I went through this exact same nightmare last year! The "no activity" glitch is so common it's ridiculous. Here's what finally worked for me after trying everything else: 1. Have your dad completely close all browser windows and restart his browser 2. Make sure he's NOT logged into any other government sites (like IRS, SSA, etc.) 3. Have him go directly to studentaid.gov and log in with his FSA ID there first 4. THEN click the invitation link from the email The key seems to be establishing that FSA session first before clicking the FAFSA invitation. Something about how their authentication system works gets confused otherwise. Also pro tip: if you're still having issues, try submitting the FAFSA during off-peak hours (like early morning or late evening). The system is less glitchy when fewer people are using it. Hang in there - I know it's super stressful but you'll get through it! 💪

I feel your pain! I just went through this exact same issue with my stepdad's contributor section a few weeks ago. The "no activity" message is SO frustrating! What ended up working for me was a combination of a few things people have mentioned here: First, make sure your dad has his own FSA ID set up at studentaid.gov (super important!). Then have him completely log out of everything - close all browser tabs, clear cache, the whole nine yards. When he reopens his browser, have him go to studentaid.gov first and log in there, THEN click the invitation link from the email. Also, double-check that the email address you used for the invitation is exactly right - even a tiny typo will cause issues. And if the invitation is more than a week old, try sending a fresh one. I know it's tempting to keep trying over and over, but sometimes giving it a 24-hour break helps too. The FAFSA system seems to have random mood swings 🙄 Keep us posted on what works! Rooting for you to get this sorted out soon!

Thanks for this thread everyone! I'm a parent helping my kid with their first FAFSA and was totally panicked when I couldn't find where to enter our tax info. Really reassuring to know this is the new normal and not a glitch. The direct IRS connection actually sounds more secure than manually typing everything in. Going to wait for the SAR and then reach out to the financial aid office if we have questions. This community is so helpful for navigating all these changes!

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can totally relate to the confusion! The new streamlined FAFSA definitely takes some getting used to. I had the exact same panic moment when I couldn't find where to enter my tax info manually. One thing that helped me feel more confident about the process was understanding that the direct IRS data transfer is actually more accurate than manual entry - no more worrying about transposing numbers or making calculation errors. Plus, like others mentioned, you can always review everything in your SAR once it's processed. For anyone still feeling uncertain, I'd definitely recommend bookmarking your school's financial aid office contact info. Most of them have been really helpful in explaining the new changes and walking students through any concerns. The transition period is confusing for everyone, but the new system should be much smoother once we all adjust to it!

As someone who just went through this exact situation with our S corp commercial property, I can confirm everything others have said - you absolutely must report it as an investment on the FAFSA. The key insight that helped me was understanding that S corporations are "pass-through" entities, which means the FAFSA treats your husband as directly owning his proportional share of all business assets. Since your husband owns 100% of the S corp, you need to report the full net worth of the business (current market value of the property minus the mortgage, plus any other business assets, minus any other business debts) in the investments section. The fact that it operates under a different business name is irrelevant - what matters is his ownership stake in the entity. For valuation, I used our most recent property tax assessment as a starting point, which gave me a reasonable market value estimate without paying for a new appraisal. Don't forget that the K-1 income you receive is already captured in your tax return/AGI, so you're reporting the underlying asset value in addition to (not instead of) that income. I know it feels unfair that business assets count against financial aid eligibility, but the logic is that these represent wealth that could theoretically be liquidated. Keep good documentation of your calculations - some schools may request verification of business asset values during the aid review process.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by how helpful and thorough everyone's responses have been! This thread has completely clarified what seemed like an impossible question when I first encountered it with our own S corp situation. What really stands out to me is how consistent the advice has been across different perspectives - from financial aid officers to CPAs to people who've actually been through the process. The unanimous message is clear: S corp real estate assets must be reported as investments on the FAFSA, regardless of the business name or how the income flows. I especially appreciate all the practical tips shared here - using county assessments for valuation, keeping documentation ready for verification, creating spreadsheets to organize assets and liabilities, and the various resources people mentioned for getting official guidance. The "economic ownership" concept that several people explained really helped me understand why this rule makes sense from the FAFSA's perspective. For anyone else stumbling across this thread with similar questions, you've got everything you need right here to handle your S corp reporting correctly. Thanks to this community for making such a complex topic so much clearer!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredible this thread has been! I was literally in the exact same boat as the original poster - my family makes around $84k and I was completely convinced that filling out the FAFSA would be a total waste of time. Reading through all these real-world experiences has been absolutely eye-opening! Seeing so many families in the $75k-$95k range getting partial Pell Grants plus institutional aid is amazing - I had no idea the income thresholds were so flexible. The insights about family size and multiple kids in college impacting the SAI calculation were complete revelations to me. What really convinced me was Mateo's recent success story - getting $4,400 in combined aid at $91k family income with twins starting college shows there really isn't a hard cutoff like I thought. And learning that schools require FAFSA completion for merit scholarships and that federal loan rates are better regardless makes it a no-brainer. I'm definitely gathering all my documents this weekend and applying! The consensus here is clear - 30-45 minutes could potentially save thousands, and the new simplified form makes it much more manageable than I expected. Thanks to everyone who shared their actual numbers and experiences - this community is invaluable for getting practical advice from people who've actually been through this process!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to add my voice to everyone encouraging you to fill out the FAFSA! I was in almost the exact same situation as you - my family makes about $86k and I was completely convinced we'd be over any income limits. After reading through this entire thread, I'm amazed at how many families in the $75k-$95k range are getting meaningful aid! What really opened my eyes was learning that the SAI calculation is so much more complex than just looking at income - factors like family size, number of kids in college simultaneously, and even regional cost of living all play a role. The real success stories here are incredibly encouraging. Seeing people get partial Pell Grants of $1,600-$3,000 plus institutional grants from their schools at income levels I thought were "too high" is amazing! And I had no idea that so many merit scholarships and school-specific aid programs require FAFSA completion regardless of income. The new simplified form taking only 30-45 minutes makes this a no-brainer. Even if you only qualify for better federal loan rates, that's still valuable. Don't make the same mistake I almost did by assuming you won't qualify - this thread has convinced me that there's really no downside to applying and potentially thousands of dollars in upside!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in the exact same boat - my SAI went up by almost 3,500 points even though my family's income dropped by over $20,000 this year due to my mom losing her job. I've been going in circles with my financial aid office and FSA for weeks now. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful. I think my issue might be similar to what others have mentioned about retirement accounts being miscategorized. My dad moved his 401k to a new employer and I'm wondering if the system counted that transfer as income. I'm going to try calling FSA tomorrow morning at 8 AM sharp and specifically ask for a "SAI calculation review specialist" like several people recommended. I've got all our tax documents and the 1099-R form ready to go. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and specific advice - this thread has given me so much hope that this can actually be fixed! I'll update once I hopefully get through to someone who can help.

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm dealing with the exact same frustrating situation - my SAI went up by over 2,800 points despite our household income dropping significantly this year when my mom had to take early retirement due to health issues. Based on everyone's detailed advice here, I now have a clear action plan: call FSA first thing in the morning, specifically ask for a "SAI calculation review specialist," and have all my documentation ready including our tax forms and any retirement-related paperwork. I'm also going to check our Student Aid Report more carefully for any unusual codes or flags I might have missed. What's been most helpful is seeing how persistent everyone had to be - it's clear this isn't something that gets resolved with just one phone call, but it IS fixable with the right approach. I'm also going to contact my school's financial aid office proactively to let them know I have an active SAI review in progress so they hopefully won't finalize my aid package before this gets corrected. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and specific tips - you've turned what felt like an impossible situation into a manageable problem with a clear solution path!