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hey completely off topic but does anyone know if I'm supposed to include my stepparent's income if they don't legally support me? my mom remarried last year but my stepdad doesn't contribute to my education at all and i live with my dad during summers
This depends on which parent you lived with more during the past 12 months. If you lived more with your mom who is now remarried, then yes, your stepparent's information must be included regardless of whether they contribute to your education. FAFSA requires the income and assets of your custodial parent and their current spouse (your stepparent). If you primarily live with your dad, then you'd report his information (and his spouse's if he's remarried).
Update: I've gone through the whole application again, and just like you all said, my information was all there! I just had to click through each section and verify. Just submitted again and got my confirmation email. Such a relief! Thank you everyone for your help - you saved me from a complete panic attack!
glad it worked out! the FAFSA is so stressful lol
Update: I followed the advice here and downloaded my SAR. It does show the SAI score, so I think we're good! I also called my daughter's top choice school and they confirmed they can see her FAFSA data in their system. So it looks like this is just a display error on the website. Thanks everyone for your help!
Great news! This is exactly what I'd expect based on the symptoms you described. The SAI calculation is the last step in processing, so if that's completed, you're all set. The colleges having access is the ultimate confirmation. Glad it worked out!
has anyone actually gotten the site to ever show the correct status after getting the SAI email? mine still shows wrong status a month later lol
does your son have any idea which parent makes more money? cuz my friend's parents fought over who would file the FAFSA because the mom made way less and they'd get more aid with her filing it lololol
This isn't relevant. FAFSA rules specify that the custodial parent (the one the student lived with most during the previous 12 months) is the one who should file, regardless of income differences. Trying to game the system by having the lower-income parent file when they're not the custodial parent can be considered fraud.
UPDATE: I submitted my own FAFSA and called the first school on our list. The financial aid officer said this happens frequently with divorced parents and not to worry. She made a note on my son's file that my application is the correct one since I have legal custody. She recommended I contact all other schools too, which I'm doing now. Thanks everyone for your help! Still waiting to hear if my ex will withdraw his application or if we need to handle that through FSA directly.
That's great news! Yes, definitely contact all the schools. For the future, be aware that you'll need to file the FAFSA each year your son is in college, so you might want to have a conversation with your ex about this to prevent the same problem next year.
I just spoke with an FSA rep today (finally!) about our correction delay. They told me they're prioritizing corrections for seniors with approaching financial aid deadlines. Make sure when you call that you specifically mention your daughter is a high school senior with a March 30 financial aid deadline. That should help get it expedited.
Just want to add that after my FAFSA was corrected, my daughter's school asked for income verification documents anyway! So frustrating. Make sure you have all your tax documents, W-2s, and 1099s easily accessible because they might request those even after your correction goes through.
Lucas Kowalski
One more thing - when you add SCSU, double-check that your dependency status and household information is still correct. If anything has changed since you initially submitted (like if your parents' marital status changed or someone new is in your household), you should update that during the correction period too. That COULD affect your SAI and ultimately your aid package.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•Thank you! Everything is still the same with my family situation, but I'll double-check all my information when I go in to make the correction. I really appreciate everyone's help with this!
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Olivia Martinez
Just curious - are you going to completely remove Trident from your FAFSA or keep it as a backup? When my brother was deciding between schools, his financial aid advisor recommended keeping all schools on the FAFSA until you're 100% committed (like, deposit paid and everything) just in case something falls through.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•That's actually really smart! I think I will keep Trident on there just as a backup. I'm pretty set on SCSU but you never know what might happen. Thank you for the suggestion!
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