As a newcomer to this financial aid process, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm starting my first semester this fall and had no idea about the federal 10-day disbursement rule or how billing and financial aid systems operate on completely different timelines. Giovanni, your question has probably saved dozens of future students from having the same panic attack! The fact that everyone is confirming that seeing "processing" status in your portal means you're protected is so reassuring. It's honestly mind-boggling that schools don't just explain this timing gap upfront instead of sending those terrifying automated emails. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread as my "FAFSA timing survival guide" - the advice about calling both financial aid AND the bursar's office, asking about pending aid protection policies, taking screenshots of your aid status, and getting written confirmation is pure gold. This community has taught me more about navigating the real-world financial aid system than any official orientation or website ever could! Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences so openly. You've turned what could have been a terrifying surprise for newcomers like me into something completely manageable. Hope your call went well Giovanni and gave you the peace of mind you deserved!

This thread has been such a lifesaver for someone completely new to the FAFSA process! I'm starting college next month and honestly had no idea about the federal 10-day disbursement rule or that billing and financial aid systems don't communicate properly. The fact that schools send those terrifying automated emails knowing students have approved aid that just can't disburse yet due to federal regulations is pretty awful. Giovanni, seeing your aid as "processing" in your portal is exactly what everyone's saying means you're protected! The advice here about calling both financial aid AND the bursar's office, asking about "pending aid protection" policies, and getting written confirmation is incredible. I had no clue about emergency micro-loans or financial aid deferrents either - this community knows way more than any official orientation covered. Reading through everyone's real experiences has transformed what would have been a complete panic situation for me into something manageable. Thanks to everyone for sharing so openly - you've probably prevented dozens of future meltdowns for newcomers like me! This is definitely going in my bookmarks as my FAFSA survival guide.

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!