u should DEF file those taxes ASAP!!! my cousin got the pell grant and then they did that verification thing 6 months later and she had to pay back ALL THE MONEY because her dad hadn't filed taxes or something. it was a nightmare for her!!

To answer your question about future aid: Yes, issues with verification can affect future aid eligibility. If a student has to return funds due to verification problems, they may be flagged in the system, which can delay or complicate future aid processing. It can also potentially affect Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements if the financial adjustments impact enrollment status. This is why it's crucial to maintain accurate and complete financial documentation for the entire period you're receiving aid.

Something else to consider: some colleges actually look at your FAFSA information as part of their admissions decision process! It's not supposed to affect your chances of admission, but it can indicate your level of interest in the school. Plus, some schools want to make sure they can provide adequate financial aid before accepting students who might not be able to afford to attend.

UPDATE: Thank you all for the advice! I checked my schools' financial aid websites and found that 3 of them have priority deadlines in February. I sat down with my parents this weekend and we submitted my FAFSA. It actually wasn't as complicated as we feared (the IRS data transfer tool made the tax part super easy). I'm so glad I asked here instead of just listening to my mom about waiting! Will update again when I start getting aid packages.

I'm just waiting for the old FAFSA to come back. This new system is ridiculous and I've had it with all these technical issues. My daughter might miss out on thousands in aid because their stupid system can't handle basic tax information. How are families supposed to plan when the most basic functionality doesn't work?!!

Quick update on this issue: The Department of Education just announced they're aware of this IRS Data Retrieval Tool problem and are working on a fix. They're estimating it will be resolved in the next system update on June 14th. However, if you have pressing deadlines, I still recommend manually entering your information rather than waiting.

My cousin works in financial aid at a university and she said they're seeing tons of similar problems with the new FAFSA system. She said always save PDFs of everything you submit!!! Even if it seems to go through ok.

UPDATE: We successfully created a new FAFSA application tonight and everything went smoothly! My son sent me a new contributor invite without any problems, and this time I triple-checked my SSN before proceeding. The system accepted all our information and we were able to submit without issues. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

my daughter had same problem. we were missing packaes from 6 schools she got into. financial aid office told us it was because we didnt fill out the CSS PROFILE for those schools!!!! FAFSA isnt enough for many private colleges. you have to do CSS too and its not free like FAFSA. cost us $25 per school to submit it late. check if your missing schools required CSS!!!

If that first package is any indication of what's coming, you might want to start looking at Plan B options now. We were in the same boat last year - excited about all the acceptances until we saw the actual cost after "aid." In the end, my daughter turned down her dream school for the state university because the difference was over $30k per year. Sometimes the package from one school does represent what you'll see from similar-tier schools. Just trying to help you prepare mentally! Start researching community college transfer programs as a backup.