UPDATE: Problem solved! Dad checked and he had accidentally started the process from his 2024-2025 dashboard. He sent a new invitation from the correct 2025-2026 application, and now I can see and access the right form. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad to see this got resolved! This seems to be a really common issue this year. For anyone else running into this problem, the key takeaway is to make sure the parent starts from the correct year's application when sending the invitation. The FAFSA system doesn't seem to give clear error messages when there's a year mismatch, so it's easy to get stuck in the wrong application cycle. Definitely worth double-checking before spending hours troubleshooting!

one thing nobody mentioned! check if ur in verification!! if ur selected for verification that takes FOREEVERRR to process and u have to send in extra documents. my roomate got selected last year and it took like 2 extra months to get her aid package!! the late submission might make them pick u for verification so be prepared!

Hey Raul! I went through something super similar at Texas A&M last year - thought I had submitted my FAFSA but it was just saved as a draft for MONTHS. The panic is real, but you're going to be okay! Since you're meeting with UT Austin tomorrow, here's what helped me: bring a printed timeline showing when you started the application (those November screenshots you mentioned are GOLD), and emphasize that this was a genuine technical confusion, not procrastination. UT's financial aid office is actually pretty compassionate about these situations. Even though you missed the January 15th priority deadline, federal Pell Grant and loan eligibility doesn't have the same hard cutoffs. And UT often has institutional emergency grants for exactly these kinds of situations - definitely ask about those! One heads up: if your EFC/SAI comes back different than expected, double-check all your tax info entries. When I was rushing to resubmit, I made some data entry errors that caused delays later. You've got this - and honestly, dealing with this now in March is way better than discovering it in August when school starts!

Just to add a final point - if your nephew's biological father is contributing significantly to his education costs, that should be reported in the additional information section of the FAFSA or in a separate letter to each college's financial aid office. While it won't change the federal calculation, individual colleges may take it into account when awarding their institutional aid.

As someone who just went through this process with my own stepkid, I can confirm what others have said - it's definitely just the parent your nephew lives with most (his mom) plus her current spouse (stepdad). The FAFSA doesn't care about the biological father's income or his new wife's income in this situation. One thing I'd add is to make sure you have all the tax documents ready for both the mom AND stepdad before you start - you'll need their W-2s, tax returns, and bank statements. The process goes much smoother when you have everything in front of you rather than trying to hunt down documents mid-application. Good luck!

Update: I called the FSA office this morning (waited 45 minutes but finally got through). They added a note to my profile about the identity theft situation and gave me some specific instructions for when we file the FAFSA. They also suggested we request an extension from any schools with early financial aid deadlines just in case there are processing delays. Thank you all for your helpful advice!

So glad you were able to get through to FSA and get that note added to your profile! That was definitely the right first step. One thing I'd also recommend - keep detailed records of every phone call, reference number, and person you speak with throughout this process. With identity theft situations, sometimes information doesn't get passed along properly between different departments or agents. Having your own paper trail can save you from having to re-explain your situation multiple times. Also, if your son's FAFSA does get selected for verification (which sounds likely), respond to any requests immediately - even a few days delay can push you to the back of the processing queue. Wishing you and your son the best of luck with this whole process!

Summarizing what everyone has said: 1. Only your mom is legally responsible to the Department of Education 2. The divorce court may create a separate agreement between your parents 3. For future FAFSAs, you'll report the parent you live with more (or who provides more support) 4. Your FAFSA SAI calculation will change if you're only reporting one parent's income instead of two I'd recommend having your mom login to studentaid.gov to confirm she's the only one on the loan and to understand her repayment options going forward.

I'm going through something similar with my parents' separation. One thing that helped me was getting everything in writing from my loan servicer about who's actually responsible. You can also check your mom's Federal Student Aid account to see all the loan details and payment history. The divorce might actually help with your future FAFSA if you end up reporting just one parent's income instead of both - could potentially increase your aid eligibility depending on their individual financial situations.