Great advice everyone! Just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I went through this with my twins last year - create a simple document or spreadsheet with all your financial information (AGI, taxes paid, assets, etc.) before you start either FAFSA. This way you have one master reference that ensures you enter identical information for both children. I also included the dates I completed each section so I could track my progress. Made the whole process much smoother and eliminated any worry about inconsistent data entry!

As a parent who just went through this process, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - definitely submit your daughter's FAFSA parent portion now! Don't wait for your son. I made that mistake with my older two kids a few years back and almost missed priority deadlines. One thing I'll add that I learned the hard way: when you're filling out the household information, make absolutely sure you count your son as being "in college" for the 2025-26 academic year, even though he's currently just a sophomore in high school. The FAFSA is asking about the upcoming academic year (2025-26), not the current year. This is a common mistake that can cost families thousands in aid eligibility. Also, keep detailed notes of every number you enter - bank account balances, investment values, the exact date you're using for asset reporting, etc. When you do your son's FAFSA later, you'll want those figures to match exactly to avoid verification headaches.

One more tip - make sure you're filling out the 2025-2026 FAFSA if your daughter is starting college next fall. The application periods changed recently and some people are still filling out the wrong year's form!

I went through this exact same confusion when I filled out my son's FAFSA two years ago! The interface could definitely be clearer about this. Just to add to what everyone else has said - yes, it's the parent's birthdate in the parent section. One thing that helped me was to think of each section as literally being filled out BY that person. So the student section is as if your daughter is filling it out herself (her info), and the parent section is as if you're filling it out about yourself (your info). Also, if you're married and filing jointly, you'll need both parents' birthdates. Good luck with the application - you're doing great by being careful and asking questions!

Just wanted to add a helpful tip from my experience last year - if you have complicated investments like you mentioned, consider having your tax preparer create a summary sheet of all the schedules and forms you'll need for FAFSA. When I was filling out my son's application, I kept having to flip between different pages of our tax return to find specific line items the FAFSA was asking for. Having everything organized in advance made the process much smoother, especially since the new system can be glitchy and you don't want to spend extra time hunting for information while the application might time out on you.

Great advice about the summary sheet! Another tip I'd add is to make copies of your 2023 tax return and all schedules before you start the FAFSA application. I learned this the hard way when my computer crashed halfway through filling out my daughter's FAFSA last year and I had to start over. Having physical copies meant I could continue on a different device without having to dig through files again. Also, if you're like me and your spouse handles different parts of the finances, make sure both of you know where all the tax documents are stored - you never know who might end up being available to complete the application when it opens in October.

This is such a frustrating situation, but you're definitely not alone! The new FAFSA system has been causing these dramatic SAI jumps for so many families this year. Based on what you've shared about having a family business, that's very likely where the problem lies. The business valuation can have an enormous impact on your SAI calculation, and there are several ways it can go wrong in the system: 1. Business assets being double-counted (once as business value, again as personal assets) 2. Business income being treated as both taxed and untaxed income 3. The business net worth calculation including things it shouldn't (like equipment that's already depreciated) Before you spend hours on hold with FSA, I'd suggest downloading your detailed SAI calculation first and looking specifically at how they're treating your husband's consulting business. Compare what they have listed against what you actually reported. Also, definitely reach out to your daughter's schools NOW - don't wait for the correction to be processed. Most financial aid offices are aware of these FAFSA issues and will work with you if you're proactive about communicating the problem. You mentioned your income actually decreased, so this increase makes no sense. That alone should be grounds for both a FAFSA correction AND school appeals if needed. Stay persistent - I've seen too many families get this resolved to give up hope!

I went through almost the exact same thing last year! Our SAI jumped from 42k to 95k overnight and we were panicking. Turns out it was a business asset reporting issue - the system was counting my wife's small photography business assets twice in the calculation. Here's what worked for us: 1. Downloaded the detailed SAI breakdown (this was KEY - showed us exactly where the error was) 2. Called FSA using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above (honestly worth every penny to skip the hold times) 3. The agent found that business equipment was being counted as both business assets AND personal investments 4. Filed a correction that took about 2.5 weeks to process 5. Final SAI came back to 48k, very close to our original estimate The most important thing is to act fast and contact your daughter's schools immediately. We emailed all her top choices explaining the situation and asking for extended decision deadlines. Three out of four schools were totally understanding and held her spot while we fixed the FAFSA. Don't lose hope - the new system is buggy but these errors CAN be corrected. Focus on that business valuation section in your SAI breakdown - I bet that's where you'll find the problem!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I've been struggling with the exact same issue for my son's FAFSA - getting those infuriating "action required" messages with absolutely no specifics for almost 2 weeks now. Reading through everyone's experiences and solutions has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. I had no idea this was such a widespread problem with the 2025-26 application! I've been using Firefox and trying to submit during prime time hours, so I'm definitely going to try the Chrome browser and early morning timing suggestions. The tip about checking all SSNs and dates for tiny inconsistencies really resonates - it's exactly the kind of detail that would cause system flags but never get communicated clearly to us. I'm also planning to do that printable version line-by-line review that several people mentioned. What strikes me most is how many of us have been told by phone reps that "everything looks fine" while we're still getting error messages. That really highlights how broken the communication between the system and users is right now. Thanks to everyone for sharing your troubleshooting steps and workarounds - it gives me hope that we can actually get through this FAFSA nightmare! 🙏

As a newcomer here, I'm experiencing this exact same FAFSA nightmare! My daughter's application has been stuck with those vague "action required" messages for over two weeks now. I've called the helpline six times, waited hours on hold, and when I finally got through, they said everything appeared correct on their end - yet the errors persist! Reading through all these responses has been such a lifesaver. I had no idea about the browser compatibility issues (I've been using Safari) or the timing problems with peak hours. The suggestion about checking every single number for tiny inconsistencies really hits home - it's exactly the kind of detail that would trigger system flags but never get communicated to us clearly. I'm planning to try the Chrome browser switch, early morning submission timing, and that line-by-line printable version review that @Henrietta mentioned. The tip about contacting colleges directly is brilliant too - I never thought they might have received the application despite the error messages showing on our end. What frustrates me most is how this broken system is delaying financial aid packages when families need certainty for college planning. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions - it's reassuring to know we're not alone in this mess and that there are actual strategies that might work! 🤞