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
As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this discussion! My daughter is also starting college this fall and I've been having the exact same concerns about her wanting to get a part-time job. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - especially learning about the income protection allowance and how the prior-prior year reporting works. I had no idea students could earn up to $7,600 without really impacting their aid! The advice about looking into work-study positions first is really valuable too. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when you hear from parents who've actually been through this process. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and expertise - this community is such a wonderful resource for navigating college financing!
Welcome to the community, Katherine! I'm also a newcomer here and this thread has been such a lifesaver. I was in the exact same boat - my son is starting college this fall and I was terrified about him getting a job affecting his aid. The $7,600 income protection allowance was news to me too! It's so comforting to see how many parents have successfully navigated this without any major issues. The work-study suggestion seems to be the consensus best option. Thanks for sharing - it's great to connect with other parents going through this for the first time!
As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly helpful! My daughter is starting her freshman year this fall and I've been wrestling with the same concerns about her wanting to work part-time. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so reassuring - especially learning about that $7,600 income protection allowance that I had no idea existed! The explanation about FAFSA using prior-prior year tax information really puts things in perspective too. It sounds like the key takeaways are to look into work-study positions first, keep good records of earnings, and not stress too much about reasonable part-time work affecting aid. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences - it's exactly what nervous parents like me need to hear!
Welcome to the community, Kristian! I'm also new here and this thread has been such a goldmine of information. Like you, I had no clue about the $7,600 protection allowance - that completely changes the game! It's so reassuring to see how many parents have successfully navigated this without major issues. The consensus seems to be that work-study is the way to go if possible, and that we're probably overthinking the risks. Thanks for adding your perspective - it's great to connect with other first-time college parents who are learning all this together!
Join the conversation
This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation but with a twist - my school's Summer 1 runs May-June and Summer 2 is July-August, so they actually cross that July 1st aid year boundary that someone mentioned. My financial aid office told me I'd need to submit TWO separate summer aid applications (one for each term) because they're technically in different aid years. Has anyone else dealt with this situation? I'm worried about the timing of everything and whether I'll have enough aid eligibility in both years to cover what I need. The whole thing seems unnecessarily complicated!
Oh wow, that's exactly what I was worried about! The July 1st cutoff thing is so confusing. I'm dealing with a similar timeline but my school treats all summer as one aid year. It sounds like you definitely need to be super organized with two separate applications. Have you checked if you'll have enough remaining eligibility in your current aid year for Summer 1? And then for Summer 2 in the new aid year, you'd get fresh annual limits right? That might actually work in your favor if you're running low on current year aid. I'd definitely ask them about the timing - like when Summer 2 aid gets processed and disbursed since it's technically the new aid year. This whole system is way too complicated for something so important!
The July 1st aid year crossover can actually work in your favor! I dealt with this exact situation last year. Yes, you'll likely need two separate applications, but here's the silver lining: for Summer 1 (May-June), you use whatever's left from your current aid year limits. Then for Summer 2 (July-August), you get access to fresh annual limits from the new aid year - so even if you're tapped out for Summer 1, you might have full eligibility again for Summer 2. The key is timing your applications correctly. Submit your Summer 1 application ASAP since you're working with remaining current-year funds. For Summer 2, you might need to wait until closer to July 1st when the new aid year officially starts, but ask your financial aid office about their specific timeline. Also double-check if your school requires a new FAFSA for the upcoming aid year (2025-2026) to be processed before they can award Summer 2 aid. Some schools are stricter about this than others. The complexity is annoying but manageable if you stay organized!
This is really reassuring to know it can work out! I'm definitely going to submit my Summer 1 application this week since time is running short. Quick question - when you say I might need to wait until closer to July 1st for the Summer 2 application, do you mean I should wait until after July 1st or just closer to that date? I'm worried about missing deadlines if I wait too long, but I also don't want to submit too early if they can't process it yet. Also, do you remember if your Summer 2 aid disbursed on time for the start of classes, or was there a delay because of the new aid year processing? I really need both terms to work out for my graduation timeline!
Join the conversation
As someone who works in higher education, I see this confusion ALL the time! You're definitely not alone in this experience. The key thing to remember is that financial aid is processed in stages: 1) FAFSA determines your federal eligibility, 2) Schools receive that data and create your complete package, and 3) The verification process (if selected) can delay everything. Based on what you've shared about your family income, you should absolutely qualify for significant Pell Grant funding. The fact that you're seeing $5,500 in loans suggests your FAFSA was processed correctly - that's the standard first-year undergraduate loan amount. Since you mentioned you completed verification documents 3 weeks ago, I'd definitely recommend calling your school's financial aid office tomorrow. Ask specifically about: your verification status, expected timeline for your complete aid package, and what federal/institutional grants you might be eligible for based on your SAI score. Keep us updated on how it goes - your experience will definitely help other students going through the same thing!
This is so helpful to see from someone who works in higher education! I'm actually in a very similar situation to Chris - single parent household, low income, but only seeing loans on my portal. Reading through this whole thread has been incredibly reassuring. I was starting to think I'd messed up my FAFSA somehow, but it sounds like the verification delay is pretty normal this year. I'm going to call my school's financial aid office tomorrow and ask those specific questions you mentioned. Thanks for breaking down the process so clearly!
This thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - submitted my FAFSA back in January, got selected for verification, sent all my documents in February, and I'm still only seeing the $5500 loan amount with no grants showing up anywhere. My family's income is around $42,000 and I'm also from a single-parent household, so I was really expecting to see some Pell Grant money by now. Reading everyone's experiences here has made me realize I need to stop stressing about the federal portal and actually call my school directly. I've been checking studentaid.gov obsessively thinking something was wrong with my application, but it sounds like that's not even where the full package shows up anyway! Chris, I'm so glad you got your situation resolved - hearing that you're getting $6,800 in Pell Grant money gives me hope that mine might work out similarly once the verification is complete. I'm definitely calling my financial aid office first thing Monday morning. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and advice - this community is amazing for helping navigate all this confusion!
I'm so glad this thread has been helpful for you too! It's honestly such a relief to know that so many of us are going through the exact same thing. I was feeling like I was the only one who was confused by this whole process. Your income level sounds very similar to mine, so you should definitely qualify for a good amount of Pell Grant funding once your verification gets processed. The waiting is definitely the hardest part - I was checking my portal like 10 times a day! Calling the financial aid office really made all the difference. They were able to give me a clear timeline and even an estimate of what my aid package would look like once everything was finalized. Don't worry about bothering them - they deal with these questions all the time, especially during this time of year. Good luck with your call on Monday, and I hope you get great news about your aid package soon! Keep us posted on how it goes!
Join the conversation
Welcome to the community! As someone who's also navigating the graduate school financial aid process for the first time, this thread has been absolutely invaluable. I had no clue that graduate students automatically qualify as independent status regardless of age, living situation, or marital status - what a relief! I'm curious about one practical aspect that might be helpful for your daughter's planning: when she submits her 2025-26 FAFSA as an independent graduate student, will she need to estimate her income for the year, or does the FAFSA use prior-prior year tax information like it does for undergraduates? Since she'll likely have minimal income as a student compared to your family's $175k, understanding how her income gets calculated on the FAFSA could help with planning. Also, I noticed several people mentioned checking with the specific Masters program about institutional aid deadlines and requirements. Has your daughter's program provided any guidance about their typical financial aid timeline, or are you still in the information-gathering phase? It sounds like being proactive about departmental scholarships and assistantships could make a huge difference in the overall funding picture. Thanks for starting this discussion - it's been incredibly educational for everyone navigating similar situations!
Welcome to the community! Great question about the income reporting. For the 2025-26 FAFSA, your daughter will actually use her 2023 tax year information (prior-prior year), just like the undergraduate FAFSA system. So if she had minimal earnings in 2023 as a student, that would work in her favor for aid calculations. However, since graduate students primarily qualify for unsubsidized loans rather than need-based grants, her low income might not dramatically change her aid package - but it's still good for the overall financial picture! As for the program timeline, I'd definitely recommend reaching out to the accounting department sooner rather than later. Many of the best assistantship and fellowship opportunities have early deadlines, sometimes even before general admission deadlines. The department might also have insights about which funding sources are most realistic for incoming students. This discussion has been so helpful for all of us figuring out graduate school funding!
Welcome to the community! As someone who's new to the graduate school financial aid process, this entire thread has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. I had no idea that graduate students automatically qualify as independent status on the FAFSA - that's such crucial information that seems to get overlooked in a lot of general financial aid discussions! Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has really highlighted how different graduate school funding is compared to undergraduate aid. The insights about assistantships, professional organization scholarships, and the importance of reaching out directly to departments have been particularly valuable. It's clear that successful graduate school funding requires a much more proactive and multi-faceted approach than just relying on federal aid. One thing that strikes me about your daughter's situation is how well-timed everything seems to be working out. Getting married in July means she'll have her independent status clearly established, and transitioning from finance to accounting opens up those specialized professional scholarships that others have mentioned. Plus, starting immediately after her Bachelor's means she can hit the ground running with assistantship applications. Thank you for asking these questions and creating such an informative discussion. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complex financial aid waters. Best wishes to your daughter for both her upcoming wedding and Masters program!
Butch Sledgehammer
This is such a valuable thread for anyone navigating student loans! As someone who works in college financial planning, I see students make this exact mistake all the time - getting lured in by private lenders' initial low rates without understanding the long-term risks. What really stands out to me is how many people here have shared real experiences of variable rates doubling or tripling after graduation. That 4.3% Sallie Mae rate Isabella was offered could easily become 8-10% in a few years, making that federal 5.5% fixed rate look like a bargain. The pandemic really exposed the difference too - federal borrowers got automatic relief while private borrowers were left hanging. Isabella made the absolutely right choice prioritizing federal loans and work-study. For anyone else reading this: exhaust ALL federal options (grants, work-study, subsidized loans, then unsubsidized) before even considering private loans. And if you do need private loans, shop around and read the fine print carefully - not all private lenders are created equal, though none offer the protections of federal loans.
0 coins
Oliver Schulz
•This is exactly the kind of professional insight that's so helpful! As someone just starting to navigate all this, it's really reassuring to hear from someone who works in financial planning confirm what everyone else has been saying. The point about variable rates potentially doubling or tripling really hits home - I never would have thought to ask about rate caps or how high they could go. It's also smart advice about exhausting ALL federal options first, including work-study. I'm definitely going to remember to ask about rate projections and read all the fine print if I ever have to consider private loans down the road. Thank you for the professional perspective and for emphasizing how important it is to shop around if private loans become necessary!
0 coins
Dylan Baskin
Coming in late to this conversation but wow, what an educational thread! As someone who just submitted my FAFSA and is starting to get financial aid packages back, this discussion has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea about the difference between fixed and variable rates, or that private loan rates could potentially double after graduation. The real-world experiences people have shared here about Sallie Mae rates jumping from 4% to 8-9% are honestly shocking - that's not something you see in their marketing materials! Isabella, you definitely dodged a bullet by choosing federal loans first. I'm bookmarking this thread to reference when I get my own aid package. One question though - for those who mentioned income-driven repayment plans, do you have to apply for those separately after graduation, or are they automatically offered? This whole process feels so overwhelming but threads like this make it much more manageable. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences so openly!
0 coins
Diego Chavez
•Great question about income-driven repayment plans! You do need to apply for them separately - they're not automatic. You can apply through your federal loan servicer's website or studentaid.gov after you graduate (or even while you're still in school if you have loans in repayment). There are several options like Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Income-Driven Repayment (IDR), and you'll need to recertify your income annually to stay on the plan. The application process is pretty straightforward though - you just provide your tax information and they calculate what your payment should be based on your income and family size. Definitely something to look into once you're getting close to graduation!
0 coins