FAFSA update needed? Mother-in-law moved in with us during application period
My daughter's FAFSA is already submitted for 2025-2026, but our household situation just changed. My mother-in-law (77) moved in with us permanently 4 weeks ago due to her declining health, and we're now financially supporting her. Do I need to submit a correction to update our household size? Would this actually help my daughter's aid eligibility or just complicate things? The original application was submitted in November with just our family of 4. Any advice from people who've dealt with mid-application family changes would be super helpful!
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Romeo Quest
Yes, you should definitely update the FAFSA with this change in household size. Since your mother-in-law lives with you, you provide more than half her support, and will continue to do so through June 30, 2026, she counts in your household size. This could potentially lower your Student Aid Index (SAI) and increase your daughter's aid eligibility. Log into studentaid.gov, select 'Make FAFSA Corrections,' and update the household size question.
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Lydia Santiago
•Thank you! That makes sense. Will I need to provide any documentation about my mother-in-law's move-in date or her medical condition? I'm worried about triggering some kind of verification process if I make changes now.
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Val Rossi
We had almost the same situation last year with my dad. Changed our household size from 4 to 5 mid-application and it actually helped with the SAI calculation. Just make the correction and your good!!
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Lydia Santiago
•That's reassuring to hear! Did you have to provide any proof of the change in household size?
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Eve Freeman
The real question is whether ur mil has income!! If she gets social security or has retirement savings/distributions those MIGHT need to be reported too depending on if u claim her as a dependent on taxes. FAFSA rules can be so confusing with this stuff...
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Romeo Quest
•That's a good point, but actually incorrect. For FAFSA purposes, you only include income for the parents of the student and the student themselves. Other household members' income (like grandparents) isn't counted in the SAI calculation, even if they're claimed as tax dependents. The household size matters, but not the MIL's income.
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Clarissa Flair
Just a quick warning - when I made a correction to our FAFSA last year, it triggered a verification process and delayed my son's financial aid package by almost 6 weeks. Not saying it will happen to you, but you should be prepared for the possibility.
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Lydia Santiago
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Did you have to provide a lot of documentation for the verification?
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Caden Turner
I tried calling FSA to ask about a similar situation last month and spent HOURS trying to get through! Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to a real person in minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed that adding a permanently residing family member who you support financially SHOULD be updated on the FAFSA, even after submission.
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Val Rossi
•OMG thank you for sharing this!! I've been trying to reach someone at FSA for days about a different issue. Definitely going to try this!
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Lydia Santiago
•This is super helpful, thank you! I'll check it out because I have a feeling I'm going to need to talk to someone directly about our specific situation.
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McKenzie Shade
just wondering but why would adding an elderly family member help with financial aid? doesnt make sense to me that having MORE money (from her social security etc) would give you MORE aid???
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Harmony Love
•Because FAFSA looks at household SIZE vs income. More people being supported by same income = less money available per person = more aid. Her SS income isn't counted in FAFSA calculation, just the fact that she's being supported by the family. Read up on SAI calculations.
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Romeo Quest
One important thing to consider: will your mother-in-law be claimed as a dependent on your 2024 tax return? If yes, you absolutely should update the FAFSA. If no, it's a bit more nuanced, but generally you should still update if you provide more than half her support, regardless of tax filing status.
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Lydia Santiago
•That's a good question - we haven't decided about the tax situation yet since this move happened so recently. I'll need to talk to our accountant about whether claiming her makes sense for us tax-wise.
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Eve Freeman
MAKE SURE you keep documentation of when she moved in!!!! My cousins college made them prove the grandmother had actually moved in when they updated their FAFSA and they had to get like utility bills and medical records and all kinds of stuff to show it wasn't just a scheme to get more aid money!!!
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Lydia Santiago
•Oh wow, I hadn't even thought about needing to prove the timing. I'll start organizing her medical transfer paperwork and update our homeowners insurance which shows household members. Thanks for the heads up!
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Clarissa Flair
After you make the correction, I'd recommend following up with your daughter's financial aid office directly. Sometimes they need additional context for changes like this, and it can help prevent delays in processing. Explain the situation clearly, including the permanent nature of the arrangement.
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Lydia Santiago
•That's excellent advice. I'll definitely reach out to them directly after submitting the correction online. Better to be proactive than to have her aid package delayed because of confusion.
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Dmitry Smirnov
I went through this exact situation two years ago when my father-in-law moved in with us for medical care. The key thing is that since she moved in permanently and you're providing more than half her support, you absolutely should update the FAFSA household size. It did help lower our SAI and increased my daughter's aid eligibility. One tip: when you make the correction online, add a brief note in the comments section explaining the change and the date she moved in. This helped us avoid any confusion during verification. Also, keep copies of any medical records or correspondence that show the permanent nature of the move - we ended up needing them later. The process was straightforward and worth the potential aid increase!
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Clay blendedgen
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I really appreciate the tip about adding a note in the comments section when making the correction - that's exactly the kind of practical advice I was hoping for. Did you have any issues with the verification process, or did the note help avoid complications? I'm feeling much more confident about moving forward with the correction now.
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