Hey, did any of these solutions work for you? I'm helping another parent who's stuck with the same issue and would love to know what finally fixed it for you.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now with my son's FAFSA account! It's so frustrating that the website doesn't give any clear error messages. Reading through all these solutions is super helpful - I had no idea about the browser extension conflicts or the existing account possibility. Going to try the Chrome + hotspot + simple password combination first. Has anyone found that certain times of day work better than others? I'm wondering if server load during peak hours might be making the problem worse.

For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, a 48-year-old parent would have an Asset Protection Allowance of approximately $9,000-$10,000 if married, and less if single. It's significantly lower than it was years ago. This means the first $9-10K of your reported parent assets are not counted in the calculation. Above that threshold, parent assets are assessed at that maximum rate of 5.64% in the SAI formula. So even with the 529 included, the actual impact on your daughter's aid might be modest.

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!

just wanna add that my kids financial aid officer told us its usually not worth worrying about unless its over like $10k. small amounts dont change the SAI that much

I went through this exact situation with my daughter last year! Here's what I learned: scholarship money sitting in a bank account does count as a student asset on FAFSA, but there are ways to handle it. First, keep all documentation showing the money came from scholarships - this is crucial if you need to appeal later. Second, consider timing your FAFSA filing strategically. If your daughter can use some of that money for legitimate educational expenses before you file (like buying textbooks, paying housing deposits, or pre-paying utilities), it reduces the reportable asset amount. At 20% assessment rate for student assets, $3,000 would potentially reduce aid by about $600, so it's worth managing carefully. Also check if her school offers a scholarship fund management service - some universities will hold unused scholarship money in restricted accounts that don't count as personal assets on FAFSA.

As someone new to this community, I wanted to add something that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your aunt has been receiving any government assistance like SNAP, WIC, or housing assistance as a single parent, that documentation could actually help support her case for the dependency override. These programs typically require proof of single-parent status, so having years of these records could demonstrate that she's been functioning as an independent, single parent for an extended period. Also, if your cousin has been receiving free or reduced lunch at school based on household income calculations that only included your aunt's information, that's another piece of documentation that shows the father hasn't been contributing to the household. School counselors are often familiar with these situations and can be excellent resources for both documentation and advocacy letters. The key is building a comprehensive picture that shows this isn't just a recent separation or temporary situation, but a long-term absence where your aunt has been the sole provider and decision-maker for your cousin.

Welcome to the community! I'm new here too and this thread has been incredibly educational. I wanted to add one more resource that might help - many states have legal aid societies that offer free consultations for family law issues, including questions about marital status and abandonment. If there's any confusion about whether your aunt's marriage is legally valid, a brief consultation with a family law attorney could provide clarity without the cost of full legal representation. Also, I've heard that some colleges have student advocates or ombudsmen who can help navigate complex financial aid situations. If the regular financial aid office seems overwhelmed or unhelpful, these advocates might be able to provide additional support or escalate the case appropriately. The documentation suggestions from everyone here are fantastic - it really sounds like building a strong paper trail is key to success with these dependency overrides. Best of luck to your cousin, and thank you all for sharing such detailed advice that will help many families in similar situations!

That's awesome Marina! Thanks for posting the update - it's really helpful to hear success stories with the new FAFSA system. For other parents reading this, Marina's experience shows that creating your FSA ID first and then having your student add you as a contributor really does work smoothly. The key seems to be making sure you use the same email address for both your FSA ID and when your student enters your info as a contributor. Good luck with the financial aid process!

As someone who just went through this process with my twin daughters last month, I can confirm that creating your FSA ID independently is definitely the way to go! The key thing I learned is to make absolutely sure your student has your correct email address when they add you as a contributor. One of my daughters accidentally typed my email wrong the first time and I was sitting there wondering why I wasn't getting the invitation. Once she corrected it and re-sent, I got the email within minutes. Also, don't panic if the FAFSA website seems slow or glitchy during peak times - I found early morning or late evening worked much better for completing forms. You're being smart by starting early with that 3-week deadline!