I went through this exact situation 3 years ago! I was raised by my aunt from age 5 with no bio parent contact. The dependency override process was definitely stressful but totally doable. Here's what worked for me: - Got letters from my high school counselor, family doctor, and my aunt's lawyer (who knew our family situation) - Wrote a really detailed personal statement explaining the whole history - Included my aunt's tax returns showing she claimed me as dependent - Applied to 5 schools and got approved at 4 of them (one school was just super strict) The key is being thorough with documentation and following up regularly. Don't let them sit on the application! I called every 2 weeks to check status. Also, start this process ASAP because it can take 4-8 weeks depending on the school. Your niece's situation sounds very similar to mine and she should definitely qualify. The financial aid officers I worked with were actually really understanding once they saw all the documentation. Good luck!

I'm a financial aid counselor and want to add one crucial point that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure your niece applies for a dependency override at ALL the schools she's considering, not just her top choice. Each school evaluates these independently and some are much more lenient than others. Also, if any of the schools deny her override initially, she can appeal that decision! I've seen students get approved on appeal after providing additional documentation or a more detailed explanation. Don't give up after the first "no" - persistence really pays off in these situations. One last tip: when she writes her personal statement, encourage her to focus on the facts of her situation rather than getting too emotional. Schools want to understand the circumstances clearly, and a straightforward, chronological explanation tends to work better than a heavily emotional narrative.

UPDATE: I finally got my FAFSA submitted correctly! For anyone who finds this thread later, here's what I learned: 1. As a married student, I used our full joint AGI 2. I entered my W-2 income in the student section and my husband's in the spouse section 3. I reported all our assets regardless of whose name they're in 4. Being secondary on the tax return didn't matter at all 5. Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool auto-filled most of the tax information correctly Thank you to everyone who helped! The SAI calculation now shows on my dashboard and I can see what aid I might qualify for.

Congrats on getting it sorted out! This thread is going to be SO helpful for other married students dealing with the same confusion. I'm bookmarking it because I know I'll probably run into similar issues when I apply for grad school next year. The FAFSA really needs better instructions for married applicants - it shouldn't be this hard to figure out something so basic!

As someone who just went through this exact same confusion last month, I can totally relate! The FAFSA system's messaging is so misleading for parents. I also thought I needed to start my own application when I saw that "good to begin" message. What saved me was calling my daughter's high school guidance counselor who explained that the student ALWAYS initiates the process. The key thing to remember is that verification of your FSA ID and receiving the invitation are two completely separate things. Your verification can still be "in progress" and you'll still be able to complete your portion once your son sends the invite. Just make sure he knows to start his application soon since you've already got your contributor account ready to go. The whole family will feel much better once you're actually working through it together rather than stressing about the confusing setup process!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in almost the exact same situation - my daughter created her FSA ID months ago but we just set up our contributor accounts last week. I was also completely confused by that "good to begin" message and was about to start what I thought was my own FAFSA application. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful, especially learning that we need to wait for our kids to start the process and send us the invitation. It's frustrating how unclear the system's messaging is for parents - they really need to fix that wording! Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and advice. I'm going to have my daughter start her application this weekend so we can get the ball rolling properly.

One last tip: When your son's FAFSA is processed, the SAI will reflect having two students in college, but your daughter's SAI won't automatically update. If the schools practice professional judgment, they may adjust her aid package once they see the linked FAFSA for your son. Different schools handle this differently - some will automatically check for siblings in the federal system, others require you to notify them. I'd recommend contacting your daughter's financial aid office after your son's FAFSA is processed to make sure they're aware there's now a second student in the family.

Just want to add from personal experience - make sure you keep detailed records of both applications! I had to help my twins with their FAFSAs a few years back and keeping a spreadsheet with all the exact figures I entered for each kid was a lifesaver when verification issues came up later. Also, don't be surprised if your son's community college processes his aid much faster than a 4-year school - community colleges tend to be quicker with summer session aid. Good luck with everything!

One important note for the original poster: Since you mentioned filing in January 2025, be aware that some colleges have priority financial aid deadlines as early as February 1st. The FAFSA processing time has been taking 3-4 weeks with the new system, so filing in early January is a good plan to ensure you meet those priority deadlines. Also, when using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, make sure the names and addresses match EXACTLY between your tax return and FAFSA. Even minor differences (like using "Street" vs "St") can cause the system to fail to match your records.

Just wanted to add one more helpful tip for your January FAFSA session! Since you mentioned having a specific time window when your schedules align, I'd recommend creating your FSA IDs ahead of time if you haven't already. Both you and your husband will need separate FSA IDs, and the verification process can take a few days. You can create them at studentaid.gov well before your January filing date. This way when you sit down to actually complete the FAFSA, you won't waste any of your precious time together waiting for account verification emails or dealing with ID setup issues. The last thing you want is to finally have that dedicated time blocked out only to get stuck on account setup! Also, if your daughter doesn't have her FSA ID yet, she'll need one too (even though you'll be filling it out as her parent, she still needs her own ID for the process).