<p>NewHope, I’m not an expert on trusts and have not filed for FAFSA. I think you are generally correct, but I know of one case in which the trust does not get its own SS#. My mother set up what is known as a beneficiary defective trust for me, my wife and our progreny. The “beneficiary defective” part means that the trust is attached to my SS# and does not, I believe, have its own. It is me for tax purposes but not control purposes. It means that I can sell an asset to the trust with no taxable consequence. But, I recall that a pro rata portion of it would probably have had to be declared for FAFSA purposes as belonging to each kid.</p>