One important thing to know: even with the simplified FAFSA, your school might still ask for additional financial information through the CSS Profile or their own institutional forms. That's completely separate from FAFSA and is used by many private colleges to determine their own aid. So if you're applying to private schools, you might still need to answer those detailed asset questions elsewhere.

You definitely did it right! I had the same experience - finished my FAFSA super quickly this year compared to what my friends went through in previous years. The new simplified version is such a game changer for students with straightforward financial situations. I was panicking too thinking I must have skipped something important, but my financial aid office confirmed everything looked complete when I called them. It's honestly refreshing that they finally made the process less painful for most students!

One other thing to consider: if your son is set on attending a school that will require significant loans beyond the federal student limit, have a serious conversation about whether that's the right financial choice. Sometimes a less expensive school with more merit aid can provide an equivalent education without the crushing debt. Speaking from experience - my oldest graduated with $78k in loans and regrets not considering more affordable options.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can confirm that federal unsubsidized loans are available regardless of income! We make about $200k and she still got the full amount. One tip I wish I'd known earlier: even if you think you make "too much" for aid, still submit the FAFSA by the priority deadline. Some schools use it for merit scholarships too, and you might be surprised - we actually qualified for a small need-based grant at one private school despite our income. Also, don't overlook work-study opportunities which can help reduce the loan burden. The key is to explore ALL options before committing to any particular loan type!

Just wanted to update everyone - I got it figured out! I followed the advice about adding both parents' AGIs and finding the business income section. I also called FSA using that Claimyr service someone mentioned and actually got through to a person who confirmed I was doing it right. My SAI score came out higher than I expected, but at least I know the information is correct. Thanks to everyone who helped!

Great to see you got it sorted out! For anyone else dealing with married-filing-separately situations, I'd also recommend keeping copies of both parents' tax returns handy when filling out the FAFSA. I made the mistake of only having one parent's return available and had to start over twice. Also, if your parents have any business partnerships or rental properties, those can get tricky too - the FAFSA treats different types of business income differently, so don't hesitate to use the help resources or call FSA if you're unsure. The verification process is much smoother when everything is accurate from the start!

I'm just starting to deal with this situation myself - my twins are high school seniors and we're looking at their financial aid offers now. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both terrifying and incredibly helpful. Our SAI came back at $31,200 which would have been around $17,000 per child under the old system based on the calculation @StarStrider provided earlier. I wanted to share a few things I've learned from talking to admissions counselors during this process: 1. Some schools are proactively reaching out to families they identify as having multiple students - but don't wait for them to contact you 2. Private schools with larger endowments seem more willing to make adjustments than smaller regional publics 3. Merit aid at some schools is being increased to help offset this federal formula change For families still in the application process, I'd recommend specifically asking about sibling policies during school visits. Some admissions officers told us they're tracking which families might be affected so they can provide guidance early. This whole thread has given me so much hope that there are solutions out there - thank you all for sharing your knowledge and supporting each other through this mess. I'm bookmarking all these suggestions for when we start our appeals process!

This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions! As a newcomer to this community dealing with the same FAFSA nightmare, I wanted to add a few resources I've discovered that might help others: I found that the College Board has a "FAFSA Simplification Impact" webpage that explains the changes in detail, which has been useful when explaining the situation to financial aid offices. Also, some state higher education agencies are maintaining lists of schools that have implemented sibling adjustment policies - worth checking if your state has this resource. One thing I learned from calling around is to ask specifically if the school has a "multiple enrollment appeal form" or if they want you to submit a general professional judgment request. Some schools have streamlined processes specifically for this issue, while others want it handled through their standard appeals process. Also, for anyone still struggling to get through to FSA, I've had better luck using their online chat feature during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening). The wait times are still long but at least you're not stuck holding a phone. Has anyone had success with getting their state representatives involved? I'm wondering if there's momentum building for any kind of legislative fix to address this issue more systematically. Staying hopeful that we can all find solutions for our families! 💪

One more tip - once you get your application back and fix the tax consent issue, make sure you check your SAI calculation carefully. My boyfriend had a similar issue and when they finally processed his application, they somehow didn't include his parents' tax info correctly even though the consent was fixed. This made his SAI way higher than it should have been. You'll want to compare the income figures on your SAI report against what you know was on your taxes.

I'm so glad to see this thread because I thought I was going crazy! This exact same thing happened to me last week. My application vanished after I got the tax consent notification, and like everyone else, the system insisted I already had one submitted but wouldn't show it anywhere. I ended up having to escalate through my school's financial aid office - they have a direct line to FSA for these kinds of technical issues. It took 3 business days but they were able to locate my application and get it restored to my dashboard. If you're still stuck after trying the other suggestions here, definitely reach out to your school's aid office. They deal with these FAFSA glitches all the time and have resources we don't have as individual students.