As someone who's been through this process, I can confirm what others are saying - dependency overrides technically need to be reviewed each year, but many schools do streamline the renewal process after the initial approval. The key is getting clarity on YOUR school's specific policy. I'd recommend asking these specific questions when you contact them: 1. What exactly does "good for 3 years" mean in terms of required documentation? 2. Will you need to submit a statement each year confirming circumstances haven't changed? 3. What happens if your situation does change - how quickly do you need to notify them? 4. Can you get their renewal policy in writing? Also, keep detailed records of all your communications with the financial aid office. Screenshot emails, keep notes from phone calls with dates and names. This documentation could be crucial if there are any issues down the road. The fact that they told you it's "good for 3 years" suggests they do have a simplified renewal process, which is great news! But definitely get the specifics so you know exactly what's expected each year.

I'm a new community member and currently navigating this exact situation with my own child! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea there was so much variation between schools in how they handle dependency override renewals. Based on what everyone is sharing, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1. Get everything in writing from your financial aid office 2. Understand that while the heavy documentation may be done, some annual action is typically still required 3. Be proactive about staying in touch rather than assuming it's completely automatic 4. Keep detailed records of all communications I'm definitely going to follow the advice here and contact both my child's financial aid office AND the Federal Student Aid office directly to get clarity on the official policies versus our school's specific procedures. The tip about using Claimyr to avoid those endless hold times sounds like a lifesaver! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - both the success stories and the cautionary tales. It's so valuable to have this kind of real-world insight from people who've actually been through this process.

Just wanted to add that if you're still having trouble with the IRS data transfer timing out, try doing it during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening). I had the same issue as @Liam Fitzgerald where it kept failing during the day, but when I tried again at 6 AM it went through perfectly on the first try. The servers seem less overloaded then. Also, make sure you're using the exact same name and SSN format that's on your tax return - even small discrepancies can cause the transfer to fail.

Just wanted to add my experience from completing the 2025-2026 FAFSA two weeks ago! I had the exact same confusion about the missing "renew" button and honestly spent way too much time searching for it before finding this thread. For anyone still hesitating - yes, you have to click "start new form" and yes, it feels weird, but it really isn't as bad as it seems. Here's what worked for me: - Did it on a Tuesday evening around 9 PM (off-peak hours definitely help!) - Had all my school codes copied from last year's confirmation email - The IRS data transfer actually worked smoother than in previous years - Total time: about 40 minutes, which included double-checking everything The new form layout is actually more intuitive once you get used to it. And like others mentioned, my new SAI came out lower than last year's EFC even though our income was similar, so hoping that translates to better aid packages. One thing I'd emphasize - don't stress if you make a mistake entering school codes. You can always go back and submit corrections later through your StudentAid.gov account. That knowledge would have saved me 10 minutes of paranoid double-checking every code! The anxiety about starting "from scratch" is way worse than actually doing it. You've got this!

UPDATE: We fixed it! For anyone else having this problem, here's what worked: My son removed my husband as a contributor, then added him back using ONLY his SSN and date of birth (no email). My husband was then able to log in directly through the studentaid.gov site with his FSA ID and complete his section. The financial aid advisor here was exactly right about the email mismatch issue. Thank you all for your help!

So glad you got this resolved! This is exactly the kind of technical issue that makes the FAFSA process so stressful for families. Your solution will definitely help other parents who run into the same problem. It's frustrating that the system has these glitches, but at least there are workarounds. Thanks for posting the update - it's really helpful to know what actually worked!

I'm dealing with this same nightmare! My daughter sent me the contributor invitation three weeks ago and I've been getting the "cannot process request" error every single day since then. It's beyond frustrating because her priority deadline is coming up fast. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, different times of day, even borrowed my neighbor's computer thinking it was my device. Nothing works! The worst part is when I finally got through to someone on the FSA helpline after waiting 2+ hours, they just told me to "keep trying" and couldn't give me any timeline for when it might be fixed. This is ridiculous for a federal system that families depend on for their kids' education funding. Reading through all these comments gives me some hope that there are workarounds, so I'm going to try the early morning + Edge browser + password reset combo tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

I've been struggling with this exact same error for almost two weeks now! My son sent me the contributor invitation and every time I try to complete the parent signature, I get that "cannot process request" message. It's been incredibly stressful watching the deadline approach while feeling completely stuck. Reading through all these solutions has been so helpful though - I had no idea this was such a widespread issue. I'm going to try the combination approach that worked for Ava: reset my FSA ID password, wait a few hours, then attempt the signature around 5-6 AM using Edge browser while manually typing everything instead of using autofill. The duplicate FSA ID issue that Malik mentioned is also really interesting - I think I might have created multiple accounts over the years when helping different kids with their applications, so I'll definitely call to check on that too. Has anyone had success getting through to the FSA helpline recently? The wait times seem absolutely brutal right now. I'm also planning to contact my son's financial aid office tomorrow to document these technical issues just in case we need deadline flexibility. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - it's such a relief to know I'm not alone in this nightmare!

Quick follow-up on something important: if your daughter is starting this fall, make sure you've completed the 2024-2025 FAFSA and not just relied on the initial financial aid offer. Many schools are still waiting on final SAI calculations from the Department of Education due to the FAFSA delays this year. Your final loan eligibility could change once they process the FAFSA completely.

As someone new to this process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! My son was just accepted and we're in a similar situation. One thing I learned from our college's financial aid webinar is that they actually encourage families to take time with loan decisions since it's such a big financial commitment. They mentioned that federal loans can typically be accepted right up until the start of the semester, though they recommend deciding by mid-summer to avoid any processing delays. It sounds like most schools really do understand that families need time to weigh all their options after securing their spot with the enrollment deposit.