As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly comprehensive discussion! I'm preparing to file my first FAFSA for my son and was completely overwhelmed by the household size question until I found this thread. My situation: I have a 24-year-old daughter who recently moved back home after finishing her master's degree. She's working as a contract graphic designer making variable income (some months $2,000, others barely $800), and we agreed she doesn't need to pay rent while she builds her client base. However, we're covering her health insurance, car insurance, groceries, and utilities. The @Miguel Hernández "expense test" has been a revelation! If she moved out tomorrow, our grocery bills, insurance costs, and utility expenses would definitely decrease significantly. Even though she has some income, it's clear we're providing well over 50% of her support during this transitional period. This thread has taught me that FAFSA household size is about financial reality, not just who has an income or files taxes. Based on everyone's shared experiences, I'm confident we should include her in our household size since we're genuinely supporting her financially while she establishes her career. Thank you to everyone who shared their real-world situations - you've made this confusing process so much clearer for families navigating FAFSA for the first time!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for this detailed discussion! I'm about to file my first FAFSA for my daughter and was completely confused about household size until I found this thread. My situation: I have a 19-year-old son (the FAFSA applicant) and a 25-year-old daughter who moved back home 8 months ago after her divorce. She works full-time as a nurse making good money, pays us $600/month rent, and covers her own car payment and student loans. However, we're still paying for her health insurance (she's under 26), groceries for the family, and utilities. The @Miguel Hernández "expense test" is such a helpful way to think about this! If she moved out tomorrow, we'd lose her rent income but save on health insurance premiums and groceries. Her rent payments ($7,200/year) versus what we spend on her health insurance, food, and utilities - it's probably pretty close to that 50% threshold. Based on all the experiences shared here, I'm thinking she shouldn't be counted in our household size since she's financially independent with a full-time professional job, even though we provide some support. The consensus seems to be that when it's borderline, it's better to be conservative and not include adult children who are working full-time and paying significant rent. This thread has been more educational than any official FAFSA resource I've found. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - you've helped another confused parent navigate this process correctly!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation! As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through everyone's experiences and I'm amazed at how helpful and supportive you all are. I'm actually facing a very similar issue with my son's FAFSA - he submitted in early March and 3 out of 4 schools received it, but his top choice school (Georgia Tech) has no record of it whatsoever. Reading through all these success stories and practical solutions has been incredibly reassuring! Based on everyone's advice here, I'm planning to start with @Nalani Liu's suggestion about asking Georgia Tech to search by SSN instead of name, then try the Claimyr service if needed. The fact that so many people have had success with this combination approach gives me a lot of confidence. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space and sharing your real-world solutions. It's clear this new FAFSA system has serious issues, but knowing that 15% of students are experiencing this and that schools are being flexible about priority deadlines really helps reduce the panic. I'll definitely report back on what works for us!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and solutions in this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same issue - my daughter submitted her FAFSA in early March and 4 out of 5 schools received it, but her top choice (Emory University) shows no record of receiving it at all. Reading through all of your success stories has been such a relief! I had no idea this was affecting so many families and was starting to panic that we had somehow messed up the application. The fact that @Nalani Liu mentioned 15% of students are experiencing this really helps put things in perspective. Based on everyone's advice, I'm going to start with calling Emory tomorrow to ask them to search by SSN instead of name, then try the Claimyr service if that doesn't work. The consistent positive feedback about Claimyr from @Natasha Orlova, @Sebastian Scott, @AstroAdventurer and others is really convincing - especially the ability to actually connect with an FSA agent quickly instead of being on hold for hours. Most importantly, knowing that schools are being flexible about priority deadlines for these technical issues is such a huge relief. This community has provided more practical help and emotional support than countless frustrating calls to the FSA helpline. I'll definitely update everyone on what works for us - fingers crossed we can get this resolved quickly! 🙏

Hey Ava! As a newcomer who just went through the exact same FAFSA confusion, I totally feel your stress right now! Your SAI of 4,876 is actually really encouraging - it puts you in a solid position for federal aid including Pell Grants, which are completely FREE money that never has to be paid back. Here's what I learned that helped reduce my panic: Your SAI basically means the government calculated your family can contribute about $4,876 per year toward college costs. The lower the number, the more aid you're eligible for - and being under $5,000 is definitely good news! The tricky part (that nobody explains clearly) is that each school will handle your SAI differently. Some might meet most of your remaining need with grants and scholarships, while others might offer more loans or leave gaps. You really won't know your real costs until those official award letters arrive. As a fellow first-gen student, here's what saved my sanity: - Set up a comparison spreadsheet NOW with columns for: School Name, Total Cost, Free Money (grants/scholarships), Loans, and Net Cost - Check your state's grant programs IMMEDIATELY - many have March 1st deadlines coming up fast! - Don't stress about the numbers until you have concrete award letters to compare The waiting is definitely torture, but you're asking all the right questions early. Financial aid offices are usually super patient with first-gen families too, so don't hesitate to call them once you get your offers. You've totally got this! 🎓

Hey Ava! As someone who literally just figured this out myself last month, I completely understand your confusion! Your SAI of 4,876 is actually really good news - it puts you solidly in the range for significant federal aid. Here's what that number means in simple terms: the government calculated that your family can reasonably contribute about $4,876 per year toward college costs. Since you're under $5,000, you should definitely qualify for Pell Grant money, which is completely FREE and never has to be paid back! The frustrating part is that each school will use this number differently. Some might meet 90% of your remaining need with grants and scholarships, while others might only cover 60% and expect you to fill the gap with loans or out-of-pocket payments. My advice as a fellow first-gen student: - Don't panic until you see those official award letters (they come with or shortly after acceptances) - Start a comparison spreadsheet now with columns for: School Name, Total Cost, Free Money (grants/scholarships), Loans, and Net Cost After Aid - Check your state's grant programs IMMEDIATELY - many have March 1st deadlines coming up fast! - Remember that work-study is essentially a campus job, not money that directly reduces what you owe The waiting is definitely the hardest part, but your SAI puts you in a strong position. Financial aid offices are usually super patient with first-gen families too - don't hesitate to call them once you get your offers! You've got this! Being first-gen is tough, but you're asking all the right questions early. 🎓

Great question Dylan! I was in a similar boat last year with my FAFSA. Yes, you absolutely need to report both your parents' $12,000 in stocks and your $1,500 Robinhood account - they go in separate sections for parent and student investments respectively. One thing that really helped me was making a checklist of all investment accounts before I started filling out the form. Don't forget that crypto counts too (I saw you mentioned Bitcoin in another comment), and any cash dividends sitting in your accounts. I was also worried about the impact on my aid, but honestly with those amounts, especially for your parents' investments, the effect won't be as dramatic as you might think. The parent asset protection allowance shields a good chunk of their investments, and while student assets are assessed at a higher rate, $1,500 isn't going to tank your eligibility. My biggest piece of advice: screenshot everything on the day you file and keep it organized in a folder. If you get selected for verification later, you'll thank yourself for having all that documentation ready to go. The peace of mind from being thorough upfront is totally worth it!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact same situation! I had about $2,000 in various stocks through different apps (Robinhood, Fidelity, etc.) and was super confused about reporting them too. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple table with three columns: Account Name, Login Date, and Value. I logged into each account on the same day I was filling out my FAFSA and recorded the exact values. This made it easy to double-check my numbers and also gave me documentation if I needed it later. Also, don't forget about any automatic dividend reinvestment plans you might have set up - those fractional shares count too! I almost missed reporting about $30 worth of fractional shares that had been automatically purchased through dividend reinvestment. The whole process seemed really intimidating at first, but honestly once you gather all your account values and start filling out the form, it's pretty straightforward. You're being smart by asking these questions upfront rather than guessing. Good luck with your FAFSA!

As someone new to exploring grad school funding options, I wanted to jump in with a few additional resources that might help! I recently discovered that the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has a graduate student aid toolkit that breaks down all the different funding sources by program type. Also, since you mentioned working at a nonprofit, you might want to look into whether your current employer offers any tuition assistance or professional development funding - many nonprofits have small budgets for this but don't always advertise it widely. Another angle to consider: some public policy programs have partnerships with government agencies or think tanks that offer paid fellowships or internships during your studies. These can provide both funding and valuable networking opportunities in your field. Finally, don't overlook community foundations in your area - they sometimes offer scholarships specifically for local residents pursuing graduate degrees in fields that benefit the community, like public policy. The amounts might be smaller, but they can really help offset costs when combined with other funding sources!

As another newcomer to grad school planning, I've been following this thread and wanted to share something I just discovered that might help! I found out that some graduate programs offer "need-based tuition reductions" that are separate from federal aid - these aren't always called scholarships or grants, so they're easy to miss when searching. Also, since you're making $24,700 and considering public policy, you might want to look into graduate programs at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) or Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) - they often have additional funding specifically for students pursuing degrees in public service fields. Another thing I learned is that some states have loan repayment assistance programs for graduates who work in public service - so even if you do take out loans, there might be help on the back end if you continue in nonprofit work. Finally, don't forget about tax benefits while you're in school - the Lifetime Learning Credit can give you up to $2,000 back per year, and if you're working while studying, you might qualify for education-related tax deductions. It's not upfront funding, but it helps reduce your overall costs!