefully be enough to get the process started even though our divorce isn't completely finalized yet. Good luck with your call tomorrow! Feel free to share how it goes - I have a feeling we'll both learn a lot from this process.
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I'm dealing with this same exact issue right now! My son's FAFSA had our household size of 5 people, but after the IRS data retrieval it went completely blank. I've been trying to fix it for weeks and getting nowhere with customer service. Thank you everyone for the detailed instructions on where to find this hidden field. It's ridiculous that such a critical piece of information that affects thousands of dollars in aid eligibility is buried so deep in the application and keeps getting wiped out by their own system! I'm also really concerned about our timeline - we have college deadlines coming up fast and I'm worried this correction will delay everything. Has anyone had success contacting their school's financial aid office directly about this widespread glitch? I'm thinking of reaching out proactively to explain the situation before our corrected FAFSA gets processed. This whole "simplified" FAFSA rollout has been an absolute disaster. Between the late launch, constant crashes, and now data getting randomly deleted, I feel like we're all beta testing their broken system while our kids' financial aid hangs in the balance.
I completely understand your frustration! This whole situation has been so stressful for all of us dealing with it. I would definitely recommend reaching out to your school's financial aid office proactively - as @Yara Nassar mentioned earlier, they ve'been officially notified about this widespread glitch and are supposed to be flexible with deadlines for affected families. When you contact them, just explain that you re'correcting a household size error caused by the IRS data transfer bug that s'affecting thousands of applications. Most financial aid officers are aware of this issue by now and will understand why your application is being resubmitted. Also, make sure to follow the exact steps that @Keisha Robinson outlined - Parent Information > Household Details > Family Members, then scroll down to find that tiny edit button. And definitely take @GalaxyGuardian s advice'about screenshots since some people have had the error happen multiple times! You re right'that this simplified FAFSA "has" been anything but simple. Hang in there - you re not'alone in this mess!
Ugh, this is happening to us too! Just discovered our household size went from 4 to blank after the IRS transfer. I'm a single mom with three kids and this could seriously affect how much aid my oldest gets for college. Thank you everyone for the detailed instructions - I'm going to try the Parent Information > Household Details > Family Members path that @Keisha Robinson mentioned. Really hoping I can get this fixed before it delays our financial aid package. It's so frustrating that a "simplified" form is causing so many headaches. Between work and managing everything else, the last thing I need is to spend hours hunting for a missing field that their own system deleted! Taking screenshots of everything once I fix it - definitely don't want to go through this nightmare twice.
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Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'll go ahead and enter the family size manually. Seems like I also need to pay attention to the "number in college" field too. Really appreciate all the information - definitely cleared up my confusion!
Just wanted to add that you should double-check your family size calculation before submitting! I made the mistake of only counting people living at home full-time and missed including my older brother who's in grad school but still gets support from my parents. Had to submit a correction later which delayed my aid processing. The FAFSA definition of "household size" is different from what most people think - it's really about financial support, not just physical residence. Take your time with this section!
Amelia Martinez
I'm so sorry you're going through this stress! I just went through the exact same situation a few months ago. Here's what I wish someone had told me from the start: 1. **Time is critical** - Start the endorser process IMMEDIATELY while also exploring other options. Don't wait to see if one path works before trying another. 2. **Multiple backup plans** - Accept those additional unsubsidized loans right away (even if it's not the full amount), apply for emergency grants from your school, and look into payment plans. 3. **Endorser tips** - When approaching potential endorsers, be upfront about the responsibility but also mention it's only for THIS loan period. Don't make it sound scarier than it needs to be, but be honest about what they're signing up for. 4. **School communication** - Call your financial aid office AND bursar's office today. Many schools are understanding about Parent PLUS delays if you're proactive about communicating. You've got this! It feels overwhelming now but there are definitely solutions. The key is acting fast on multiple fronts instead of putting all your eggs in one basket. Keep us updated on how it goes!
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Yara Assad
•This is such helpful advice, especially about acting on multiple fronts at once! I've been so focused on the endorser route that I hadn't even thought about calling the bursar's office separately. You're right that I need to move fast - I'm going to accept those unsubsidized loans today and start the endorser process while also reaching out to my school about emergency grants and payment plans. Thank you for breaking it down so clearly and for the encouragement! I'll definitely keep everyone updated on how it goes.
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Victoria Jones
I'm a financial aid officer and want to add some important details that might help: **Timeline Reality Check**: While people are saying 7-10 days, I'm seeing 2-3 weeks minimum right now due to high volume. Don't count on anything faster. **Endorser Requirements**: The endorser must pass their own credit check - they can't have adverse credit history either. This trips up a lot of families who assume any willing relative will qualify. **School-Specific Options**: Contact your financial aid office about these additional options: - Emergency/hardship grants (many schools have funds specifically for this situation) - Extended payment plans that let you pay tuition in installments - Work-study increases if you're already eligible - Institutional loans with better terms than private loans **Pro Tip**: If you're close to your degree completion, some schools will let you register and attend classes while the PLUS loan is processing, as long as you sign an agreement to pay if it falls through. Don't panic - I've helped hundreds of students through this exact situation and there's almost always a path forward. The key is having multiple backup plans ready to go.
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Axel Bourke
•Thank you so much for this insider perspective! As someone new to navigating financial aid, it's incredibly helpful to hear from someone who works in the system. I had no idea about the 2-3 week timeline reality - that definitely changes my urgency level. I'm going to call my financial aid office first thing tomorrow about those emergency grants and payment plans you mentioned. Quick question - when you mention "institutional loans with better terms," are those typically need-based or available to anyone in this situation? I'm really grateful for the reassurance that there's usually a path forward, because right now it feels pretty overwhelming!
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