Update: I finally got this resolved! After trying everything suggested here, what finally worked was: 1. I had my son contact the financial aid office at the new college directly 2. They were able to manually request his FAFSA data using his SSN and DOB 3. They confirmed they could see his information even though we couldn't complete the formal "add school" process They said they're seeing this issue frequently with January 2024 FAFSA submissions and have a workaround on their end. So for anyone else facing this, go directly to the financial aid office! Thanks everyone for all your help with this frustrating situation!

This is such a relief to read! I'm a parent going through the exact same nightmare right now with my daughter's FAFSA from January 2024. We've been getting that same "form not available" error for weeks when trying to add a school for her fall transfer. I was starting to panic thinking we'd miss all the financial aid deadlines. Reading through all these responses gives me hope - I'm going to try calling the financial aid office directly tomorrow morning. It sounds like that's been the most successful approach for people. Thanks for sharing your experience and the update that it actually got resolved! Sometimes it feels like these FAFSA issues never have happy endings.

As someone who works as a financial aid counselor at a community college, I wanted to jump in and confirm what many of you have shared - you're all giving excellent advice! The key principle for joint accounts on the FAFSA is indeed contribution and intended use, not legal ownership structure. Since your son earned all $11,600 through his employment, reporting it as 100% student assets is absolutely the correct approach. I see this situation constantly with students whose parents are co-signers on accounts from when they were minors. The documentation everyone mentioned (pay stubs showing direct deposits) is exactly what we look for during verification if selected. One additional tip from our office: when your son does eventually open his own accounts (which I'd recommend for future FAFSA cycles), make sure he understands that student assets above the asset protection allowance are assessed at 20% in the SAI formula, so having some basic financial literacy about managing those funds strategically can be helpful. Great job everyone for helping each other navigate this confusing process!

I'm jumping in as someone who went through this exact situation with my twin daughters last year! Both had joint accounts with me from when they were younger, with a combined total of about $15,000 they'd saved from various part-time jobs. I was initially paralyzed by all the conflicting advice I found online, but after speaking with multiple financial aid offices and doing extensive research, I can confirm what everyone here is saying - report based on WHO CONTRIBUTED the funds, not the legal ownership structure. Since my daughters earned every dollar themselves, I reported 100% as student assets on their FAFSAs. We kept meticulous records of all their pay stubs and bank statements showing direct deposits from their employers. One daughter got selected for verification and having that documentation made the process straightforward - no issues at all. The financial aid officer even commended us for having such clear records! My advice: trust the contribution-based approach, keep excellent documentation, and don't overthink it. The system is designed to assess assets based on who actually earned and intends to use the money, which makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Hey there! I totally understand the anxiety you're feeling - I went through the exact same panic when my FAFSA processed last month. Here's something that really helped me get organized when reviewing my processed application: I created a simple spreadsheet with columns for "FAFSA Field," "What I Submitted," and "Actual Amount" so I could systematically compare each important data point against our real documents. When you access the "View Processed FAFSA" option (which others have already explained how to find), I'd recommend paying extra attention to these specific areas that tend to have the most impact on your SAI: - Parent AGI from tax return (line 11 of Form 1040) - Untaxed income amounts - Assets in parent/student savings and checking accounts - Household size and number of family members in college Also, here's something I wish someone had told me earlier: even if your SAI seems higher than expected, don't lose hope! I thought I was completely out of luck for need-based aid with my number, but several of my schools still offered decent grant packages because they factor in their own cost of attendance and institutional aid policies. One more tip: once you've reviewed everything and confirmed it's accurate, screenshot or save a PDF copy for your records. It'll come in handy if schools ask questions later or if you need to reference specific numbers. You've got this - the hardest part really is behind you now!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - you're definitely not alone in feeling anxious about this! I went through the same stress last year. One thing that helped me beyond just reviewing the processed FAFSA was keeping a simple log of when I checked for updates. I set reminders to log into studentaid.gov once a week to check for any new messages or requests for additional documentation. Also, something I learned the hard way: make sure your contact information (especially email and phone) is current in your studentaid.gov profile. I almost missed an important verification request because it went to an old email address I forgot I had linked to my account. The waiting period between "processed" and getting actual aid letters from schools is probably the most nerve-wracking part of this whole process, but remember that schools typically don't start sending out aid packages until February/March anyway, so there's still plenty of time for everything to work out. Hang in there - you've completed the most important step!

As a fellow military spouse going through the FAFSA process, I completely understand your stress! I just went through this exact situation last year with my daughter's application. A few key points that helped me navigate our veteran benefits situation: 1. Your husband's tax-free military retirement pay and SSDI both need to be reported in the "Untaxed Income" section - use the total annual amounts from your benefit statements 2. For assets, report your current bank balances as of the day you complete the FAFSA 3. You're correct that SSDI and SSI are different programs - don't report SSDI under SSI 4. Medicare and Medicaid are also different - don't report Medicare under Medicaid 5. Both parents must provide information even if one has no income One thing that really saved me stress was calling my daughter's school directly to speak with their veterans' affairs coordinator before submitting. They walked me through exactly how they wanted our benefits reported and gave me a checklist of documents to prepare for potential verification. The verification process (if selected) really isn't as scary as it sounds - we just had to provide our benefit award letters and bank statements, and it was resolved in about 2 weeks. You're being incredibly thoughtful about getting this right for your daughter, and that care will definitely pay off! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions - military families need to support each other through these complex processes.

I'm new to this community and facing a very similar situation with my husband's VA benefits and SSDI. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring! As someone just starting this process, I wanted to thank everyone for sharing such detailed experiences. The checklist that Zane created is exactly what I needed, and the tip about contacting schools' veterans' affairs coordinators beforehand is brilliant. One question I haven't seen addressed: Has anyone dealt with reporting irregular benefit payments? My husband's VA rating was increased mid-year in 2023, so he received some back-pay that made our total benefits for that year higher than our "normal" annual amount. Should I report the actual total received in 2023 (including the back-pay) or try to calculate what our regular annual amount would be? Also, for those who went through verification - did you need to provide any documentation explaining the lump-sum payments, or were the standard benefit statements sufficient? Thank you all for creating such a supportive space for military families navigating this confusing process. It's such a relief to know we're not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the FAFSA complexities!

@profile3 - A $15k increase in 401k contributions to get below the auto-zero threshold could potentially be very beneficial. Quick math: If your daughter earns $15k and the protection allowance is $9.4k, then $5.6k would be assessed at 50%, meaning about $2.8k added to your SAI. Over four years of college, that's potentially $11.2k in additional aid eligibility just from that component. Combine that with the tax advantages of the additional 401k contributions and the fact that assets aren't counted under auto-zero, and it could definitely be worth considering - especially if you're planning for retirement anyway. Just make sure you keep enough cash flow for current expenses!

Just wanted to add one more consideration for your planning - make sure you're also thinking about state financial aid programs if your state offers them. Some states have their own income thresholds and formulas that might be different from the federal FAFSA calculations. In my state, they actually use a slightly different methodology for determining aid eligibility, so even if you optimize for the federal auto-zero SAI threshold, it might not have the same impact on state grants. Worth checking with your state's higher education agency or your daughter's target schools to see if they have additional aid programs with different income requirements. Good luck with your planning - sounds like you're being really strategic about this!