ooh also i just remembered the worst part - make sure u dont count ur retirement savings in the assests - thats a HUGE mistake alot of ppl make. they only care about cash, regular investment accounts, and real estate thats NOT your primary home

One more important clarification: when listing current investments, remember this includes: - Real estate (except the home you live in) - Trust funds - UGMA/UTMA accounts - 529 college savings plans - Money market funds - Mutual funds - Certificates of deposit - Stocks and bonds But does NOT include: - Retirement plans (401k, pension funds, annuities, IRAs) - Life insurance - Your primary residence The SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation hits non-retirement investments much harder than cash savings, so accurate reporting is critical.

One thing no one mentioned yet - with PLUS loans, even though they're in your name, your daughter can take over payments after graduation if she wants to help out. They remain legally your responsibility, but many families have arrangements where the student makes the payments. Just make sure you're on the same page about expectations.

Based on all the information you've shared - stable income but modest emergency fund, 5-7 year repayment timeline, and good but not exceptional credit - I would recommend a hybrid approach: 1. Start with a smaller private loan (perhaps $5,000-8,000) at the best fixed rate you can secure with your husband as the primary applicant (using his 780 score). 2. Use PLUS loans for the remaining $10,000-13,000 to ensure you have federal protections for the majority of your debt. This gives you the best of both worlds - some interest savings from the private portion while maintaining federal safeguards for most of the obligation. It also lets you compare both systems firsthand before making decisions about future years of funding.

Just to clarify for everyone: The 2025-2026 FAFSA now includes the Student Aid Index (SAI) which replaced the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). When reporting parent income, retirement contributions and distributions have specific guidelines. Contributions to retirement accounts generally don't affect your SAI calculation, while qualified distributions used for education expenses are treated differently from other withdrawals. The specific rule the OP needs to focus on is that income from retirement accounts shouldn't be reported as additional income if it was already counted in the AGI on the tax return.

UPDATE: I was finally able to submit my correction today! The error message went away after 4 days. For anyone else dealing with this issue - just keep checking back every day. Now I'm just nervously waiting to see how much my SAI changes and if it will arrive in time for my school's aid packaging. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

oh & make sure u understand the diff between subsidized vs unsubsidized loans!! subsidized = govt pays interest while ur in school, unsubsidized = interest accrues the whole time (MUCH more expensive in the long run

As you're evaluating offers, also pay attention to the ENTIRE cost of attendance. Some schools in expensive cities have much higher living costs than schools in rural areas. A school offering slightly less aid might actually be more affordable if it's in a lower-cost area. Looking at just the tuition number doesn't tell the whole story. And if you have specific questions about your aid package at any school, don't hesitate to call their financial aid office directly. They can often explain details that aren't clear in the letters.

I've been helping families with FAFSA issues for years, and this new system has been particularly problematic. Here's what I recommend: 1. Completely log out of the studentaid.gov website 2. Clear your browser cache and cookies 3. Log back in with your FSA ID (parent) 4. Go to "I'm a Parent" section and verify your profile is complete 5. Then have your son log in with his FSA ID 6. Start a brand new FAFSA application (do not use the correction feature) 7. When you reach the "Parent Information" section, make sure your son properly transfers access to you The key is making sure both FSA IDs are properly linked in the system. The new FAFSA has a contributor model where the student must explicitly request parent contribution rather than just having parents fill out sections themselves. If this doesn't work, call Federal Student Aid directly - though be prepared for long wait times.

UPDATE: We finally got it working! It was a combination of issues. First, we needed to use Firefox instead of Chrome as someone suggested. Second, my son had accidentally clicked the "homeless or self-supporting" box which made the system think he was independent even though he answered dependent on other questions. Finally, I had to complete my FSA ID profile completely before starting his application. For anyone else facing this issue - check EVERY dependency status question carefully and try a different browser! Thank you all for your help - his SAI finally calculated correctly and we can see the entire aid package now. What a relief!