wait I'm confused, aren't contributors and parents the same thing? or is a contributor someone else who gives you money? my mom is helping me with college but she filed as parent not contributor lol did i mess up?

UPDATE: We finally fixed it! Turns out it was exactly what @helpful_advisor said - the name mismatch. My dad goes by his middle name so I entered that, but his FSA ID had his legal first name. I cancelled the invitation, sent a new one with his exact legal name, and it worked immediately. Also had to make sure he was using the exact link from the email, not just logging into studentaid.gov normally. Thanks everyone for your help! Hope this helps someone else with the same problem.

My daughter just went through this and YES u have to do the whole thing again!!! So irritating! But weirdly some stuff DID transfer over and other stuff didn't? Like her personal info was there but NONE of our financial stuff transferred. The whole new system is a MESS!!

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm disappointed but at least now I know to set aside more time to complete it. I'll definitely use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to save some steps. Hopefully next year they'll have a better renewal system in place once all the kinks are worked out with this redesign.

To directly answer your question: Yes, your husband needs his own FSA ID, and yes, you must include his income information even with separate tax filings. Here's why: 1. The 2025-2026 FAFSA considers your marital status as of the date you submit the application 2. When married, both spouses' financial information is required regardless of tax filing status 3. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool requires separate FSA IDs to access separate tax returns I recommend completing this process soon, as many institutional aid programs have priority deadlines. After submission, contact your university's financial aid office to discuss any special circumstances that might warrant professional judgment adjustments to your aid package.

my cousins wife works in financial aid office and she says alot of married students qualify for additional loan amounts even if they dont get grants anymore. so even if ur pell goes down u might get access to more loans if u need them

The whole FAFSA system is DELIBERATELY COMPLICATED to discourage people from getting aid!!! My daughter's cosmetology school told us one thing about her eligibility for grants and then the actual amount was HALF what they promised once the SAI came back. They kept saying "oh the federal formula changed" but they knew all along!!! Now she has loans she never wanted. Make sure you get EVERYTHING in writing from the school!!

Update: We got everything sorted out! Found the manual entry option and added the school code. My son talked to the financial aid office at Bellamy today and they explained that because it's a clock-hour program, they calculate Pell Grants differently, but he should still qualify based on our financial situation. They're sending us a pre-award letter with estimates next week. Thanks everyone for your help!

i heard from my friends brother who works in DC that the bill is totally dead lol. they just propose these things to look good but theres no way theyll actually increase it that much

Just to clarify some misinformation in this thread - while the $10,000 proposal may not pass in its current form, there's strong bipartisan support for continuing to increase Pell Grant maximums. The increases have been steady over the past several years. For 2025-2026 planning: 1. Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1, 2024 2. Make sure your Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation is accurate by carefully reporting all financial information 3. Check with your specific college's financial aid office about supplemental grants they might offer 4. Look into state grants, which often have earlier deadlines than federal aid Remember that colleges can't give you a final financial aid package until the federal Pell Grant amounts are officially set for 2025-2026, which will likely happen in early 2025.