I'm new to this community and currently dealing with this exact situation! My husband and I separated in February 2023, but like many of you, we filed jointly for tax year 2023. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and honestly a huge relief. I was starting to panic thinking there was no way to fix this. A couple questions for those who have been through this: When you contacted the financial aid offices, did you call or email first? And did any of you run into issues where schools required legal separation documents? We don't have any formal paperwork - just started living separately and managing finances independently. I have lease agreements and utility bills showing different addresses, but I'm worried that won't be enough. Also, for those whose appeals were successful - did the schools end up using just your individual income, or did they do some kind of partial calculation? I'm trying to get a sense of what kind of aid adjustment I can realistically expect. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. This community has been a lifesaver during such a stressful process!

I'm also going through this exact situation right now and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I separated from my spouse in June 2023 but we filed jointly for tax year 2023. I was completely overwhelmed trying to figure out how to handle the FAFSA correctly. Reading everyone's advice about submitting the FAFSA with the joint tax info first, then immediately starting the professional judgment process has given me a clear path forward. I was initially considering trying to amend our tax return, but it sounds like that would just complicate things unnecessarily. One thing that's really helped ease my anxiety is seeing how many people have successfully navigated this process. The financial aid system definitely isn't perfect for non-traditional family situations, but it's reassuring to know there are established procedures to handle these cases. I'm planning to submit my FAFSA this week and then immediately reach out to each school with documentation of our separation. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's made such a difference in my confidence level going into this process!

I'm new to this community but going through something similar with my 20-year-old. One thing that helped us was contacting the financial aid office early in the semester rather than waiting. They told us that mid-semester appeals often have better outcomes because they can see the student is actually enrolled and serious about their education. Also, if your daughter is working full-time while in school, make sure to emphasize that in her appeal. Financial aid counselors sometimes view that as evidence of genuine financial hardship and commitment to education. The combination of being self-supporting AND working while studying can strengthen her case for professional judgment. Has she considered community college for her first two years? I know that's not ideal, but the financial aid offices at community colleges are often more flexible with special circumstances, and she could transfer later with less debt.

I'm facing a very similar situation with my 22-year-old son who's been completely independent for almost 2 years now. What really helped us was keeping meticulous records from day one of his independence - we created a monthly spreadsheet tracking every expense he paid (rent, utilities, groceries, car insurance, etc.) compared to his income from work. When we met with the financial aid office, having this detailed financial timeline made a huge difference. They could see exactly when he became self-sufficient and how consistent he's been. The counselor mentioned that many students claim independence but can't actually prove the full scope of their self-support. Also, don't overlook state-specific aid programs! Some states have grants or scholarships with different dependency criteria than federal FAFSA. My son qualified for a state workforce development grant that didn't require parental income information since he was working full-time in a high-demand field. One more tip - if your daughter's school has multiple campuses, sometimes the financial aid policies can vary slightly between campuses. Might be worth checking if that applies to her situation.

As someone who just went through this process with my son this year, I want to echo what everyone else is saying - definitely create your own FSA ID! I was in the exact same situation where my son asked for my SSN and I had that gut feeling that something wasn't right about just handing it over. Here's what I learned: the FSA ID is basically your digital signature for all federal student aid documents, not just the FAFSA. You'll potentially need it for years if your daughter continues to need financial aid, loan documents, etc. Having your own account gives you control and visibility into everything. The process is really simple - took me about 5 minutes on studentaid.gov. Just make sure you have your SSN, full legal name (exactly as it appears on your Social Security card), and a reliable email address that your daughter doesn't use. One tip: write down your username and password immediately! I almost forgot mine by the time we were ready to submit the FAFSA a few days later. Your instinct to be cautious about your SSN is absolutely right - stick with that instinct and create your own account.

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here! I'm in the exact same boat with my daughter starting college next year, and I was completely confused about this whole FSA ID thing. Reading through all these responses has been so educational - I had no idea that parents needed their own separate accounts or that the old PIN system was replaced years ago. I was definitely about to make the mistake of just giving my daughter my SSN, but now I understand why that's not the right approach. I feel much more confident now about going to studentaid.gov and creating my own FSA ID. It's reassuring to hear from so many parents who've been through this process and can confirm it's straightforward once you know what to do. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these financial aid complexities!

Update: I finally got this resolved! After trying everything suggested here, what finally worked was: 1. I had my son contact the financial aid office at the new college directly 2. They were able to manually request his FAFSA data using his SSN and DOB 3. They confirmed they could see his information even though we couldn't complete the formal "add school" process They said they're seeing this issue frequently with January 2024 FAFSA submissions and have a workaround on their end. So for anyone else facing this, go directly to the financial aid office! Thanks everyone for all your help with this frustrating situation!

This is such a relief to read! I'm a parent going through the exact same nightmare right now with my daughter's FAFSA from January 2024. We've been getting that same "form not available" error for weeks when trying to add a school for her fall transfer. I was starting to panic thinking we'd miss all the financial aid deadlines. Reading through all these responses gives me hope - I'm going to try calling the financial aid office directly tomorrow morning. It sounds like that's been the most successful approach for people. Thanks for sharing your experience and the update that it actually got resolved! Sometimes it feels like these FAFSA issues never have happy endings.

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child, I can tell you that two weeks is still pretty early in the timeline! The 2025-2026 cycle has been particularly slow due to all the FAFSA changes this year. Here's what I learned: some schools send "early estimators" or preliminary offers to students they're really trying to recruit, which might explain why some of your daughter's friends heard back quickly. But the majority of schools are still processing applications and won't send final offers until March or April. My advice would be to check each school's financial aid portal (not just the admissions portal) to see if they need any additional documents. Also, don't hesitate to call their financial aid offices directly - they can tell you where your application stands in their review process. Most importantly, try not to stress about the timeline differences between students. Every application is unique and processed at different speeds depending on the school's resources and your specific financial situation. You're doing great by staying on top of this process! The waiting is definitely the hardest part.

I'm in the exact same boat with my son who's also starting Fall 2025! We submitted his FAFSA about 3 weeks ago and I've been refreshing my email constantly waiting for something from his colleges. Reading through all these responses is actually making me feel so much better - I had no idea the timelines could vary this much between schools. The thing about separate financial aid portals is news to me too. I thought everything would just come through email or the main admissions portal. Definitely going to log into each school tonight and see if there are forms we missed or additional steps we need to take. It's frustrating that there isn't more transparency about these timelines from the schools themselves. Like, just tell us "expect to hear from us by X date" instead of leaving families wondering if something went wrong! But I guess that's just part of this whole college process - lots of waiting and uncertainty. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences. It really helps to know we're not behind or doing something wrong by not hearing back yet.