Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this nightmare last month! The FSA verification system has been absolutely terrible this cycle. What finally worked for me after 6 days of failed attempts was a combination of things: 1) Using incognito/private browsing mode, 2) Requesting the code at around 6am EST when traffic is lowest, and 3) Making sure to wait at least 24 hours between attempts (apparently rapid requests can flag your account). Also discovered that some email providers like Protonmail seem to have better luck getting the codes through than Gmail. The whole system is clearly overwhelmed and they really need to fix this before more students miss their deadlines. Hang in there everyone - it's frustrating but you'll get through it!

This thread has been a lifesaver! I'm a parent helping my twin daughters with their FAFSA applications and we've been stuck on email verification for both of them for over a week now. It's incredibly frustrating that such a critical system for accessing financial aid is this unreliable. Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm going to try the early morning approach (around 5-6am) with incognito mode and make sure we wait 24 hours between attempts. Has anyone had success using different email providers for siblings applying in the same household? I'm wondering if using the same internet connection/IP address might be causing additional issues when trying to verify multiple FSA IDs. Thanks to everyone for sharing your solutions - it's clear the Department of Education needs to seriously overhaul this verification system!

As someone who just went through this with my daughter last year, I completely understand your confusion! The FAFSA website is really misleading about what "Processed" actually means. Here's what I learned the hard way: The FAFSA site will NEVER show you actual financial aid offers. It only calculates your son's SAI (Student Aid Index) and sends that number to his colleges. Think of FAFSA as just the application that determines eligibility - the actual money comes from each school individually. What you need to do now: 1. Have your son check his email (including spam!) for award letters 2. Log into each college's student portal and look for a "Financial Aid" section 3. Check physical mail - some schools still send paper letters The timing varies wildly by school. Some send offers within 2-3 weeks of getting the FAFSA data, others take 2+ months. If it's been over a month since "Processed" status and he hasn't heard from a school, definitely have him call their financial aid office. Also - make sure verification is complete if he was selected for it. That can delay everything! Pro tip: Create a spreadsheet to track which schools he's heard from and their deadlines. This process is overwhelming but you'll get through it!

I went through this exact same confusion with my oldest child two years ago! The "Processed" status on FAFSA is honestly so misleading - I spent weeks refreshing that page expecting to see actual dollar amounts pop up. What helped me was understanding that FAFSA is basically just a calculator that spits out your SAI number, which then gets sent to schools. Each college uses that number differently based on their own funds and policies. Some schools are super quick with offers (we got one within 10 days), while others took almost 2 months. One thing I'd add that others haven't mentioned - have your son set up text/email notifications in each school's portal if they offer it. That way he'll get pinged immediately when aid info is posted instead of having to constantly check. Also, if any of his schools use their own financial aid forms in addition to FAFSA, those might need to be completed before they'll release offers. The waiting is the worst part, but once those first few offers start rolling in, you'll feel so much more confident about the process!

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.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences! I'm currently helping my nephew navigate his first dependency override application, and this thread has given me so much valuable insight about what to expect for the renewal process. It sounds like the most important thing is getting clear, written documentation from the school about their specific renewal policies rather than relying on verbal assurances. The experiences shared here - both positive and negative - really highlight how much schools can vary in their approaches and communication. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and refer back to it when we get to the renewal stage. The practical tips like setting calendar reminders and proactively contacting the financial aid office are exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't get from official websites. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive and informative discussion!

I'm new to this community and dealing with a very similar situation! My divorce was finalized in 2023 and includes unallocated support payments of $1,800 monthly. I was completely stumped when I got to the child support question on the FAFSA and started second-guessing everything. This thread has been absolutely invaluable - seeing so many people share their actual experiences with FSA representatives and successful outcomes gives me the confidence I needed. The consistency in everyone's advice to report $0 for unallocated support, combined with the professional insights from the tax preparer and multiple confirmations from FSA calls, makes it clear this is the standard approach. I particularly appreciate those who shared their verification experiences - knowing that FSA is familiar with this situation and accepts divorce documentation showing unallocated language is such a relief. I'm going to report $0 and keep my divorce settlement organized just in case. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real experiences - this community is incredibly helpful for navigating these confusing financial aid waters!

I'm new to this community and currently preparing my FAFSA application for next year. My divorce was finalized in 2021 and like many others here, I have unallocated support payments that combine child support and alimony into one monthly amount. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful - I was initially panicking about what to report for the child support question! The consistency in everyone's advice, especially from those who actually called FSA directly and the tax preparer's professional insights, has convinced me that reporting $0 for unallocated support is the correct approach. It's really reassuring to know that this is a common situation that FSA is familiar with and that so many people have successfully navigated it. I'll definitely be keeping my divorce documentation organized and may even reach out to my daughter's financial aid office for additional confirmation. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - this thread should honestly be pinned as a resource for parents dealing with unallocated support situations!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions here! I was panicking when I got the same confusing email yesterday, but reading through all your responses has been incredibly helpful. I'm definitely going to log into my studentaid.gov account to check the actual status and then call my daughter's schools directly. It's reassuring to know this is a widespread system issue and not something we did wrong. The suggestion about using Claimyr to get through to Federal Student Aid is gold - I've bookmarked that for if I need to call them directly. This whole FAFSA rollout has been such a mess, but at least we're all helping each other navigate it!

As someone who's also new to this community and dealing with the same FAFSA chaos, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences and solutions! My family got hit with the exact same confusing email after receiving confirmation back in February, and I was absolutely terrified we'd somehow lost our financial aid. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - especially learning that this is a system-wide glitch and not something we did wrong. I'm going to follow the advice here: check our studentaid.gov account status first, then call each of my son's colleges directly to confirm they received his FAFSA data. The Claimyr suggestion for getting through to Federal Student Aid is brilliant - I've already bookmarked it in case we need direct help. It's honestly a relief to know there are actual solutions and that other families are successfully navigating this mess. This community is exactly what stressed parents like us need right now!