FAFSA considers which account for tuition payment - my personal or my son's savings?

it doesnt matter which acct you pay from. FAFSA already looked at your assets when u applied. paying from either acct now wont change anything for THIS year

This is actually an important financial aid strategy question! For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, student assets are assessed at 20% while parent assets are assessed at a maximum of 5.64% (often less). So for future aid calculations, it's financially advantageous to pay from your son's account first to reduce his reportable assets, assuming these are legitimate education expenses. However, there are timing considerations. Asset reporting is based on the specific date you complete your FAFSA. So if you're filling out the FAFSA tomorrow, what matters is what's in each account at that moment, not what happens afterward when you pay the bill.

Wait I'm confused... are you talking about filing FAFSA tomorrow or just getting help with it? Because if you haven't even submitted your FAFSA yet and tuition is due Tuesday, you're not going to get aid processed in time for this semester's payment. Financial aid disbursement takes weeks after FAFSA processing.

For maximum financial aid strategy: 1. Pay from your son's savings account AFTER you complete the FAFSA (which will reduce his assets for next year's application) 2. For the current FAFSA, remember that student assets are weighted at 20% in the SAI calculation versus parent assets at only 5.64% maximum 3. If your son had substantial savings ($10,000+), it's actually affecting your current aid eligibility significantly more than if that same money were in your account 4. For future planning, consider moving money from student to parent accounts before FAFSA filing dates Keep detailed records of all education-related expenses. These transactions are legitimate when used for qualified educational expenses.

When I dealt with this same question, I spent hours trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid for clarification. After getting disconnected THREE times, I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual FAFSA agent in about 7 minutes! They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained that while account source doesn't matter for the current aid year, using student assets first is better long-term strategy. If you're dealing with verification issues tomorrow, definitely ask the help center about this too - they should be able to give you specific advice for your situation.

everyone saying to drain the kids account first is RIGHT!! My son had $12k saved up from his grandparents and summer jobs and it absolutely DESTROYED his financial aid. Student assets are assessed at 20%!! Put that same money in YOUR name and suddenly it's only assessed at like 5%. The system punishes kids who save!!

One thing to clarify about verification: if your appointment tomorrow is to resolve verification issues, be prepared with all requested documentation. Typically this includes tax returns, W-2s, and sometimes additional asset documentation. The verification process can delay aid disbursement, which is concerning with your Tuesday deadline. Regarding your original question: for the current term, the payment source doesn't impact aid. For next year's FAFSA, depleting your son's assets by using them for educational expenses is a legitimate strategy to potentially increase aid eligibility. Just make sure you keep detailed records showing the funds were used for qualified educational expenses.

@questioner: Yes, families can make legitimate financial decisions before filing FAFSA. The key factors are timing and purpose. Transfers made solely to maximize aid eligibility could potentially be questioned, but normal financial management decisions are perfectly acceptable. For example, if parents reimburse themselves for education expenses they previously covered from their own funds, or if students contribute to household expenses, these are legitimate money movements. The important thing is that any financial changes reflect genuine family financial arrangements, not temporary shuffling just for FAFSA purposes. Documentation of the legitimate purpose behind any significant money movements is always recommended.

Just wanted to add from personal experience - we were in almost the exact same situation last year! Had about $8K in my daughter's savings from birthday/graduation gifts over the years. After reading similar advice here, we used her account to pay tuition and it made a noticeable difference on this year's SAI calculation. One tip for your appointment tomorrow: bring a printout of both account balances as of today. Sometimes the financial aid officers ask for this info during verification meetings, and it shows you're prepared. Also, don't stress too much about the Tuesday deadline - most schools have a grace period for payment plans if financial aid is still processing. Good luck with everything! The FAFSA maze gets easier once you've been through it a few times.