Can't reach FAFSA? Claimyr connects you to a live FAFSA agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the FAFSA
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the FAFSA drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Update: I spent all evening comparing the applications side by side and found the problem! Somehow on my son's application, I accidentally entered our home value and mortgage in the "investments" section, which added about $150,000 in assets that shouldn't have been counted. No wonder his SAI was so much higher! I submitted a correction request and hopefully it will be processed soon. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions - you saved us potentially thousands in financial aid!
I'm so glad you found the issue! That's a very common mistake and explains the large SAI difference. One tip: corrections are taking 3-4 weeks to process currently, so follow up directly with the financial aid offices at the schools your children are considering. Many schools have procedures to review corrected information while waiting for the official update.
Thank you for that suggestion! I'll definitely reach out to their schools tomorrow to let them know about the correction so they don't make financial aid decisions based on the wrong information.
Wow, I'm so relieved you found the error! That's exactly the kind of mistake that would drive me crazy - accidentally putting home equity in the wrong section. The FAFSA interface can be really confusing about where different assets should go. Your story is a perfect example of why it's so important to double-check everything before submitting. I'm bookmarking this thread because I have twins who will be applying next year and this gives me a great checklist of things to watch out for. Thanks for sharing the solution!
This is such a helpful thread! As someone new to the FAFSA process (my oldest is just starting high school), I'm already feeling overwhelmed by how complex it seems. Reading about all the different places where mistakes can happen - dependency status, household size, asset categories - makes me realize I need to start learning about this stuff way before my kid is ready to apply. @Jade Lopez, I'm so glad you shared your experience and the solution! It really shows how important it is to go through everything line by line. I'm definitely going to save this thread for reference when my time comes.
Join the conversation
Hi everyone! As someone who's also navigating the Parent PLUS loan world for the first time, this thread has been incredibly educational. I just wanted to add that I called my loan servicer yesterday after reading all these comments, and they confirmed everything you've all shared - no prepayment penalties whatsoever on Parent PLUS loans! The representative also walked me through their online portal and showed me exactly where to find the "apply to principal only" option. It's actually pretty easy once you know where to look. One thing that surprised me was that they said I could even set up automatic extra payments to go directly to principal, which might be helpful for folks who want to chip away at the balance consistently rather than making one big lump sum payment. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to learn from people who have actually been through this process!
That's such great information about being able to set up automatic extra payments to principal! I hadn't even thought about that option but it makes so much sense for people who want to pay down the balance consistently over time. It's really encouraging to hear that you called and got such helpful guidance from your servicer - I was honestly a bit nervous about calling because I wasn't sure they'd be patient with all my questions as a first-time borrower. The fact that they walked you through the online portal is amazing. I think I'll do the same thing once we get closer to taking out the loans. Thanks for sharing your experience and for confirming everything everyone else has said about no prepayment penalties!
Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been. My son will be starting college in the fall and we're likely going to need Parent PLUS loans to bridge the gap between his financial aid package and the total cost. I had the same exact concern about prepayment penalties since we're hoping to pay them off quickly with some money from selling our current home when we downsize next year. Reading all these detailed experiences and tips from people who have actually gone through this process has been so reassuring! The advice about doing a test payment first, making sure to specify "apply to principal only" and "do not advance due date," and keeping detailed records is exactly what I needed to know. It's also great to hear from financial aid professionals confirming that there really are no penalties. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative community - it makes navigating this whole college financing process feel much less overwhelming!
Join the conversation
I'm in the exact same boat with three kids who will need FAFSA accounts! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. It sounds like Google Voice is definitely the way to go based on everyone's success stories. I'm curious though - for those who used Google Voice, did you run into any issues when it came time to actually submit the FAFSA applications, or did the phone numbers continue to work smoothly throughout the entire process? Also, has anyone had experience with what happens if you need to update or change information later - do the verification codes still come through reliably? Thanks for sharing all this information - it's so frustrating that families have to find workarounds for what should be a straightforward process!
I can share my experience from last year with Google Voice - the numbers worked perfectly throughout the entire FAFSA process! We didn't have any issues with verification codes during submission, and even when I had to make corrections later in the year, all the text messages came through reliably. The only thing I'd suggest is keeping the Google Voice app on your phone so you get notifications when verification codes come in, since sometimes they don't forward to your main number immediately. It really is frustrating that we have to jump through these hoops, but at least Google Voice makes it manageable for families with multiple kids!
Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been lurking and following this thread because I'm about to face this same issue with my twins next year! Thank you all SO much for sharing your experiences and solutions - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice that the official FAFSA site doesn't provide. The Google Voice solution sounds like the clear winner based on everyone's feedback. Quick question for those who successfully used it: when you set up the Google Voice numbers, did you need to provide a backup/forwarding number, or can they work completely standalone? I want to make sure I understand the setup process before I dive in. This community has been incredibly helpful!
Join the conversation
I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My FAFSA has been stuck on "In Process" for about 3 weeks and I was starting to panic about missing deadlines. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that the processing times were this extended across the board this year. The advice about contacting schools directly with your confirmation number is brilliant. I just checked and I still have my original submission email from when we completed everything. It's such a relief to know that schools can see we submitted on time even without the SAI calculation being finished yet. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in this!
I'm so glad this thread helped you too! It's amazing how much stress this whole process causes when you don't know what's normal. I was literally losing sleep over it until I found these responses. The confirmation email is definitely key - I'm going to make sure to mention that specific submission date when I contact my schools. It's reassuring to know that so many people are going through the exact same thing and that schools are being understanding about the delays. Hopefully we'll all get our SAI calculations soon!
I'm experiencing the exact same thing! My FAFSA has been stuck on "In Process" for almost 4 weeks now and I was getting really anxious about it. This thread has been so helpful - I had no idea that these extended processing times were happening to so many people this year. The advice about contacting schools directly with your confirmation information is really smart. I just dug up my original submission email and I'm going to reach out to my top choice schools tomorrow to let them know I submitted on time but am still waiting for the SAI calculation. It's such a relief to know that schools can see we submitted even without the final processing being complete. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and advice - it really helps to know we're all dealing with the same frustrating delays!
Finnegan Gunn
As someone who just went through this process myself, I wanted to add that you can also check your school's net price calculator or financial aid estimator tools - sometimes they'll show a more detailed breakdown of expected loan types based on your financial profile. Also, if you're having trouble reaching your financial aid office by phone, try emailing them with your specific student ID and ask for your "Direct Loan allocation between subsidized and unsubsidized amounts." In my experience, they respond faster to emails with specific requests than general phone calls. The key is being very specific about what information you need!
0 coins
NebulaNomad
•That's really helpful advice about being specific in emails! I'm also new to this whole process and it's overwhelming trying to figure out all the different types of aid. The tip about using the net price calculator is great - I didn't even know schools had those tools available. It seems like there are so many different places to check for information (school portal, award letters, studentaid.gov, net price calculators) that it's easy to miss important details. Thanks for sharing your experience!
0 coins
Mei Chen
Adding to this helpful thread - I work as a financial aid counselor and see this confusion all the time! One quick tip: if your school uses a student portal system like Banner, PeopleSoft, or similar, look for sections labeled "Financial Aid," "Awards," or "Aid Year Summary." Sometimes the subsidized/unsubsidized breakdown is hidden in a sub-menu or requires you to click on the loan amount itself to see details. Also, many schools send award letters in waves, so if you submitted your FAFSA recently, your detailed breakdown might still be processing. Don't hesitate to ask your financial aid office for a timeline on when your official award letter will be available - they should be able to give you a specific date!
0 coins