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I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been dealing with the exact same dependent section glitch for my 2025-2026 FAFSA. It's incredibly frustrating to see "No" dependents on the review page when I know I entered my twin boys' information correctly. Reading through all these responses has been a huge relief - especially knowing that the data is actually being saved even though the display is buggy. I'm going to try the page-flipping trick and clearing my browser cache like Sofia mentioned. It's reassuring to hear from someone in financial aid administration that this won't affect the actual SAI calculation. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions!
Welcome to the club of FAFSA frustration! Twin boys - that makes the stakes even higher since you have two dependents that need to be counted correctly. Definitely try the page-flipping and cache clearing combo that worked for Sofia. If you're still having issues after that, I'd recommend taking screenshots at each step like others mentioned. The technical explanation from Jace really put my mind at ease too - knowing it's just a display bug and not affecting the actual calculation makes this whole ordeal much less stressful!
This thread is a lifesaver! I'm having the exact same issue with my 2025-2026 FAFSA showing "No" dependents on the review page despite entering my daughter's information multiple times. Reading Jace's explanation about it being a display bug that won't affect the actual SAI calculation has given me so much peace of mind. I was literally losing sleep over this thinking my financial aid would be completely wrong. I'm going to try the page-flipping trick and cache clearing method that worked for Sofia, and definitely taking screenshots of everything as backup. It's amazing how much stress this community can help alleviate when dealing with these technical glitches!
I'm so relieved to find others dealing with this same nightmare! I've been stressing about this dependent glitch for weeks now. My son just turned 3 and I was terrified that not having him counted properly would mess up my entire financial aid package. After reading through everyone's experiences, I feel so much better knowing it's a widespread display issue and not something I'm doing wrong. I'm definitely going to try the page-flipping and cache clearing combo that's worked for others. It's incredible how much anxiety these technical bugs can cause when you're already dealing with the stress of applying for financial aid. Thank you all for sharing your solutions and especially to Jace for the technical explanation - it makes such a difference to understand what's actually happening behind the scenes!
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As a newcomer to this process, I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the detailed advice! My son will be applying for college next year and I had no idea where to start with FAFSA. The consensus seems clear: student creates FSA ID first, wait a day or two, then parent creates theirs with a different email. I'm taking notes on all the tips - different emails, matching names exactly to Social Security cards, checking spam folders, and having tax documents ready. This community is so helpful for navigating these confusing processes!
Welcome to the FAFSA journey! I'm in the exact same boat as you - my daughter is applying for college next fall and I was completely overwhelmed by where to start. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I feel so much more confident now knowing there's a clear roadmap: student first, wait a couple days, then parent with different email. Everyone here has been so generous with sharing their experiences and mistakes so we can avoid them. It's nice to know we're not alone in finding this process confusing at first!
Just want to echo what everyone else has said - student first is definitely the way to go! I went through this with my daughter last year and we made the mistake of trying to set up both accounts on the same day from the same computer. The system got confused and we ended up with verification issues that took almost a week to resolve. Second time around (learned our lesson!), we had her create her FSA ID on Monday, I waited until Wednesday to create mine, and everything worked perfectly. The waiting period really does seem to matter for the system to properly process everything. Also, pro tip: screenshot or write down the confirmation numbers you get during the FSA ID creation process - the support agents asked for these when we had to call about our initial issues. Good luck with your daughter's applications!
Thank you for sharing your experience with the timing issue! It's really helpful to know that waiting between creating the accounts makes such a difference. I hadn't thought about taking screenshots of confirmation numbers - that's a great tip that could save a lot of hassle if anything goes wrong. It sounds like you really learned from that first experience and were able to help your daughter succeed the second time around. I'll definitely make sure we space out our FSA ID creation and document everything along the way!
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I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare! My parent section has been "complete" for over a month but my student portal still shows it as incomplete. What's really frustrating is that I got a confirmation email when I originally submitted it, but now when I log into my FSA ID account, there's no trace of my daughter's application anywhere. I've tried all the browser clearing tricks and having her send new invitations, but nothing works. The "Get Started" button just throws an error every single time. I'm starting to panic because her college's financial aid deadline is next week and they keep sending emails about her incomplete FAFSA. Has anyone had success with calling the FSA helpline recently? I've been trying for days but can never get through. This whole rollout has been such a disaster - we never had these issues with the old FAFSA system!
I'm in the EXACT same situation! The disappearing application from the parent dashboard seems to be a common issue. Based on what others have shared here, try using that Claimyr service that @Christian Burns mentioned to get through to an FSA agent - it sounds like they need to manually fix something on their end. Also definitely email your daughter s'financial aid office immediately with screenshots of your original confirmation email. Many schools are extending deadlines for students affected by these FAFSA glitches, but you need to reach out proactively. Hang in there - it sounds like they re'working on a system-wide fix this weekend!
I'm experiencing the exact same issue! My daughter's FAFSA shows my parent section as incomplete even though I submitted and signed it over a month ago. What's really concerning is that like you, the application completely vanished from my FSA ID dashboard. I tried having her send me a new contributor invitation, but clicking "Get Started" just gives me error messages. I'm also worried because her college keeps sending reminders about the incomplete application and their priority deadline is coming up fast. It's so frustrating that we completed everything correctly but the system isn't recognizing it. Based on the helpful advice in this thread, I'm going to try contacting both the FSA helpline (hopefully using that callback service mentioned) and my daughter's financial aid office directly. Has anyone heard if there's an estimated timeline for when this system-wide fix will actually resolve these parent section sync issues?
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this too! It's incredibly stressful when you've done everything right but the system isn't working. From what I've gathered from this thread, the disappearing application from the parent dashboard seems to be part of the bug - it doesn't mean your data is lost, just that there's a sync issue between parent and student portals. Regarding timeline, @Christian Burns mentioned that FSA is implementing a system-wide fix this weekend, so hopefully we ll'see improvements by Monday. In the meantime, definitely reach out to your daughter s'financial aid office ASAP with screenshots of your original completion confirmation - many schools are being flexible with deadlines for families affected by these FAFSA issues. I m'also planning to try that Claimyr callback service to actually get through to an FSA agent. We shouldn t'have to jump through all these hoops, but at least we know we re'not alone in this mess!
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I went through this exact same situation last year with our small hobby farm! Just wanted to add a couple things that might help: For the checking account balances - I ended up taking screenshots of our accounts on the day I filed the FAFSA and kept those for my records. Our financial aid office said that was perfect documentation if we got selected for verification. Also, if you're unsure about the "materially participate" requirement, the IRS definition is helpful - you need to work at least 100 hours per year OR 500 hours if it's your primary occupation. For most small ranch families like ours, the 100 hour threshold is pretty easy to meet between daily chores, maintenance, etc. One last tip: when I wasn't sure about something, I erred on the side of reporting it and then explained the situation in the "Additional Financial Information" section. Better to over-report and let the financial aid office sort it out than to accidentally under-report and get in trouble later! Good luck with your FAFSA - it's definitely confusing but you've got this!
This is so helpful, thank you! I never thought about taking screenshots of the account balances - that's a really smart way to document everything. And knowing about the 100-hour threshold makes me feel better since between feeding, fence repairs, and everything else we definitely hit that. The tip about using the "Additional Financial Information" section is great too - I was wondering where I could explain our situation if needed. Really appreciate all the practical advice!
I'm dealing with a very similar situation with our small ranch operation! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. Just wanted to share what our CPA told us when we were preparing for this year's FAFSA: He emphasized that the key distinction for the family farm exclusion is that you have to BOTH live on the property AND actively work it yourself (not just lease it out to someone else). Since you mentioned your husband handles the livestock while working his regular job, that definitely sounds like you qualify for the exclusion. For the farm checking account, we decided to include it in our liquid assets but made sure to note in the additional information section that it's exclusively for agricultural expenses with minimal balance. Our CPA said this shows transparency while still being accurate. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - if you do get selected for verification, having your Schedule F forms organized and ready to go makes the whole process much smoother. The financial aid office will want to see proof of your farming activity and that you actually live on the property. The whole process is definitely overwhelming when you're trying to balance farming life with college planning, but it sounds like you're asking all the right questions!
Tony Brooks
my brother had a similr SAI last year and ended up going to community college for 2 years to save money. now transferring to state university with way less debt. might be worth considering tbh
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Owen Jenkins
•We've definitely discussed the community college route! She's really hoping for the 4-year experience, but it's good to hear that your brother had a successful transfer. We'll keep it as an option depending on what the financial aid packages look like.
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Joy Olmedo
Don't get too discouraged! An SAI of 13061 actually puts you in a decent position for several aid programs. While you won't qualify for the maximum Pell Grant, you should still be eligible for subsidized student loans (which don't accrue interest while in school) and potentially some state aid in both California and Oregon. One thing I learned when my daughter went through this process is that the cost of attendance varies widely between schools, so your actual "need" will be calculated differently at each one. A UC school with a $35K cost of attendance will show much more need than a CSU at $25K, which could result in more institutional aid at the pricier school. Also, don't forget to apply for outside scholarships! Your SAI doesn't affect private scholarship eligibility, and even small ones ($500-1000) can add up. Fastweb and Scholarships.com are good starting points. The key is applying to many rather than just focusing on the big ones everyone knows about.
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Connor Gallagher
•This is really helpful perspective, thank you! I hadn't thought about how the different costs of attendance would actually work in our favor at more expensive schools. That's a great point about outside scholarships too - I was so focused on the FAFSA stuff that I forgot those aren't tied to our SAI at all. We'll definitely have her start applying to those smaller scholarships. Every bit helps!
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