Welcome to the community! I'm also a newcomer here and just discovered this incredibly helpful thread while dealing with my own FAFSA rollover confusion at 2am. Like so many others have shared, I was completely puzzled about how to report my husband's 401(k) to IRA rollover ($37,500 on line 5a, $0 on line 5b) on our son's financial aid application. This discussion has been absolutely invaluable! The clear consensus from everyone's experiences is: report ZERO for the rollover amount and make sure to check YES when the FAFSA asks if it was a rollover. I was literally about to make that same costly mistake of reporting the full amount as income before finding this thread - what a relief to discover it in time! What really amazes me is seeing how many newcomers like us are here at various hours dealing with this exact same confusion. It's both reassuring to know we're not alone and incredibly frustrating that something this common for families with retirement accounts isn't explained clearly in the FAFSA instructions. The generosity of experienced members sharing their knowledge and costly mistakes is truly remarkable - you're literally preventing families from making errors that could significantly reduce their children's aid eligibility. Thank you to everyone who's contributed to making this such a supportive space for overwhelmed parents navigating this confusing process. Reading about how incorrectly reporting rollovers can artificially inflate the Student Aid Index really drove home how critical it is to get this right. Now I can finally complete our application with confidence knowing we won't be penalized for our retirement planning decisions!

Welcome to the community! I'm also a newcomer here and just discovered this incredibly helpful thread while dealing with my own FAFSA rollover confusion at midnight. Like so many others have shared, I was completely baffled about how to report my 403(b) to IRA rollover ($54,300 on line 5a, $0 on line 5b) on my daughter's financial aid application. This discussion has been absolutely lifesaving! The clear consensus from everyone's experiences is: report ZERO for the rollover amount and make sure to check YES when the FAFSA asks if it was a rollover. I was literally about to make that same devastating mistake of reporting the full amount as income before discovering this thread - thank goodness I found this community in time! What really strikes me is seeing how many newcomers like us are here at all hours dealing with this exact same confusion. It's both comforting to know we're not alone and incredibly frustrating that something this common for families with retirement planning isn't explained clearly in the FAFSA instructions. The willingness of experienced members to share their knowledge and costly mistakes is truly remarkable - you're literally saving families from making errors that could significantly impact their children's financial aid eligibility. Thank you to everyone who's made this such a supportive space for overwhelmed parents navigating this confusing process. Reading about how incorrectly reporting rollovers can artificially inflate the Student Aid Index really opened my eyes to how critical accuracy is here. Now I can finally complete our application with confidence knowing we won't be penalized for our retirement decisions!

I went through this exact situation two years ago when my divorce was finalized in January but we had filed jointly for the previous tax year. The key thing that saved us time was being proactive about gathering documentation BEFORE submitting the professional judgment request. Here's what I wish I had known upfront: - Get certified copies of your divorce decree (schools often want originals or certified copies, not just photocopies) - Request your individual wage transcripts from the IRS website (irs.gov) - these show your individual earnings separate from the joint return and schools love these because they're official - If you're receiving or paying child support, get documentation of the exact amounts even if it's informal The timing worked out that my daughter got significantly more aid, including work-study she wouldn't have qualified for otherwise. One school processed it in 2 weeks, another took 6 weeks, so definitely submit to all schools simultaneously. Don't get discouraged by the paperwork - it's absolutely worth the effort and most financial aid offices deal with divorce situations regularly, so you're not asking for anything unusual.

I'm going through something very similar right now! My divorce was finalized in February 2024 but we also filed jointly for 2023. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the professional judgment process or that I needed to submit the FAFSA first with the joint info before appealing. @Yuki Kobayashi - I hope your situation gets resolved quickly! From what everyone is saying, it sounds like the key is being super organized with documentation and contacting multiple schools simultaneously. One question for those who've been through this - did any schools ask for proof of who's been paying the student's expenses? I've been covering everything for my son since we separated but wasn't sure if I need to gather receipts or bank statements showing those payments.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been through this process multiple times (I'm a grad student now). The advice here is spot on - you definitely need to combine both parents' incomes even when they file separately! One thing I'd add is to double-check that you're looking at the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and not the total income or taxable income lines. I made that mistake my first year and had to submit a correction. Also, if your parents have any unusual income sources like freelance work or rental income, make sure those are included in the AGI you're combining. The verification process is pretty thorough, but as long as you're reporting the correct combined household income and have your documentation ready, you'll be fine. The TAP application design is definitely confusing, but this community always comes through with great advice!

Wow, this entire thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm a complete newbie to the financial aid process and was feeling totally lost with my TAP application. My parents are also married filing separately, and I had no clue what to do with their income information. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has been such a relief - it's clear that this is a super common issue and the form design is genuinely confusing, not just me being clueless! I'm definitely going to follow the step-by-step approach: find both parents' AGI on line 11 of their 1040s, add them together (even if one is negative), enter the combined total, and keep both tax returns ready for verification. The tip about creating a spreadsheet to document how I calculated everything is brilliant too. Thanks to this community for turning what felt like an impossible puzzle into a manageable process. It's so reassuring to know there are people here willing to help first-time students navigate these confusing forms!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm relieved to find this thread! I'm currently experiencing the exact same login issues with my FAFSA account and was starting to panic thinking it was just me. I've been trying to access studentaid.gov for the past two days to submit my verification documents, but keep getting the "invalid username/password" error despite knowing my credentials are correct. Reading through everyone's solutions has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there was a mobile app or that the "forgot username" approach might work better than password resets. I'm definitely going to try the incognito mode + mobile app + forgot username combination that seems to have worked for several people here. It's honestly both comforting and alarming to learn this is such a widespread, recurring issue with the FAFSA system. You'd think with all the students depending on financial aid, they'd have a more reliable login system by now! Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions. This community support is exactly what stressed students need when dealing with these technical nightmares. I'll report back if the suggested methods work for me too!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who just joined this community after finding this incredibly helpful thread! I've been battling the same FAFSA login nightmare for the past week - my account was working fine until I tried to log in last Thursday to check my verification status, and now it's completely locked me out despite multiple password resets. What's really frustrating is that I can see all my reset confirmation emails, so I know the system is receiving my requests, but then when I try to use the new passwords it just says "invalid credentials." It's like the system is stuck in some kind of loop! I'm going to try the mobile app + incognito + forgot username combo that's worked for so many people here. If that doesn't work, I'll definitely use the Claimyr service to get through to FSA support faster. My verification deadline isn't until next week, but I don't want to wait until the last minute given how unreliable this system seems to be. Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions and experiences - this thread has been more helpful than hours of searching through official FAFSA help pages! I'll update with my results in case it helps other students dealing with this same issue. It's honestly a relief to know I'm not the only one struggling with what should be a basic login process! 🙏

As a newcomer to the FAFSA world, this discussion has been a lifesaver! I'm dealing with the exact same situation - my 17-year-old daughter has around $3,500 saved from her part-time job at a local bakery, and I'm listed as joint holder on her accounts since she opened them as a minor. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that she should report these as HER assets since the money came from her work, even though my name is on the accounts. What I'm curious about is the verification process - how common is it to actually get selected? And if we do get selected, would her employer records (like W-2s and pay stubs) be sufficient to prove the funds came from her job earnings? Also, I see conflicting information about asset protection allowances for students - does the 2025-26 FAFSA still have any protection threshold for student assets, or is it really 20% assessment from dollar one? Just want to make sure I understand the full impact before we file. Thanks to everyone sharing their real experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the official FSA website!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can confirm what others have said - she reports those accounts as HER assets since the money came from her job, even though you're joint on the accounts. The key is ownership of the funds, not whose name is on the account. A few additional tips from our experience: - Keep all her pay stubs and bank statements showing the deposits from her employer, just in case you get selected for verification - When you file in December, make sure to have the exact account balances from that specific day - they don't want estimates or averages - Consider timing any legitimate expenses (like college application fees or senior year costs) before you file, since the FAFSA only captures the balance on the day you submit At $3,800, you're looking at roughly a $760 potential impact on aid eligibility (20% assessment), but honestly the bigger priority is filing early when the application opens to secure any limited state or institutional aid. Missing out on grants because you filed late would cost way more than trying to minimize a few hundred dollars in asset assessment. Good luck with the process - sounds like you're well-prepared!