Thank you everyone for your helpful responses! My son created his FSA ID last night and was able to see and access the application I started. He's working on completing his section now. We double-checked all his personal information in my section first to make sure everything matched his legal documents exactly. I really appreciate all the guidance - this process is so confusing the first time through!

Congratulations on getting through the process successfully! Just wanted to add one more tip for other parents reading this thread - save a PDF copy of your completed FAFSA once both sections are done and submitted. You can do this from either the parent or student login. Having that backup has been a lifesaver when schools ask for verification documents or if you need to reference information later. Also, bookmark your FSA ID accounts because you'll need them again next year for renewal! The whole process gets much easier the second time around.

You're absolutely right to be cautious about this! I just went through the FAFSA process with my son last year and had the same confusion. The key thing to remember is that retirement accounts (401k, 403b, traditional IRA, Roth IRA) are completely excluded from FAFSA asset reporting. This is actually written right into the federal guidelines because they don't want to discourage people from saving for retirement. Your husband's $78k in his 401k should NOT be reported anywhere on the form. The only time retirement accounts might matter is if you took early distributions - then those would count as income. But the account balance itself? Nope, leave it off completely. You're doing great by asking these questions upfront!

As someone new to the FAFSA process, I'm so glad I found this thread! I was having the exact same worry about my spouse's 401k. It's such a relief to learn that retirement accounts are completely excluded - I was genuinely concerned that being responsible savers would hurt our daughter's chances for financial aid. The clarification about CSS Profile being different is also super helpful since we're looking at some private schools too. I'll definitely need to research each school's specific policies. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it makes this whole process feel less overwhelming when you know others have navigated it successfully!

UPDATE: I just tried using the correction process I described earlier today, and it seems like there's some maintenance happening on studentaid.gov. If you get an error message, try again tomorrow. Sometimes they do overnight updates to the system and it causes temporary glitches.

That's great news that you were able to add ASU's school code! Just as a heads up for anyone else reading this thread - even though you missed ASU's priority deadline, don't give up hope. Many schools have rolling admissions for financial aid, and you might still qualify for federal aid (Pell Grant, student loans) and some institutional scholarships. Also, make sure to check if ASU has any emergency or late-application funds available. Some schools set aside money specifically for students who run into FAFSA processing issues. Good luck with your financial aid package!

One more important tip: When you submit your special circumstances documentation, include a clear month-by-month breakdown showing your projected income with and without the child support. Make it as simple as possible for the financial aid officers to understand the exact impact. Many schools have specific forms for this, but if they don't, create your own spreadsheet showing: - 2023 income including child support (FAFSA baseline) - 2025 projected income after child support ends - The percentage decrease in total income This makes it much easier for them to adjust your SAI appropriately and can speed up the review process considerably.

I'm in almost the exact same situation! My child support ends in June when my daughter turns 18, but I had to report the full 2023 amount on our FAFSA. Reading through all these comments has been so helpful - I had no idea about the special circumstances appeals process. It's frustrating that this isn't explained anywhere obvious when you're filling out the FAFSA. I'm definitely going to contact her schools right after we submit to ask about their specific forms for income adjustments. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is a lifesaver for navigating this confusing process!

I'm a financial aid counselor and see this mistake constantly! You're absolutely right to be concerned, but this is definitely fixable. Here's what I recommend: 1. Call FSA at 1-800-433-3243 early morning (they open at 8am EST) - shortest wait times 2. Have your FSA ID, daughter's FSA ID, and FAFSA confirmation number ready 3. Specifically say "I need to correct investment reporting - I mistakenly included retirement accounts" Meanwhile, contact each school's financial aid office immediately. Email them explaining the error and attach: - Screenshot of your retirement account statements showing account types - Written explanation of the mistake - Request for professional judgment consideration Most schools will put a hold on aid processing while this gets resolved. The key is acting fast - don't wait for FSA to fix it before contacting schools, do both simultaneously. This won't affect your daughter's eligibility once corrected, but time is critical for meeting aid deadlines. You've got this!

I'm going through something similar right now! Made the same retirement account mistake on my son's FAFSA and have been trying to get through to FSA for days. Reading through all these responses is so helpful - I had no idea I could contact the schools directly with documentation while waiting for the FSA correction. One thing I learned from calling my state's financial aid office is that they recommended keeping a detailed log of every attempt to reach FSA (date, time, how long you waited) because it shows good faith effort to correct the error if there are any deadline issues later. Also @AstroAlpha thank you for that detailed breakdown - I'm copying your email template approach for contacting the schools. It's so stressful when you realize you've made a mistake that could cost thousands in aid!