man I never even thought about this when filling out FAFSA lol. just put down whoever is living at home and helping pay bills. financial aid office never questioned me about it 🤷‍♂️

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I'm currently a grad student whose parents include me in their household size for my younger sibling's FAFSA. I have a research assistantship that covers tuition and gives me a small stipend, but my parents still help with rent, car insurance, phone bill, and emergency expenses. We calculated it out and their contribution is still more than 50% of my total support when you include everything. The key is being thorough - don't just look at tuition coverage, but all living expenses too. My parents keep receipts for Venmo transfers, insurance payments, etc. just in case we get selected for verification. One tip: if your grad student doesn't know their funding situation yet, you might want to estimate conservatively and be prepared to update if needed. Some schools allow FAFSA corrections if circumstances change significantly.

Hey! I'm also a first-time college applicant dealing with the same FAFSA/TAG confusion. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful - I had no idea that TAG was automatic through FAFSA submission! I submitted my FAFSA about 2 weeks ago and got an SAI of -2100, so I'm in a similar boat. I've been checking my HESAA account obsessively but it sounds like I need to be more patient and focus on monitoring my email instead. Quick question for anyone who's been through this - when you get that initial email from HESAA about TAG eligibility, does it give you a specific dollar amount, or is it just a general "you qualify" notification? I'm trying to figure out how much I can expect to help with my college planning. Thanks for starting this thread - it's nice to know I'm not the only one feeling overwhelmed by all these different aid programs!

Hey Amina! I just went through this exact same process last year and wanted to share what worked for me. With your SAI of -1500, you're definitely in great shape for aid! One thing I learned the hard way - HESAA uses a different email system than most places. Make sure you whitelist their domain (@hesaa.org) in your email settings so their messages don't get filtered out. I almost missed my verification request because my email provider was treating their automated messages as spam. Also, when you do get that initial TAG notification email (usually around 3-4 weeks after FAFSA submission), it will include a link to complete your HESAA profile if you haven't already. Sometimes there are additional questions about your high school graduation year, residency status, etc. that need to be completed before they can finalize your award. Since you're starting Fall 2025, you have plenty of time, but I'd recommend setting up a simple spreadsheet to track all your aid applications and their deadlines. Between federal aid, state aid, and individual school scholarships, it gets overwhelming fast! You're doing great by getting your FAFSA done early - that negative SAI is going to open up a lot of opportunities for you. Good luck!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! To summarize what I learned: 1. IRA distributions DO count as income for both FAFSA and TAP purposes 2. Both 2024-25 FAFSA and TAP use 2022 tax information 3. Since my dad wasn't receiving distributions in 2022, I don't need to report them on this year's applications 4. I'll need to report them next year (2025-26 applications) since he started receiving them in 2023 This community is amazing - I was really stressing about this!

Just wanted to add something that might help others - if your parent is doing Roth IRA distributions, the treatment can be different! With traditional IRAs, the entire distribution is usually taxable income that gets reported. But with Roth IRAs, if your parent is over 59½ and the account has been open for 5+ years, the distributions might be tax-free. However, even tax-free Roth distributions still need to be reported as untaxed income on FAFSA in some cases. It's worth double-checking with your school's financial aid office if you're dealing with Roth distributions specifically, since the rules can be tricky.

omg my daughters friend had this same issue and it turned out her fafsa had a mistake where her dad put his retirement account as a regular savings account which made them look like they had way more money than they actually did... might be worth double checking all your numbers?

That's such great news that the school is still processing grants! This is actually pretty common - many schools do process federal loans first since they're easier to calculate, then work through the Pell Grant determinations afterward. The timing can vary a lot between institutions. And definitely pursue that special circumstances appeal for your husband's job loss - those appeals can make a real difference in your daughter's aid eligibility. Keep us posted on how it turns out!

One other important point: if your daughter is a first-year student, the $5,500 Federal Direct loan limit breaks down as $3,500 subsidized (no interest while in school) and $2,000 unsubsidized (interest accrues immediately). Make sure you understand which type she's being offered because it makes a big difference in the long run.

Hi Samuel! I just went through this exact same situation with my son last year. The confusion around SAI is so common - I think they really need to explain it better! A few additional tips that helped us: 1. Ask the financial aid office about payment plans - many schools let you spread that SAI amount over monthly payments instead of paying it all upfront 2. Check if your daughter qualifies for any state grants - these aren't always automatically included in the initial FAFSA results 3. See if the school has emergency aid funds for single parents - many do but don't advertise them widely Also, don't feel bad about not understanding this system initially. It's incredibly complex and honestly designed in a way that's not user-friendly at all. You're doing great by asking questions and advocating for your daughter!