As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely amazed by the wealth of knowledge shared in this thread! My daughter is also starting college next fall and we have about $26K in 529 savings. Like so many others here, I was completely planning to use most of it upfront based on what I now realize was severely outdated advice from pre-2025 FAFSA articles. The game-changing insight about 529 withdrawals counting as student income with a 2-year lookback at 50% assessment has completely revolutionized my thinking. Tami's real experience losing $6,000 in aid by front-loading is exactly the kind of cautionary tale I needed to hear, and Luca's detailed strategic breakdown makes the optimal timing crystal clear. What I find most valuable is how this community combines both the technical understanding (like the fact that parent-owned 529s are no longer counted as assets) with practical real-world experiences. The additional insights about prioritizing subsidized loans, considering work-study income differently, and potentially reserving funds for graduate school have given me a much more comprehensive framework for decision-making. I'm planning to follow the collective wisdom here: contact financial aid offices at my daughter's target schools to run specific scenarios, possibly try the Claimyr service for official FSA guidance, and build that 4-year cash flow projection that tracks the delayed impact of withdrawal timing. This thread has already saved me from what could have been a very expensive strategic error. Thank you all for creating such an incredibly helpful resource for families navigating this complex landscape!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for this comprehensive discussion! My son is starting college next fall and we have about $22K in 529 savings. Like many others here, I was completely planning to use most of it in the first year based on advice I found online that's apparently from the old FAFSA rules. The revelation that 529 withdrawals now count as student income with a 2-year lookback at 50% assessment is mind-blowing - it completely changes the optimal strategy! Tami's experience losing $6,000 in aid by front-loading and Luca's detailed breakdown of the "use less early, more later" approach have been absolute game-changers for my understanding. I'm particularly appreciative of the practical insights about prioritizing subsidized loans first, the work-study income differences, and Emma's point about potentially saving some funds for graduate school. The suggestion to build a 4-year cash flow projection that accounts for the delayed impact of withdrawal timing is brilliant. Based on all the wisdom shared here, I'm planning to contact the financial aid offices at my son's target schools to run specific scenarios and possibly try the Claimyr service for official guidance. This community has already prevented what could have been a very costly strategic mistake. Thank you all for sharing such detailed, honest experiences that are saving families like mine thousands of dollars!

UPDATE: I finally got through to the Identity Resolution Group this morning! You all were right - I had to specifically ask to be transferred to them. The regular agent initially tried to send me back to the school, but I insisted on speaking with Identity Resolution. They confirmed that birthdate corrections can't be made by schools or regular FSA agents. They've submitted my daughter's correction request and said it will take 3-5 business days to process. They also put a note in her file that this is being resolved so her application won't be rejected. Thank you all for your help! For anyone else with this issue, definitely ask specifically for the Identity Resolution Group - don't take no for an answer when they try to send you back to the school.

So glad you got through to the right department! This thread is going to be so helpful for other parents dealing with this same issue. I'm bookmarking it because I have a feeling we'll run into similar problems when my younger son applies next year. The fact that you have to specifically ask for "Identity Resolution Group" and that regular agents don't mention this department is really frustrating - they should have better training on these common issues. Thanks for updating us with the resolution!

Awesome! Make sure to save/screenshot EVERYTHING as you go in case something else breaks. I've learned the hard way...

So glad to see this resolved! The mobile app workaround is definitely something more people need to know about. I'm bookmarking this thread because I know I'll be helping other families with FAFSA issues over the next few months. The fact that basic editing functionality works differently (or doesn't work at all) between the website and mobile app really shows how rushed this rollout was. Hopefully they'll get these bugs fixed soon, but in the meantime at least we have community solutions like this!

UPDATE: We FINALLY got our FAFSA submitted! For anyone else stuck in this ridiculous loop, what worked for us was: 1. Clicking on the Summary tab at the top (thanks to @profile6 for this crucial tip!) 2. On the Summary page, we discovered a tiny red exclamation mark next to the parent assets section that wasn't visible anywhere else 3. We fixed that section (had to re-enter some investment information) 4. When we returned to the Summary page, the magical "Sign and Submit" button appeared I'm beyond frustrated that this took 7 weeks of our lives, but relieved it's finally done. My daughter's university financial aid office said they're seeing this issue with about 40% of applicants this year. Absolute disaster of a rollout.

Congratulations on finally getting it submitted! This whole thread is a lifesaver - I've been stuck in the same loop for 3 weeks and was about to give up. The Summary tab tip is genius, I never would have thought to check there. Going to try this right now along with the other suggestions about re-checking the parent asset section. It's absolutely ridiculous that the Department of Education rolled out such a broken system and families are having to crowdsource solutions like this. Thank you everyone for sharing your workarounds!

The current processing time for SAI calculations after a completed FAFSA submission is 7-10 business days, despite what the email states. This is due to the higher volume of corrections being processed this year. Your daughter's SAI will be sent automatically to the schools she listed on her FAFSA. I recommend having her check her student portal for each school about 2 weeks after submission to ensure they received her information. If any school doesn't show receipt by then, contact their financial aid office directly. Also, since you mentioned being past a priority deadline, have her email the financial aid offices at those schools to let them know she had technical difficulties with FAFSA submission but has now successfully completed it. Most schools are being flexible with deadlines this year due to the widely reported FAFSA technical issues.

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my own kid, I want to add that if you're still having issues even after the whole dollar amount fix, there's one more thing to check: make sure ALL family members (student, parents, spouse if applicable) have fully completed their individual verification steps in the system. Even if it says "complete," sometimes there are hidden verification flags that only show up when you dig deeper into each person's profile. The asset screen loop can actually be triggered by incomplete verification from ANY contributor, not just the student. Also, screenshot everything as you go - if you have to call FSA, having visual proof of the error loop saves tons of time explaining the issue!