Why not just claim all 4 on your taxes next year? That's what my sister did lol

One additional point about the new FAFSA system: Make sure you list any child support you receive (if applicable) in the "Untaxed Income" section. This helps establish your financial responsibility for the children not claimed on your taxes. Also, if your divorce decree specifies who pays for college, have that document ready as some schools will want to see it during their professional judgment review process.

one more thing nobody mentioned - if ur working for government or non-profit u might qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness on Parent Plus Loans but only after consolidation and only on ICR. Its complicated but worth it if u qualify,

Based on the information you've shared, here's what I recommend: 1. First, consolidate your Parent Plus Loans through studentaid.gov into a Direct Consolidation Loan 2. Immediately apply for Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) 3. Consider whether filing taxes separately from your spouse would benefit you (run the numbers both ways) 4. Set up autopay for the 0.25% interest rate reduction 5. Mark your calendar to recertify your income annually With part-time income of $28k, your ICR payment could be significantly lower than the standard payment, possibly in the $200-300/month range if you file taxes separately. If you file jointly, it would be higher based on combined income. Remember that you'll need to recertify your income every year, and if your income increases, so will your payments. The loans would be eligible for forgiveness after 25 years of payments, though the forgiven amount would be taxable income. Do you know which loan servicer you have? That can sometimes affect the quality of service and information you receive.

Good news for you - I just checked and Mass Maritime does NOT require the CSS Profile, so that's not holding things up. Their website says financial aid packages should be released 2-3 weeks after FAFSA processing, so you're right at that window. If you can get through to the office, ask specifically if they need any verification documents. That's the most common holdup in aid packages - when they need additional tax documents or income verification.

UPDATE: I just checked Mass Maritime's financial aid website and they specifically state that all financial aid offers for Fall 2025 are being delayed by approximately 7-10 days due to FAFSA changes and processing issues. They're sending them out in batches based on application date. This is happening at many schools this year with the "new FAFSA" rollout causing nationwide delays. They should have communicated this better!

One important thing to remember: subsidized loans don't accrue interest while your son is in school and during deferment periods. Unsubsidized loans start accruing interest immediately. If you end up with a mix of both in the financial aid package, always accept the subsidized portion first before taking unsubsidized loans. \n\nThe current interest rate for undergraduate subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans is 5.5%, which will add up significantly over four years if taking unsubsidized options.

That's a really good point about prioritizing subsidized loans first. I'll make sure we do that when the package finally comes through. The interest difference really adds up over time!

We had to do this too with our FAFSA correction. Both my wife and I needed to authenticate separately, which was NOT the case in previous years. Just a heads up - after both of you authenticate and submit the correction, you'll probably get an email saying your "correction is being processed" and it can take 3-5 business days before your updated SAI is calculated. The whole system is frustratingly slow this year.

UPDATE: We finally got it fixed! Here's what worked for anyone dealing with the same issue: 1. I had to create my own FSA ID (took about 15 minutes) 2. We had to wait 48 hours for my FSA ID to fully verify with Social Security 3. We tried again, both authenticating separately 4. We removed the retirement account from assets 5. It took 4 business days but we just got notification that our SAI dropped by $12,000!!! THANKS everyone for your help. That $12k difference could mean thousands more in financial aid for our son's freshman year. So glad we fixed it!