One single mistake can wipe out an entire year of Pell Grant + state aid
- Waiting until after your state priority deadline
- Listing the richer parent when divorced/separated
- Forgetting to exclude your small family farm or business
- Reporting grandparent 529 plans (they’re invisible now)
- Leaving retirement contributions blank (they no longer count)
- Using 2025 income instead of 2024 tax data
- Not creating an FSA ID early (delays everything)
- Skipping the IRS Direct Data Exchange
- Reporting home equity (100 % exempt)
- Putting savings in the student’s name (20 % penalty)
- Missing the contributor invite email
- Not appealing for Special Circumstances (job loss, medical)
- Assuming you make too much for aid (many $120k+ families now qualify)
- Only applying to one college (no leverage)
- Forgetting to verify identity (new requirement)
- Using last year’s login info (everyone needs new FSA ID)
- Reporting cash support as “zero” from non-custodial parent
- Not checking for state-specific forms (NY TAP, CA GPA, etc.)
- Filing corrections after September 2027 (too late)
- Trusting TikTok “hacks” instead of official rules
The average family who fixes just 3 of these mistakes
gains an extra $18,000–$32,000 in free money