As someone who just joined this community, I'm amazed at how helpful everyone has been in this thread! @FireflyDreams, your situation sounds incredibly stressful but it's great that you got it resolved so quickly. This whole discussion has been eye-opening - I had no idea that old vocational training could result in federal loans that might affect future FAFSA applications. The advice about checking the National Student Loan Data System and keeping multiple copies of all documentation is so valuable. I'm definitely going to share this thread with other parents in my area who are starting the college prep process. It's scary how easy it is to have forgotten loans lurking in the system!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really grateful to have found this thread! @FireflyDreams, your experience is both eye-opening and terrifying - I can't imagine the shock of discovering a 15-year-old loan you never knew existed right when you're trying to help your daughter with college applications. What strikes me most is how this highlights a gap that many parents probably don't even know exists. The fact that vocational training programs can result in federal loans that later impact your children's FAFSA eligibility is something I wish was more widely known. I'm planning to do a comprehensive check of my own financial aid history before my youngest starts the college application process in two years. The detailed advice everyone has shared here about loan rehabilitation, small-balance resolution options, and the importance of documentation is incredibly valuable. This community seems like such a supportive resource for navigating these complex financial aid challenges!

Update: I tried the correction option this morning and it worked! I was able to add my additional schools. The system showed my application as "processed" even though I haven't received my official SAI calculation yet. Thanks everyone for the help!

Paolo's update is really helpful! For anyone still worried about this - I went through the same thing last year and was able to add schools immediately after submission without any issues. The key thing to remember is that even if you add schools right away, they won't receive your info until your FAFSA is fully processed anyway. So there's really no downside to adding them as soon as the system lets you. Just make sure to double-check that all your school codes are correct before saving the changes!

I'm in almost the exact same situation! I'm a stay-at-home parent planning to start nursing school in the fall, and my spouse is the sole income earner. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I was also confused about who should submit since I don't have any income to report. It sounds like the consensus is clear that as the student, I should be the one filling it out and just include our joint tax information. I'm definitely going to make sure we both get FSA IDs set up ahead of time based on the advice here. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it makes this whole process feel much less overwhelming!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm also a married student going back to school (my husband works full-time, I'll be starting part-time classes). I was initially worried about this same question, but everyone's responses have made it crystal clear that the student submits regardless of income situation. One thing I wanted to add for anyone else reading this - if you're like me and haven't dealt with financial aid in years, the FSA website has a really good step-by-step guide that walks you through the whole process. It helped me understand exactly what documents I'd need before starting. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so reassuring to know we're not alone in navigating this!

To summarize what everyone has correctly mentioned: 1. Either parent can complete the FAFSA form 2. You must report combined financial information for both parents 3. The email used for your FSA ID doesn't affect calculations 4. Retirement accounts (401k, IRA) are NOT reported as assets 5. Regular investment accounts, 529 plans, and additional real estate ARE reported Just make sure whoever fills it out has all the necessary information for both parents readily available, including the tax return, bank statements, and investment account values.

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped me when I was going through this process - make sure to gather all your financial documents BEFORE you start the FAFSA! I made the mistake of starting it and then realizing I didn't have our investment account statements handy. The form times out after a period of inactivity and I had to start over. Having everything organized beforehand (tax returns, bank statements, investment account balances as of the FAFSA filing date) made the whole process so much smoother the second time around.

Great to hear your verification went through quickly! As you complete your portion, make sure you're prepared with your tax information from 2023 (for the 2025-2026 FAFSA). The system will likely use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to pull your information automatically, but having your documents handy helps if you need to enter anything manually. Also, don't be alarmed if you see a message about your information being "sent for processing" after submission. That's another normal waiting period (typically 3-7 days) before your student receives their SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC).

This is such a helpful thread! As someone who's about to start this process with my daughter next year, it's really reassuring to see all the detailed experiences and advice. The tip about making sure names match exactly with Social Security records seems particularly important - I'll definitely keep that in mind. Also bookmarking that Claimyr service just in case we run into any roadblocks with phone support. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!