doesnt matter what u put they give u nothing anyway lol college is a ripoff

As someone who just went through this process with my own kids, I wanted to share what worked for us. We have a similar situation - two adopted children who receive Medicaid and state benefits, plus our biological daughter who was applying for FAFSA. First, you absolutely did the right thing marking "yes" for the Medicaid question. That's asking about your household, not just the student. Don't second-guess yourself on that. With your $70K income and multiple dependents, your son should qualify for some aid. We have a slightly lower income (~$65K) and our daughter received about $4,200 in Pell Grant plus the full loan amount. The key is that having more dependents in your household actually helps your aid calculation. One thing I learned: keep very detailed records of everything. We got selected for verification (which seems common when you check yes on benefits), and having all our documents organized made the process much smoother. Get your tax transcripts early, keep copies of the adoption subsidy documentation, and proof of Medicaid for your adopted kids. Also, apply to multiple schools if possible. Aid packages can vary significantly between institutions, and some private schools with larger endowments might offer better aid than you'd expect, even with your income level. Don't let the process intimidate you - your son deserves every opportunity to pursue his education, and there is aid available for families in your situation.

I'm in a similar situation as a first-time FAFSA parent! We just submitted ours last week and I'm constantly second-guessing everything we entered. Reading through all these responses is so helpful - especially learning that the 529 impact might not be as catastrophic as it feels right now. @Gemma Andrews, it sounds like you're handling this the right way by planning to make the correction as soon as possible. The advice about only changing what needs to be corrected and emailing the financial aid offices is gold. Hang in there - we're all figuring this out together!

Hey Gemma! I just went through this exact same thing with my daughter's FAFSA last month. We forgot to include her 529 account ($38k) and I was absolutely panicking. Here's what worked for us: wait for the review to complete (took about 10 days), then immediately make the correction through the studentaid.gov portal. The "Make Corrections" button will appear once your SAI is calculated. Our SAI only increased by about $2,100, which didn't affect her Pell Grant eligibility at all. I also called each of her top choice schools to give them a heads up about the incoming correction - most were super understanding and said it happens all the time. Don't beat yourself up, this is way more common than you think! The 529 being a parent asset actually works in your favor compared to if it were a student asset.

I just want to echo what everyone else is saying - the FAFSA timeline is SO confusing! I'm a parent of twins who are both in college and I STILL get mixed up every year about which form to submit when. Here's what I've learned from going through this process multiple times: always check your specific school's priority deadline because they're all different, and don't wait until the last minute because the website issues are real. I keep a calendar reminder now to submit each year's FAFSA as soon as it opens. Also, @Chloe Martin - even if you missed the priority deadline, still submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA ASAP! You'll still be eligible for federal aid and some institutional aid. Late is better than never with financial aid. The good news is once you get the hang of the cycle (submit in fall for the following academic year), it becomes more routine. Hang in there!

Just wanted to add a quick tip that saved me a lot of headaches - bookmark the Federal Student Aid website (studentaid.gov) and check it regularly for updates on FAFSA opening dates and any system maintenance windows. They usually post announcements about planned downtime or technical issues there first. Also, if you're having trouble reaching your daughter's financial aid office by phone, try emailing them or checking if they have online chat support. Many schools added virtual options during COVID and kept them. Some even have specific "FAFSA help" email addresses that get prioritized. The learning curve is steep but you'll get through it! The fact that you're asking questions and being proactive puts you ahead of many parents who just wing it.

oh also dont forget that they changed fafsa this year and now they need info from more people in complex family situations! make sure ur ex is filling out their part too if they're supposed to contribute

I went through this exact situation with my stepfather last year! A few additional tips that helped us: 1) Submit the FAFSA as soon as possible with the 000-00-0000 for his SSN - don't wait because the verification process can take weeks. 2) Start gathering all his income documentation NOW (pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements) because you'll likely need them for verification. 3) Consider reaching out to multiple schools on your daughter's list - some are more experienced with these situations and can provide better guidance. 4) Keep detailed records of all your communications and document submission dates in case you need to appeal any delays. The system isn't perfect, but it does work eventually. You've got this!

Just a quick update for anyone finding this thread later: The Department of Education acknowledged this contributor link bug in their latest system update notes. They're supposedly rolling out a fix in the next 2 weeks. Until then, the workarounds mentioned here are your best bet - either having the student enter the information manually or trying to get an agent to reset your contributor access.

I had the exact same issue last month! What finally worked for me was logging into my FSA ID first in a separate browser tab, then clicking the contributor link while already logged in. For some reason the system couldn't authenticate me properly when I clicked the link directly from the email while logged out. Also make sure you're not using any browser extensions that might block cookies or trackers - I had to disable my privacy extensions temporarily. The whole FAFSA system is so finicky this year, but don't give up! Your financial information is crucial for maximizing your daughter's aid eligibility.