Update: I finally got through to FSA this morning! The agent confirmed that the IRA rollover shouldn't count as income and said they're seeing this problem a lot with the new FAFSA. They submitted a correction for me, but also suggested I contact my schools directly as backup. She said it could take up to 3 weeks for the correction to process in their system (ugh!), but the schools can make adjustments on their end in the meantime.

This is such a widespread issue this year - thank you Charlie for sharing your experience! For anyone else dealing with this, I want to emphasize that time is critical. Don't wait for the FSA correction to process if you have upcoming deadlines. I've seen students lose out on aid because they assumed the FAFSA correction would happen automatically. One tip: When you email your schools, include your FAFSA confirmation number and the exact amount of the rollover that was incorrectly counted as income. This helps the financial aid officers process your case faster. Also, if your first school responds quickly like Charlie's did, ask them what documentation they need - then you can send the same package to all your other schools immediately rather than waiting for each one to tell you what they want. The system definitely needs to be fixed, but in the meantime, the professional judgment process does work if you're proactive about it!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm going through the exact same issue with my son's FAFSA right now. The SSN/birthdate mismatch error is so frustrating, especially when you know the information is correct. I'm definitely going to check my old FSA ID profile first thing tomorrow morning - it sounds like that's where most of these issues stem from. It's reassuring to know that even if we miss the initial deadline, schools are usually understanding about technical problems. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

Just wanted to add another potential solution that worked for my family! We had the same SSN/birthdate mismatch error and after trying everything else, we discovered that my husband had accidentally created TWO FSA IDs over the years - one when our oldest applied to college and another one a few years later that he forgot about. The system was pulling conflicting information from both accounts. We had to contact Federal Student Aid to merge/delete the duplicate account, but once that was resolved, everything worked perfectly. So if you're still having issues after checking your FSA ID profile, it might be worth asking the support team if you have duplicate accounts in the system. Hope this helps someone else avoid the stress we went through!

This whole new FAFSA system is SUCH A DISASTER!! My son's college keeps telling us they're missing information from his FAFSA but when we log in it shows complete!!! I've tried calling 18 times and can't get through to anyone. The whole contributor system is so confusing and the colleges don't even know what's going on. We might lose his financial aid package because of all these technical problems.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact situation last year! Yes, only one parent needs to complete the contributor section when you file jointly - I had my husband handle it while I was traveling for work. The key things to double-check: make sure whoever fills it out has your 2023 joint tax return handy, knows where to find your AGI (line 11 on Form 1040), and has access to current bank account balances for both parents. Also, don't forget about any 529 plans or other education savings accounts - those need to be reported too even if they're in the student's name. Good luck with the NJ deadline - you've still got time if you tackle it this weekend!

Welcome to the community, @Evelyn Martinez! International tax situations with FAFSA can definitely feel overwhelming at first, but you're smart to research early. Since your dad works for a multinational company, you might also want to check if he has any foreign tax credits or exclusions on his US return - those can affect how you report income on FAFSA too. The key thing I've learned from threads like this is to be proactive about documenting your situation and don't be afraid to reach out for official guidance when the standard form doesn't fit. You've got this! 💪

As someone who just went through this exact nightmare last year, I wanted to jump in with some additional tips! The "Married Filing Separately" approach that @Freya Pedersen got confirmed is definitely the right call. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you're consistent across ALL parts of the FAFSA. When it asks about your parents' marital status, select "married" even though only one filed a return. The key is that their legal marital status is separate from their tax filing situation. Also, if you do get selected for verification (which happened to me), having a letter from the foreign country's tax authority or embassy stating the filing requirements can be super helpful. It took forever to get, but it made the verification process much smoother. Hang in there - these international situations are confusing but totally solvable with the right documentation!

I'm new to this whole private loan process and feeling a bit overwhelmed, but this thread has been incredibly helpful! Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like I should definitely shop around with multiple lenders and not just go with the first offer. One question I have - for those who've been through this, how long did it typically take from application to getting the funds disbursed to the school? I want to make sure we start the process with enough time before the semester begins. Also, did any of you run into issues with the school's financial aid office when coordinating the private loan disbursement with the rest of your aid package? I'm leaning towards starting with Earnest, CommonBond, and maybe our local credit union based on the recommendations here. The spreadsheet idea is brilliant - definitely going to set that up to compare everything side by side. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

As someone who just went through this exact situation with my daughter last year, I'd strongly recommend checking out Citizens Bank in addition to the others mentioned here. They ended up giving us the best rate at 6.2% fixed with our similar credit score, and their application process was surprisingly smooth. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - definitely apply for pre-qualification with multiple lenders first before doing the full applications. Most do soft credit pulls for pre-qual that won't hurt your score, and you can see your potential rates without committing. We ended up saving almost 2% by shopping around this way. Also, don't forget to factor in your state's tax deductions for student loan interest when comparing options. In some states, you can deduct the interest payments which effectively lowers your cost. With $14K in loans, that could add up to meaningful savings over the repayment period. Good luck with your search - sounds like you're being smart about researching thoroughly before jumping in!