The Act allows 529 distributions to pay back student loans and may give grandparents a new way to take advantage of their savings. …

Retirement savings are not reported on the FAFSA, but they are reported on the CSS Profile, meaning they could potentially affect your financial aid offer at certain schools. …

We provide tips on how you should file the FAFSA, who you should contact at the colleges you are applying to, which loans you can borrow, and what scholarships to apply for. …

Question topics include work-study, other real estate, legal guardianship, savings bonds, loan interest rates, businesses, parent credit, and transgender students…

Mistakes include missing a school's deadline, putting parent info in the student section, using a nickname, forgetting to add schools, and using the wrong Social Security number.…

Topics include completing financial aid applications, getting an FSA ID, who requires the CSS Profile, applying for financial aid without an SSN, who should complete the financial aid applications, the affect of 529 accounts, the financial aid timeline, SAI Calculators, & helpful websites. …

Items needed include an FSA ID, a College Board username and password, a list of colleges where the student is applying, Social Security numbers, W-2 form(s), and untaxed income records. …

We discuss work study, the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, how scholarships affect financial aid, subsidized vs unsubsidized loans, Federal Direct Loan limits and interest rates, MA state aid, and how to use your college savings funds. …

If parents are U.S. citizens living abroad, they can still create an FSA ID, but will need to convert income and assets into U.S. dollars. If parents are not U.S. citizens, they will not be able to create an FSA ID and will need to print out the signature page and mail it to the address indicated. …

Learn how to file the FAFSA (where only one parent will provide information), how to file the CSS Profile (where both parents usually provide information), and what to do on the CSS Profile if the other parent is not available. …