I'd like to add some clarification that might help. While it's true the system isn't perfect, there are some provisions that recognize disability situations: 1. Medical expenses that exceed 11% of the Income Protection Allowance can be reported on the FAFSA as special circumstances. 2. For the 529 plan and the other investment account: These are considered parental assets if the parent is the account owner, which reduces your Expected Family Contribution far less than if they were student assets. 3. Many colleges have special circumstances appeals specifically for families with disabilities. Once you receive your aid offer, you can request a professional judgment review and provide documentation about the disability-related expenses. Don't get discouraged before going through the process. Your daughter should still apply for all possible scholarships and aid options.

I just wanted to add something that might help with your situation. Since your wife's disability affects her cognitive abilities, you may want to look into whether your daughter qualifies for any disability-related scholarships or grants. Some organizations specifically provide funding for students whose parents have disabilities, recognizing the unique financial challenges families face. Also, when you do fill out the FAFSA, make sure to keep detailed records of everything you report - especially the asset values and any disability payments. If you need to make corrections later or file appeals, having good documentation will be crucial. The financial aid office at your daughter's school should be understanding of your complex situation, especially given the disability factors involved. One more thing - don't let the complexity discourage you from applying for aid. Even if the calculations don't work out perfectly in your favor initially, there are often additional opportunities for aid through the school itself, state programs, and private scholarships that might not consider all the same factors as the federal FAFSA.

yay! glad it worked out for you!!

I had this exact same issue last month! The cursor jumping between fields drove me absolutely crazy. What finally worked for me was using Safari on my Mac instead of any Windows browser - something about how Safari handles the form validation made it much more stable. Also, I found that typing very slowly (like waiting a full second between each character) helped prevent the automatic field jumping. It's ridiculous that we have to work around these bugs, but at least there are solutions. Hope this helps if the Firefox/incognito combo doesn't work for everyone!

For the immediate tuition gap problem, also ask the financial aid office about institutional grants or emergency assistance funds. Many schools have special funds specifically for situations like yours where there's a clear financial need that wasn't properly reflected in the federal calculation. Bring documentation of your public housing and SNAP benefits to that conversation too. Some schools can turn these requests around very quickly when deposit deadlines are approaching.

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this - the FAFSA system can be incredibly frustrating when you're clearly in need but the numbers don't reflect your reality. One thing that helped me when I had a similar issue was keeping a detailed log of all my calls and interactions. Write down dates, times, reference numbers, and who you spoke with. This documentation becomes really valuable if you need to escalate or if different representatives give you conflicting information. Also, when you do get through to someone, ask them to walk you through exactly how your SAI was calculated step by step. Sometimes they can spot the error right there on the call. Don't give up - with your housing and SNAP situation, there's definitely something wrong with that calculation.

To add some clarification: the FSA ID system was designed to be permanent. You create the ID once and use it throughout your educational journey. This applies to both students and parents. The annual part is the FAFSA application itself. For the 2025-2026 cycle, what's different is how parent information gets added to the student's FAFSA. Parents will log in with their FSA ID and complete their section separately as a "contributor" to the student's application. Make sure both you and your daughter can access your accounts now, well before the October 1st application open date. And remember that for 2025-2026, you'll be using 2023 tax information.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in financial aid - you're getting great advice here! Definitely keep your existing FSA IDs. One thing I'd add is to make sure you test logging into both accounts well before you need to submit the FAFSA. I see so many families wait until the last minute and then panic when they can't remember passwords or their email addresses have changed. Also, bookmark the official studentaid.gov site now - there are a lot of scam sites that look similar. The real FAFSA is always free to complete!

Financial aid director here - I want to provide some clarity on what's happening: 1. The issue stems from incorrect data transmission between FSA and institutions, primarily affecting contribution calculations for certain family situations 2. Not every student is affected - early estimates suggest 5-20% of applicants may see adjustments 3. For most affected students, the changes will be minor 4. Federal aid (like Pell Grants) will be corrected automatically once the data is fixed 5. Institutional aid policies vary by school If you've already received a financial aid package, contact your specific institution rather than FSA for the most accurate information about your situation.

As someone who went through the college financial aid process last year (before all these FAFSA issues), I just want to say hang in there everyone! I know it's incredibly stressful when you're dealing with unknowns around college funding. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like the professionals are saying most students won't see major changes, and schools are working hard to prioritize incoming freshmen. One thing that helped me last year was keeping a spreadsheet with all the financial aid office contact info, deadlines, and notes from any conversations. It made it easier to stay organized when I needed to follow up. Also, don't be afraid to ask schools about their appeal process if you do end up with a significantly different package - many have procedures in place for situations like this where the change wasn't due to your family's circumstances. You've got this! The finish line is in sight even if it feels chaotic right now.