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

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!

Did anyone else notice they made the FSA IDs WAY more complicated this year?? My son's high school counselor said they completely redesigned the system and tons of parents are having problems. Apparently the new FAFSA is supposed to be 'simpler' but everything about it seems harder lol

Just to give you some peace of mind: I've been helping families with FAFSA for years, and I can tell you the actual FSA ID system is working correctly even when the communication systems aren't. As long as you and your wife can: 1. Log in to studentaid.gov 2. See your profile information 3. Access your settings Then your FSA IDs are ready for FAFSA completion. The confirmation emails are experiencing delays due to system overload, but this won't affect your ability to complete the FAFSA for your daughter. One last tip: make sure to write down your FSA ID usernames and passwords somewhere secure. You'll need them again next year and for all four years of your daughter's college education.

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.

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.

Just a quick update based on what I'm seeing at my institution - many schools are now implementing "FAFSA delay forgiveness policies" for fall 2025 because this has been such a widespread issue. If your son's school hasn't announced anything like this yet, it might be worth specifically asking if they have any accommodations for students impacted by the federal FAFSA delays. Some schools are setting aside seats in high-demand courses specifically for these students.

After reading through all the comments, I think your best approach is a two-pronged strategy: 1. Have your son email department chairs with documentation of the FAFSA timeline 2. Then have him show up in person to the classes he wants during the first week Almost every school has a drop/add period, and professors have significant discretion during this time. If he's physically present and demonstrates interest and commitment, many professors will add him even if officially "full.

Just to add some clarity about what's happening with the parent contribution situation: The 2025-2026 FAFSA uses the new Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). With this change, they've simplified the parent contribution process. If you're married and file taxes jointly, the system only needs one parent to complete the contributor section since they can access all the necessary financial data through that parent's consent for IRS data transfer. This is actually working as designed, even though it's confusing if you're used to the old system where both parents needed to provide information separately. So if your application shows complete after just your contribution, you're good to go!

Update: We submitted the FAFSA last night! My son's dashboard showed 100% complete even with just my contribution (we file jointly). Thank you everyone for your help and explaining how the new system works. Such a relief to have this done before his priority deadline. Now we just have to wait for his SAI score to appear.