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UPDATE: We got it figured out! My son had to specifically invite me as a contributor from his account - we completely missed that step. Once he sent the invitation, I got an email with a link to complete my portion. Just submitted everything and got the confirmation. Thanks everyone for your help!
bro my mom had the EXACT same issue when we did our FAFSA last month!!! the new system is so stupid. we ended up having to make her a whole new FSA ID because the first one somehow got linked to my account wrong?? made no sense
schools should just move ALL the deadlines cuz of how bad fafsa is this year. so stupid to make kids commit without knowing if they can afford it. my daughter picked her safety school just cuz we KNOW we can afford it without aid, even tho she got into better schools. the whole thing is making me so mad!!
One more piece of advice - make sure you document ALL communication with both Federal Student Aid and the schools' financial aid offices. Get names of who you speak with, dates, and what was discussed. If there's a dispute later about deadlines or why you couldn't commit by May 1, having this documentation will be crucial. Many schools are creating exception processes for this unusual year.
just make sure she keeps her grades up at CC!!! my neighbors kid had bad grades when transfering and didn't qualify for some scholarship money at the university. the GPA follows u!!!!
One additional tip - make sure your daughter talks to academic advisors at BOTH the community college AND her target university during her first semester. Many universities have specific transfer agreements with community colleges that guarantee admission if certain requirements are met. They can also provide a transfer course equivalency guide to ensure the classes she takes at community college will count toward her business degree requirements. This early planning can save time and money by preventing her from taking classes that won't transfer or won't count toward her major. Some universities even have scholarships specifically for transfer students with good GPAs from partner community colleges.
One last bit of advice: make sure your son uses the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing his portion of the FAFSA. Even with a simple W-2 situation, this tool can help ensure the income information is transferred accurately. If he filed his own taxes for 2023 (even if his father claimed him as a dependent), the DRT will make the process much smoother.
Yes, if he didn't file taxes, you'll need to manually enter his W-2 information. Keep his W-2 handy when completing the FAFSA. You'll need to enter the exact amount from Box 1 (Wages, tips, other compensation). Since he didn't file taxes, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool won't be available for his portion. Just be sure to answer the question about filing taxes accurately by indicating he was not required to file a 2023 tax return.
Anastasia Kuznetsov
Am I the only one who thinks it's RIDICULOUS that they keep making the FAFSA more complicated every year?? Like why would they gray out a section without ANY explanation? The new FAFSA is supposed to be "simpler" but I swear they're just making it worse. My nephew had to submit his 3 different times because of glitches. The whole system needs to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch.
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Diego Fernández
•omg YES!! took me 6 tries to get my kids fafsa to go thru this year. kept saying my w-2 info didnt match their records when i KNOW i typed it in right!!
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Chloe Martin
•The grayed out section isn't actually a glitch though - it's intentionally designed that way for privacy reasons. But I do agree they should make it more obvious WHY it's grayed out instead of leaving parents confused.
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Chloe Martin
Just wanted to follow up - did your son manage to add his schools? Hope everything worked out!
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Omar Farouk
•Yes! He logged in last night and was able to add his schools no problem. The application is now complete and submitted! Thanks again for all the help everyone. Such a relief to have this finished.
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