As someone brand new to the FAFSA world, I can't express how much this entire discussion has helped ease my anxiety! I'm going through this process for my first child and was having the exact same experience - I had our 2023 tax return, W-2s, and bank statements all organized and ready to input manually, but then the application never asked for those specific details. I kept thinking I must have accidentally skipped a section or that something was wrong with the website. Now I understand that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is supposed to handle all of that automatically when you give consent. It's actually pretty amazing that they've streamlined the process this way - no more worrying about transposing numbers incorrectly! I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on our studentaid.gov account for any error messages, but it's such a relief to know that what I experienced was normal. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories - this community is such a great resource for us newcomers!

As a newcomer to this whole FAFSA process, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly helpful discussion! I'm filling out my daughter's FAFSA right now and was having the exact same panic moment - I had our 2023 tax return printed out and ready, expecting to manually enter our AGI, taxes paid, and all those other numbers I'd been reading about in the preparation guides. When the application seemed to skip right over asking for those details, I was convinced I had somehow missed an entire section or that there was a glitch in the system. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief! Now I understand that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool automatically pulls our tax information when we consent to it, which actually makes so much more sense than having thousands of people manually typing in numbers and potentially making errors. I'm definitely going to keep monitoring our studentaid.gov account for any error messages or status changes like everyone mentioned. This community is such a valuable resource for those of us navigating FAFSA for the first time!

UPDATE: I was able to coordinate with my daughter and she logged in during her lunch break. The SAI was indeed only visible on her account (under the Student Aid Report section). She set me up as an authorized user but that still didn't give me access to see the SAI directly - she had to download the report and send it to me. For anyone else looking: The SAI appears as a number on the Student Aid Report (SAR). In our case, it was much lower than I expected based on our income, which is actually good news for aid purposes! Thanks everyone for your help.

Great to see you got it sorted out! Just wanted to add for future reference - the SAI can actually change if there are any corrections made to the FAFSA, so it's worth having your daughter check it periodically, especially if any of your financial information changes. Also, keep that SAR document safe - some schools might ask for a copy of it during their financial aid verification process. The lower SAI is definitely good news for potential aid eligibility!

As someone who just went through this exact process with my daughter's December graduation, I can't stress enough how important it is to stay organized and communicate early with ALL the relevant offices. One thing I didn't see mentioned yet is to also check if your son has any automatic bill pay set up for spring semester fees - we almost got charged for spring housing and meal plans because the automatic payment was still scheduled even though she graduated in December! Also, if he's planning to start working immediately after graduation, make sure he understands how his student loan grace period works with an early graduation date. The 6-month grace period starts from his actual graduation date in December, not the traditional May graduation date. This thread has been so helpful for everyone dealing with early graduation - it really shows how many details there are beyond just the basic FAFSA filing!

This thread has been absolutely incredible! As a parent just starting to navigate the FAFSA process for my son's December graduation, I had no idea there were so many considerations beyond just filling out the form normally. Reading through everyone's experiences has been like getting a masterclass in early graduation logistics. I'm definitely going to implement that timeline checklist approach and make sure to contact multiple offices (financial aid, scholarships, private loans if applicable) rather than assuming they all communicate with each other. The tips about automatic payments, grace periods, work-study prorating, and even potential fee refunds are all things I never would have thought of. It's both reassuring and a bit overwhelming to see how many details need coordination, but knowing that others have successfully navigated this gives me confidence we can too. Thank you everyone for being so generous with sharing your real-world experiences!

As a newcomer to college financial aid, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I had no idea refunds came each semester - I was honestly worried it was just a one-time thing and I'd have to somehow stretch that money across my entire college career. 😅 Reading through everyone's experiences, I'm definitely going to: 1. Set up direct deposit IMMEDIATELY 2. Call my apartment complex about splitting the deposit payment 3. Check if my school has that book voucher program mentioned earlier 4. Start tracking grants vs loans from day one for tax purposes One question I haven't seen addressed - if you end up not needing your full refund amount, is it better to return the loan portion right away, or is there any benefit to holding onto it for a few weeks in case unexpected expenses come up? I'm trying to be really careful about not taking on unnecessary debt, but I'm also nervous about returning money and then needing it later for something urgent. This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing such detailed, practical advice! It's exactly what anxious first-year students like me need to hear.

As someone who just went through this exact situation last semester, I can confirm that refunds definitely come each semester! The timing was actually pretty consistent for me - I got my fall refund about 10 days after classes started, and my spring refund came around the same timeframe. One thing that really helped me was calling the financial aid office and asking for the specific disbursement schedule for my school. They were able to tell me the exact dates when aid would hit my account and when refunds would be processed, which made planning SO much easier. For your apartment deposit situation, I'd definitely recommend being upfront with your landlord about the timing. I explained that I was waiting on financial aid, and they actually let me pay just the application fee upfront and then the full deposit once my refund came through. A lot of places near campus are used to working with students on this! Also, make sure you've set up direct deposit - I can't stress this enough! My roommate didn't have it set up and had to wait an extra two weeks for a paper check to arrive in the mail. The whole process is definitely confusing at first, but once you go through it once, you'll know exactly what to expect for future semesters. You've got this!

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my own daughter's FAFSA, I can't believe how broken this new system is! I had the exact same editing issue and was pulling my hair out. The mobile app trick saved me too - it's ridiculous that basic functionality only works on certain platforms. What really gets me is that they had years to get this right and we're all basically beta testing a broken system during one of the most stressful times for families. At least this community has been more helpful than any official support channel! For anyone still struggling, definitely try the mobile app and document everything as you go.

Just wanted to jump in as another newcomer who's been lurking and following this thread - this is exactly the kind of community support that makes all the difference! I'm dealing with FAFSA issues for my twin daughters and this mobile app workaround is a game changer. It's honestly shocking how much more helpful this discussion has been than hours spent with official support. The fact that basic editing functionality varies by platform is mind-boggling for such an important federal system. Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions and experiences - you're helping so many families navigate this broken rollout!