Hey Rajiv! I'm dealing with something similar right now - my school is also being super slow with processing my dependency override. What I've learned from going through this mess is that you absolutely need to create a paper trail ASAP. Since you don't have that verbal approval in writing, I'd suggest sending a follow-up email today that says something like "Hi [Advisor Name], I wanted to follow up on our meeting on [date] when you confirmed my dependency override was approved and told me everything was 'good to go.' I notice my student portal still shows dependent status - could you please provide an update on when this will be processed and confirm the approval in writing?" Also, if you can't get through by phone tomorrow, definitely go in person. Bring a folder with copies of ALL your dependency override documentation - every form, every piece of evidence you submitted. Sometimes they "lose" things or claim they never received stuff. Having your own copies shows you're organized and makes it harder for them to brush you off. You've got this! The squeaky wheel gets the grease with financial aid offices.

I went through this exact situation two years ago and it was absolutely terrifying! My dependency override took 6 weeks to process even though they told me it would be done in 2-3 weeks. The good news is that you WON'T lose your financial aid as long as your FAFSA was submitted by the deadline. Here's what saved me: I started documenting EVERYTHING. I kept a log of every phone call (date, time, who I spoke to, what they said), every email, every in-person visit. When I finally escalated to the financial aid director with this documentation, things moved very quickly. Also, if your school has a student ombudsman or student advocate office, contact them too! They can sometimes put pressure on departments that are being unresponsive. At my school, the ombudsman contacted financial aid on my behalf and suddenly my case became a "priority." Don't give up - dependency overrides are processed after deadlines ALL THE TIME. The system is set up to handle these situations, even though it's incredibly stressful when you're in the middle of it. Keep pushing and document everything!

I'm a high school senior going through the FAFSA process right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I was literally googling "FAFSA parent spouse confusion" and found this discussion. It's so validating to see that I'm not the only one who got tripped up by this wording. My parents have been married for 18 years and I kept thinking there was some trick question I was missing. Reading through everyone's explanations, especially about how the form needs to work for all different family structures, really clarifies why they word it this way. I'm going to list my mom as Parent 1 since she handles most of our family's financial paperwork, and my dad as the spouse. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion - you've saved me from a lot of unnecessary stress!

As someone who just went through this process with my twin daughters, I can definitely confirm what everyone else is saying - the order doesn't matter at all! I was initially confused too because I thought there might be some strategic advantage to putting the higher or lower earner first, but after speaking with multiple financial aid officers at different schools, they all confirmed that the FAFSA algorithm treats both parents' information equally regardless of the order. We ended up listing my wife as Parent 1 just because she had her tax documents more organized, but it truly could have been either of us. The key thing is just making sure all the information you enter is accurate - SSNs, income figures, asset values, etc. Don't let the confusing terminology stress you out too much - you're definitely on the right track by asking for clarification!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a new student going through my first FAFSA process and was terrified I'd accidentally mess something up by looking at the wrong form. It's reassuring to know that this is a common glitch and that viewing a processed application won't actually affect your aid. The FAFSA system really needs better user interface design - it shouldn't be this stressful for students to navigate! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, especially the official confirmation from FSA.

I'm a parent who just went through this exact same panic with my daughter's FAFSA! She was comparing her 24-25 form while working on her 25-26 application for grad school, and the same thing happened - status switched to "In Progress" just from viewing it. I immediately called our college's financial aid office thinking we'd somehow messed up her aid package. The counselor laughed and said they see this complaint almost daily now. She explained that once your FAFSA data is processed and sent to schools, that data is locked in their systems regardless of what the status shows on studentaid.gov. The "In Progress" display is just a frontend glitch that doesn't communicate back to the schools. Really wish the Department of Education would fix this bug since it's causing so much unnecessary stress for families!

I'm so glad you posted this question because I was literally dealing with the same worry last month! My daughter's dad claimed her on his 2023 taxes even though she lives with me 90% of the time and I pay for her housing, food, medical expenses, etc. I called the financial aid office at her college and they said this happens ALL the time - like multiple times per day they get calls about this exact situation. The person I spoke with explained that FAFSA dependency has absolutely nothing to do with tax dependency. What matters is who provides the most financial support and where your daughter actually lives. Since you're clearly the custodial parent providing the majority of support, you're 100% supposed to be the one filling out the FAFSA. Don't stress about it - the system is designed to handle these common custody arrangements!

I just want to add my voice to all the reassurance you're getting here! I'm a parent who went through this exact situation two years ago with my daughter. Her father claimed her on his taxes due to our divorce agreement, but she lived with me full-time and I covered all her living expenses. I was absolutely panicking thinking I'd somehow mess up her financial aid eligibility. But everyone here is right - tax dependency and FAFSA dependency are completely separate! The financial aid counselor at my daughter's school told me they see this scenario constantly and it's built into how the system works. Just answer all the questions honestly about where she lives and who provides her support. Since you're clearly the custodial parent, you're doing everything correctly. My daughter got excellent aid and we never had any issues with the application. Trust me, you're not alone in this situation and you're handling it exactly right!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My daughter's FAFSA has been showing the "couldn't calculate SAI" message for 6 days now and I was starting to panic about all the upcoming deadlines. Reading everyone's experiences has been so reassuring - it sounds like 8-12 days is pretty typical this year, which gives me hope that ours will resolve soon too. I had no idea about checking both the parent and student portals separately - that's such a useful tip! Also definitely going to contact her school's financial aid office tomorrow to explain the situation and see if they can extend any deadlines or provide a preliminary aid estimate while we wait. The advice about being proactive with the schools instead of just waiting helplessly has been a game changer for my stress level. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timeline - it's so comforting to know we're not alone in this mess and that it does eventually work out!

I'm so glad I found this thread! We're currently on day 4 of the "couldn't calculate SAI" error and I was starting to really worry. My son's first choice school has a housing deposit deadline in 2 weeks and I've been losing sleep over not knowing what our aid package will look like. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - it sounds like 5-12 days is pretty normal this year, which gives me hope that we'll get resolution soon. I'm definitely going to try the suggestions about checking his student portal separately from my parent portal, and I think I'll call the school tomorrow to explain the FAFSA delay and ask about possibly extending the housing deposit deadline. It's such a relief to know this is a widespread processing issue and not something wrong with our application specifically. Thank you to everyone who shared their timelines and advice - this community has been a lifesaver during such a stressful time!