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I'm a newcomer to this whole FAFSA process with my oldest heading to college next year, and this thread has been incredibly reassuring! We submitted our FAFSA in late November and have been getting those same automated "Submit your FAFSA now!" emails from every single school on her list. As a first-time parent, I was convinced we'd missed some crucial step or done something wrong. But seeing that even families who submitted early are experiencing the exact same delays makes me feel so much better. I just logged into studentaid.gov and confirmed ours shows "Processed" with our SAI, so at least I know we're in the system correctly. I love the spreadsheet idea for tracking communications with each school - that's definitely going on my to-do list for this weekend. And I feel much more confident about calling the financial aid offices directly now that I understand this is a known system-wide issue rather than something specific to our application. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise here. This community is such a lifesaver for those of us navigating this process for the first time!
Welcome to the club of stressed-out first-time FAFSA parents! I'm in the exact same boat with my daughter - submitted in December and getting those same panic-inducing automated emails from every school. This thread has been such a godsend for understanding that we're all dealing with the same Department of Education processing delays. The spreadsheet tracking system is definitely the way to go - I started mine yesterday and it's already helping me feel more organized and less overwhelmed. And yes, definitely call the financial aid offices directly! I called three of my daughter's schools today and they were all super understanding about the delays and confirmed they're extending deadlines because of the FAFSA issues. It's such a relief to find other parents going through this exact situation. Good luck with your calls to the schools - you've got this!
I'm a newcomer to this community and this whole FAFSA process with my first child heading to college! This thread has been such a lifeline - we submitted our FAFSA in early December and I've been absolutely panicking seeing those "Submit your FAFSA now!" emails flooding in from every single school on my son's list. Reading through everyone's experiences here has given me so much peace of mind. I was convinced we'd somehow messed up a critical step, but now I understand this is a widespread issue with the new FAFSA system rollout. Just checked studentaid.gov and ours shows "Processed" with our SAI, which is reassuring to know we're in the system correctly. I'm definitely implementing that spreadsheet tracking system this weekend to stay organized with all the school communications, and I feel much more confident about calling each financial aid office directly now that I know this is a known system-wide delay rather than user error. Thank you to everyone who's shared their knowledge and experiences here - it's incredibly helpful for us first-time parents trying to navigate this confusing process!
Welcome to the community! I'm also a first-time FAFSA parent and was feeling exactly the same panic when those automated emails started coming in. This thread has been such a relief - it's amazing how much better you feel when you realize it's not just you! I submitted ours in late November and am dealing with the exact same situation. The spreadsheet idea really is genius for staying organized - I started mine yesterday and it's already helping me feel more in control of the process. One thing I learned from calling a couple schools is that their financial aid staff are being really understanding about these delays and many are proactively extending their deadlines. So at least we know the schools are aware of what's happening with the Department of Education's processing issues. Good luck with your calls to the financial aid offices - you're definitely not alone in this!
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Just wanted to add my experience - we went through this exact same thing last year with my son! The EST amounts stayed on his portal for about 6 weeks, but once he completed all the verification requirements and submitted his final transcript, everything became final within a few days. The actual amounts ended up being within $200 of the estimates, so pretty close. One tip: screenshot or print those estimated amounts now so you can compare later if anything changes significantly. Also, don't forget that even after the EST is removed, you'll still need to formally accept or decline each type of aid in the portal before the money actually gets disbursed to your daughter's account. Good luck!
This is really helpful advice! I'm definitely going to screenshot everything now - that's such a smart idea to have a record for comparison. And good to know about the formal acceptance step too. I think we were assuming the aid would just automatically apply once everything was finalized. Thanks for sharing your experience - it gives me hope that our amounts will stay close to the estimates!
I'm new here but going through the exact same situation with my daughter's aid package! Reading through all these responses is so reassuring. We've been stressing about the EST amounts too, but it sounds like most people's estimates stayed pretty close to final. One question I have - does anyone know roughly how long after you complete all the verification requirements it takes for the EST to be removed? We're hoping to finalize our college budget soon and wondering if we should expect this to take weeks or months to resolve.
Welcome to the community! From what I've seen with my own kids and reading other posts here, once you submit all the verification documents, it typically takes about 1-3 weeks for the EST to be removed - assuming there are no issues with the paperwork. Some schools are faster than others though. My advice would be to call your daughter's financial aid office directly and ask for a timeline. They can usually give you a better estimate based on their current processing times and whether they're still waiting on anything specific from you. In the meantime, you could probably start budgeting with those estimated amounts since most people here seem to say the final numbers stayed pretty close!
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Just completed my FAFSA last week and wanted to share what finally clicked for me! I was getting hung up on the same thing - worried about double reporting. What helped me understand it was realizing that the FAFSA treats married parents as one financial unit when they file jointly. So when the form asks for "parent income," it's really asking for your household's total income, which is exactly what's on line 11 of your parents' joint 1040. Both parents still need FSA IDs to digitally sign (think of it like both parents signing a paper form), but you're only reporting one set of financial numbers because there's only one tax return. The system is actually pretty smart about preventing double-counting once you understand this logic!
This is such a great explanation! I love how you described it as treating married parents as "one financial unit" - that really helps clarify the concept. I was definitely overthinking it and getting stressed about messing up the SAI calculation. Your point about the FSA IDs being like digital signatures makes perfect sense too. It sounds like once you understand that basic logic, the rest of the form becomes much more straightforward. Thanks for sharing your recent experience!
As someone who works in financial aid, I can definitely confirm what everyone has shared here! The confusion around joint tax filing is one of the most common questions we get. You're absolutely right to be concerned about double-counting - that would indeed mess up your SAI calculation. One additional tip that might help: when you're filling out the FAFSA and it asks for parent information, pay attention to the specific wording of each question. You'll notice it says things like "What was your parents' adjusted gross income?" (plural "parents'" but asking for ONE number) rather than asking for each parent's individual AGI. This linguistic clue helps reinforce that you're entering household totals, not individual amounts. Also, keep all your documentation handy even after submitting - if your FAFSA gets selected for verification (which happens to about 1 in 3 applications), you'll need to provide supporting documents that match exactly what you entered. Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, as others mentioned, can really help with this!
Thank you so much for the professional insight! The tip about paying attention to the wording ("parents'" vs individual parent questions) is really helpful - I hadn't noticed that detail but it makes total sense. It's reassuring to know this is such a common question and that I'm not the only one who found it confusing. I feel much more confident now about completing the FAFSA correctly. The verification process sounds a bit intimidating, but at least now I know to keep all our tax documents organized just in case. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to help explain this!
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Hey Malik! Just wanted to add some reassurance - you're actually in a really good position with that negative SAI! I'm a financial aid counselor and see this all the time. That -1079 puts your daughter in the highest need category, which means schools will prioritize her for their best aid packages. A few quick tips: - Don't panic about the savings account impact - at your income level, it likely only reduced your Pell by a few hundred dollars max - Schools typically release aid packages 2-4 weeks after acceptance letters - If you get a lowball offer from a school she really wants to attend, you can always appeal with documentation of your circumstances The fact that you're being so proactive about understanding this process shows you're doing everything right. Your daughter is going to have good options!
Thank you so much Paolo! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been losing sleep over this thinking we'd have no options, but everyone here has been so helpful in explaining how this actually works. It's reassuring to hear from someone who works in financial aid that we're in a good position. I feel much more confident about waiting for those award letters now instead of panicking. Really appreciate you taking the time to explain this!
Don't worry, you're definitely not alone in feeling confused by this process! I went through the same panic last year with my son. That negative SAI is actually fantastic news - it means your daughter will be prioritized for need-based aid at every school she applied to. One thing I learned the hard way: make sure you respond quickly to any requests for additional documentation from the schools' financial aid offices. Some schools wanted tax transcripts, verification worksheets, or other forms even though we'd already submitted FAFSA. The faster you get those back to them, the sooner you'll get your aid packages. Also, don't be afraid to negotiate! If one school offers significantly more aid than another, you can contact the financial aid office of your daughter's preferred school and ask them to reconsider their offer. Many schools will match or come close to matching better offers from comparable institutions. You're doing great advocating for your daughter - that negative SAI is going to open doors for her!
This is such great advice, Anna! I had no idea we could negotiate or that schools might ask for additional documentation after FAFSA. I'll definitely keep an eye out for any follow-up requests and respond quickly. The idea of being able to negotiate between offers is really encouraging too - I never would have thought to do that! Thanks for sharing your experience, it's helping me feel so much more prepared for this whole process.
Malik Davis
I'm just starting to navigate this process for my younger brother and reading through all these responses is both helpful and terrifying! It's crazy that in 2025 we're still dealing with such basic technical issues on a government website that millions of students depend on. I'm bookmarking all these suggestions - the Microsoft Edge in InPrivate mode, trying late evening hours, using a simple password, and creating a new Gmail account seem like the most promising solutions. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and workarounds! @Amara Nnamani - I really hope one of these solutions works for you tonight. Please update us if you find success with any particular method!
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Misterclamation Skyblue
•This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm also dealing with FAFSA issues for my daughter and had no idea where to start. It's really frustrating that families have to crowdsource solutions for what should be a straightforward government process. The fact that so many people are experiencing the exact same technical problems really shows how broken the system is. Definitely going to try the Edge InPrivate mode trick first since that seems to have worked for several people here. Thanks for compiling all the suggestions in one place!
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Zoe Walker
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this nightmare! As someone who just went through the FAFSA process with my oldest daughter last year, I can totally relate to the frustration. The system seems to get worse every year instead of better. One thing that worked for us when we had similar button issues was completely disabling our antivirus software temporarily while creating the account. I know it sounds scary, but sometimes those security programs interfere with government websites. We used Norton and had to turn off the "Safe Web" feature specifically. Also, if you haven't tried yet, use your son's full legal name EXACTLY as it appears on his Social Security card - not any nicknames or shortened versions. The system is incredibly picky about name matching. I really hope you get this resolved soon. The stress of dealing with broken government websites on top of college application deadlines is just awful. Hang in there!
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