Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation last year. I had around $45K in Fidelity mutual funds that I considered "retirement savings" but weren't in an official IRA or 401k. Like others have said, I had to report them on the FAFSA since they didn't have the official tax-advantaged status. One thing that helped me was using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when filling out the FAFSA - it automatically pulls your tax info and helps ensure consistency. Also, if you do decide to move money into an IRA, make sure you understand the contribution limits ($7,000 for 2024 if you're under 50, $8,000 if over 50) and that it needs to be done before you submit the FAFSA. The good news is that parent assets really are only assessed at about 5.64% after the protection allowance, so the impact isn't as devastating as it first seems. My daughter still got decent aid despite having to report those assets. Hang in there!

As a parent who just went through this process, I can confirm what others have said - those mutual funds absolutely need to be reported even if you mentally earmark them for retirement. I made the mistake of initially not reporting mine because they were in a separate "retirement" folder in my brokerage account, but my financial advisor quickly corrected me. One tip that might help: before you panic about the impact, use one of the online EFC calculators to estimate how much this will actually affect your SAI. When I plugged in our numbers, the actual impact was much less scary than I initially thought. The asset protection allowance and the 5.64% assessment rate mean it's not a dollar-for-dollar hit to your aid eligibility. Also, if you're considering moving money to an IRA, remember you can contribute for both 2024 and 2025 tax years if you do it before the April deadline. That could help reduce what you need to report if you act quickly. Good luck with your daughter's applications!

This is such a common frustration! I went through the exact same thing with my daughter's FAFSA last year. The disconnect between what the FAFSA portal shows and what schools actually need is incredibly confusing. What worked for me was calling the financial aid office directly and asking them to walk me through their specific verification requirements over the phone. Don't just rely on their portal or emails - sometimes the requirements aren't updated in real-time. When I called, they were able to tell me exactly which forms they needed and email me direct links to download them. Also, keep copies of everything you submit! Schools sometimes "lose" documents during busy processing periods, and having your own records makes resubmission much easier. The whole system really needs to be more user-friendly, but at least once you know what they want, it's usually pretty straightforward to submit.

This exact situation happened to me with my daughter's application too! The FAFSA site showing "complete" while the school keeps emailing about missing info is SO confusing. What I learned is that "verification" is basically a separate process that happens AFTER your FAFSA is submitted - the Department of Education randomly selects about 30% of applications for additional document verification, and each school handles it differently. The frustrating part is they use misleading language like "missing FAFSA info" when they really mean "we need extra paperwork for verification." Definitely check her UCR student portal for a verification checklist or to-do list - that's where you'll find exactly what they want. Don't stress too much, you're not behind on anything critical, just need to submit whatever verification docs they're requesting!

For those still confused about how activities relate to college funding: 1. Federal aid (determined by FAFSA/SAI) - Based ONLY on financial information 2. Institutional aid - Can be need-based, merit-based, or both 3. Private scholarships - Often consider academics AND activities This is why tracking extracurriculars matters for financial aid broadly speaking, even though it doesn't impact your FAFSA results specifically. Students with significant activities may qualify for merit scholarships that reduce their overall cost, sometimes dramatically. As for resources, the Federal Student Aid website (studentaid.gov) has guides for middle and high school students. The FAFSA in 7 project also provides materials specifically designed for middle schoolers.

This thread is so helpful! As someone just starting to navigate this with my 8th grader, I'm realizing we need to get organized NOW. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like I should: 1. Start a spreadsheet tracking ALL her activities, volunteer hours, and leadership roles 2. Understand that FAFSA = federal aid based on finances only 3. Research merit scholarships early since those DO care about extracurriculars 4. Look into whether her target schools use CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA Is there a good resource for finding out which schools require CSS Profile? And should we be thinking about specific types of volunteer work that scholarship committees prefer, or is any documented service equally valuable? Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice schools should be providing but clearly aren't!

I'm a new member here but I've been lurking and reading through all these responses because I'm having the EXACT same spouse section issue! My husband completed his portion over two weeks ago, we got the confirmation email, but my dashboard still shows incomplete. I've been so stressed about this. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring (knowing it's not just us) and informative. I'm planning to try several of the suggestions mentioned here: 1. The profile update trick from @StardustSeeker to force a database sync 2. Having my husband re-submit his section even though it shows complete 3. Contacting my school's financial aid office about override options 4. Using the live chat instead of phone support It's honestly ridiculous that so many people are dealing with this same glitch. The new FAFSA system rollout has been a complete disaster. Thank you everyone for sharing your solutions - it gives me hope that we can get this resolved before our deadlines!

I'm dealing with this exact same spouse section nightmare and it's driving me crazy! My partner completed her contributor section almost a month ago (we have the confirmation email saved), but my account dashboard keeps showing her portion as incomplete. I've tried every browser, cleared cache dozens of times, even tried from different computers and my phone. The FSA phone support has been absolutely useless - I've called 12 times in the past two weeks and either get disconnected after waiting 2+ hours or talk to agents who just tell me to "wait 24-48 hours for the system to update." It's been a MONTH! Based on all the helpful suggestions in this thread, I'm going to try: 1. The profile update trick to force database sync 2. Having my partner re-submit even though it shows complete on her end 3. Using the live chat instead of phone support 4. Contacting my school's financial aid office about override options My priority deadline is in 8 days and I'm honestly panicking at this point. It's ridiculous that this is such a widespread issue with no clear solution from the Department of Education. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - at least I know I'm not going insane and this really is a system-wide problem!

Just wanted to add one more important point that might help Isabella and others - when you return unused subsidized loan funds within the 120-day window, make sure you understand exactly when that clock started ticking. The 120 days begins from the date the school actually disbursed the funds to your student account, NOT when you accepted the loan or when the semester started. You can usually find the exact disbursement date by logging into your school's student portal or by calling the bursar's office. This date is crucial because missing it by even one day means you lose the penalty-free return option. Also, if your daughter received the loan in multiple disbursements (which is common - often half in fall, half in spring), each disbursement has its own separate 120-day window. So definitely act quickly and get that process started ASAP!

As someone who works in financial aid, I want to emphasize that everyone giving advice about the 120-day return window is absolutely correct - this is critical timing! One thing I'd add is that when you contact your school's financial aid office, ask specifically for the "R2T4" (Return to Title IV) form or process. This is the official federal term for returning unused loan funds, and using this terminology will help the staff understand exactly what you need. Also, don't be surprised if they ask you to provide a written statement explaining why you're returning the funds (scholarship received, changed living situation, etc.). This is standard documentation they need for federal compliance. The good news is that returning unused subsidized loan funds within the window is a fairly routine process that most schools handle regularly, so once you get the right person on the phone, it should be straightforward!