FAFSA worth it for $150k+ income? Son forgot password - should we bother applying?

You should ABSOLUTELY still complete the FAFSA, regardless of your income level. While you may not qualify for need-based federal grants like the Pell Grant, the FAFSA is required for several other important reasons: 1. Many colleges require it for ALL types of financial aid, including merit scholarships that aren't income-based 2. Federal direct student loans (which have better terms than private loans) require FAFSA completion 3. Some schools have much higher income thresholds for aid than the federal government 4. Your financial situation could change (job loss, medical expenses, etc.) As for the password issue, your son can use the "Forgot Password" option on studentaid.gov. He'll need access to his email account and will have to answer security questions. If that doesn't work, the FSA has a recovery process, though it can take time.

skip it. we make $175k and wasted hours on that stupid form just to get ZERO aid. total waste of time unless you're under like $80k tbh

For the password issue: If your son can't recover his FSA ID through the normal channels, you have two options: 1. Call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 for assistance recovering the account. 2. Create a new FSA ID (this is sometimes easier but not ideal since it resets everything). Regarding whether to submit at your income level - yes, you should still submit the FAFSA. While you might not qualify for need-based federal aid, many schools require it for merit-based scholarships. Additionally, the new FAFSA for 2025-2026 has changed some calculations with the Student Aid Index (SAI) replacing the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), so you might be surprised. Many private colleges also require it for their institutional aid packages, which can have much higher income thresholds than federal programs.

The $150K threshold myth keeps many families from potentially receiving aid. While your family likely won't qualify for federal grants, there are several important reasons to still complete the FAFSA: 1) **Institutional Aid**: Many colleges, especially private ones, use FAFSA data for their own aid packages and may have much higher income thresholds than federal programs. 2) **Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans**: Even without grants, your son will qualify for federal loans with better terms than private alternatives. 3) **CSS Profile Schools**: If applying to schools that require the CSS Profile, they typically offer more generous aid packages for middle and upper-middle income families. 4) **Special Circumstances**: If you have multiple children in college simultaneously or other financial situations not captured in raw income numbers, you might qualify for more than expected. In my experience working with families, I've seen households making $180K+ receive significant institutional aid packages, especially from private colleges looking to attract strong students.

My son forgot his password too and we had to make a whole new FSA ID!!! It was so frustrating. But even tho we make right around what u do ($155k) we still got some aid! Not federal grants but the school gave us $12k/yr in institutional aid plus he qualified for work study!!!! Definitely do it!!!

You should 100% still file! We're at $162k and thought the same thing but our daughter got $23,500 in institutional aid from her top choice private school. The new FAFSA calculations actually helped us because we have medical expenses and 2 kids overlapping in college. The password reset is awful tho - took us 3 weeks to fix her account 😑

yall making $150k+ and complaining about fafsa LOL... try filling it out on $45k with 3 kids and still getting denied

Specific to your income question: The new FAFSA for 2025-2026 actually includes some calculation changes that might benefit families in the $150K-200K range more than previous versions. The Student Aid Index (SAI) which replaced the old EFC has different allowances for family size and now treats small business assets differently. Also important to note that many schools, especially private institutions, use what's called "preferential packaging" where they offer better aid packages to students they really want to attract. If your son has strong academics, leadership experience, or other qualities the school values, they may offer significant non-need-based aid that requires the FAFSA to be on file. For the password issue, since the recovery process hasn't worked, I would recommend creating a new FSA ID as the fastest solution at this point, especially as the priority deadlines are approaching for many colleges.

I'm in a very similar situation - household income around $160k and my daughter also had FSA ID issues last year. We ended up creating a new FSA ID and I'm so glad we pushed through the frustration because she received $18,000 in institutional aid from her state university plus qualified for unsubsidized federal loans at much better rates than private loans would have been. One tip that helped us with the new FSA ID process: make sure your son writes down ALL his security question answers somewhere safe this time, and use an email he checks regularly. Also, even though it feels late in the cycle, many schools have FAFSA deadlines into March and April, so you still have time. The stories here about families in our income range getting significant aid are really encouraging - it definitely seems worth the effort despite the technical headaches!

I'm also navigating this exact situation with my twin daughters who will be starting college next fall. Our household income is around $158k and I was initially hesitant about completing the FAFSA for similar reasons. After reading through all these responses, I'm convinced we need to push through and complete it. The stories about families receiving $12k-23k in institutional aid at our income level are eye-opening! I had no idea private schools might be so generous to middle-income families. We're looking at both state schools and some private colleges, so it sounds like the FAFSA could open doors we didn't even know existed. For those dealing with FSA ID password issues - we actually just went through this process last month. Creating a new FSA ID was definitely the faster route, though it was frustrating to lose the saved school list. The whole process took about 30 minutes once we decided to start fresh, versus the weeks we spent trying to recover the old account. One question for those who received institutional aid - did you need to submit any additional documentation beyond the FAFSA, or did the schools automatically consider you based on the FAFSA submission alone?

As someone who works in college financial aid, I want to emphasize that the FAFSA is absolutely worth completing at your income level! I see families making $150k+ receive aid all the time, especially from private institutions. Here are a few key points: **Password Recovery Alternative**: Instead of struggling with the broken FSA phone system, try contacting your son's high school guidance counselor. Many have direct contacts at Federal Student Aid and can expedite account recovery issues. **Income Threshold Misconceptions**: The "you won't get anything over $150k" advice is outdated. With the new Student Aid Index calculations, many middle-income families are seeing better outcomes than expected. Plus, unsubsidized federal loans alone can save you thousands compared to private loan interest rates. **Timing Consideration**: Even if you create a new FSA ID now, you're not too late. Most schools have March/April FAFSA deadlines, and some rolling deadlines extend even later. **Merit Aid Connection**: Many merit scholarships require FAFSA completion regardless of need. I've seen students lose out on $10k+ merit awards simply because families assumed they "made too much" for the FAFSA to matter. The password hassle is frustrating, but don't let it cost you potentially tens of thousands in aid opportunities!