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I'm a newcomer here but going through the exact same situation! My daughter's school did a "FAFSA prep day" without telling parents and now we're locked out of her account too. Reading through all these responses is giving me so much hope - I had no idea this was such a common problem. I'm going to try the school IT department route first since several people mentioned that worked faster than calling FSA directly. It's really frustrating that schools create these accounts without proper coordination with parents, but at least now I know we're not the only family dealing with this mess. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is incredibly helpful for parents like us who are completely lost in this process!
Welcome to the club nobody wants to be in! 😅 I'm so glad this thread is helping other parents - I was feeling completely alone when I first posted. The school IT route seems to be the fastest solution based on what everyone's shared. Also definitely try having your daughter search through ALL her email accounts for anything from studentaid.gov - that's what finally worked for us after trying everything else. The good news is this really is a common problem and it WILL get resolved. Don't let the stress get to you too much - you've got this! Keep us posted on how it goes with the school IT department!
As someone new to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this thread has been! My family is facing a similar situation - my son's high school had students create FSA IDs during a college fair last fall and we had no idea until we tried to start his FAFSA application. Reading through everyone's experiences and solutions has been a lifesaver. I'm going to start with the school IT department approach that several people mentioned worked well, then try having him search through all his email accounts systematically. It's reassuring to know this is such a widespread issue and that there are multiple paths to resolution. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and advice - this community is amazing for helping stressed parents navigate these frustrating situations!
Nalani Liu
•Welcome to the community! I'm new here too and this thread has been such a relief to find. It's crazy how many schools are doing these FAFSA prep sessions without proper parent communication. I'm in the exact same boat with my daughter - found out about her existing FSA ID when we got the "account already exists" error message. Based on everything I've read here, I'm planning to call her school's IT department first thing Monday morning before trying to deal with FSA phone lines. It's so helpful to know we're not alone in this! Good luck with your son's situation - hopefully the school IT route works for both of us!
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I went through this exact same situation last month with my twin daughters' applications! The new FAFSA contributor system is definitely confusing, especially for married parents. What worked for us was having my husband (who I had initially added as the contributor) log into his FSA ID account and add me as his spouse in the contributor section. Then I got an email invitation to create my own FSA ID and complete my portion. The whole process took about 3-4 days once we figured out the right steps. The important thing is that both parents need to be in the system even if only one has income - the FAFSA will still use your joint tax return information for the SAI calculation. Don't worry about starting over, you can definitely fix this! Just make sure both of you complete your sections before your son's school deadlines.
This is exactly what I needed to hear! It's so helpful to know that other families have successfully navigated this same issue. 3-4 days sounds very manageable. I'm feeling much more confident now that we can get this sorted out without having to restart the entire application. Thank you for sharing your experience - it really puts my mind at ease about the whole process!
Just wanted to jump in as someone who works in college financial aid! You're definitely not alone - we're seeing this exact confusion with the new contributor system constantly. The good news is you absolutely DO NOT need to start over. Here's what needs to happen: your wife logs into her FSA ID, goes to her contributor section, indicates she's married, and adds your information. You'll then get an invitation to complete your part. Even though she doesn't have income, both parents must be listed when you file jointly - the system will correctly pull your joint tax info for the SAI calculation once both contributors are properly linked. One tip: make sure you both use your exact legal names as they appear on your Social Security cards and tax returns to avoid verification delays. The whole process usually takes 3-5 business days once you get started. Don't stress about the deadlines - as long as you get this fixed soon, you'll be fine!
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I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been dealing with the exact same dependent section glitch for my 2025-2026 FAFSA. It's incredibly frustrating to see "No" dependents on the review page when I know I entered my twin boys' information correctly. Reading through all these responses has been a huge relief - especially knowing that the data is actually being saved even though the display is buggy. I'm going to try the page-flipping trick and clearing my browser cache like Sofia mentioned. It's reassuring to hear from someone in financial aid administration that this won't affect the actual SAI calculation. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions!
Amina Sy
•Welcome to the club of FAFSA frustration! Twin boys - that makes the stakes even higher since you have two dependents that need to be counted correctly. Definitely try the page-flipping and cache clearing combo that worked for Sofia. If you're still having issues after that, I'd recommend taking screenshots at each step like others mentioned. The technical explanation from Jace really put my mind at ease too - knowing it's just a display bug and not affecting the actual calculation makes this whole ordeal much less stressful!
This thread is a lifesaver! I'm having the exact same issue with my 2025-2026 FAFSA showing "No" dependents on the review page despite entering my daughter's information multiple times. Reading Jace's explanation about it being a display bug that won't affect the actual SAI calculation has given me so much peace of mind. I was literally losing sleep over this thinking my financial aid would be completely wrong. I'm going to try the page-flipping trick and cache clearing method that worked for Sofia, and definitely taking screenshots of everything as backup. It's amazing how much stress this community can help alleviate when dealing with these technical glitches!
I'm so relieved to find others dealing with this same nightmare! I've been stressing about this dependent glitch for weeks now. My son just turned 3 and I was terrified that not having him counted properly would mess up my entire financial aid package. After reading through everyone's experiences, I feel so much better knowing it's a widespread display issue and not something I'm doing wrong. I'm definitely going to try the page-flipping and cache clearing combo that's worked for others. It's incredible how much anxiety these technical bugs can cause when you're already dealing with the stress of applying for financial aid. Thank you all for sharing your solutions and especially to Jace for the technical explanation - it makes such a difference to understand what's actually happening behind the scenes!
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Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through a similar situation last year. My advice would be to absolutely get that executor documentation ASAP - it was the key to getting my financial aid office to adjust my SAI. Also, when you contact your school's financial aid office, ask to speak specifically with someone who handles "professional judgment" cases rather than general staff. They'll be more familiar with these complex situations and can walk you through exactly what documentation they need. Don't let this stress you out too much - most schools deal with estate account situations more often than you'd think and they do want to help students in legitimate circumstances like yours!
Thanks for sharing your experience! That's a great tip about asking specifically for someone who handles professional judgment cases. I was planning to just call the general financial aid number, but it makes sense that specialized staff would be more helpful. Did you have to provide any additional documentation beyond the executor letter, or was that sufficient for your school?
Beth Ford
I'm dealing with something similar right now! My grandfather passed last year and left an account with both my name and my sister's on it, but we can't touch the money until some legal stuff gets sorted out. From what I've learned lurking in this community, it sounds like you're on the right track with getting that executor documentation. One thing I wanted to add that I don't think anyone mentioned yet - make sure you keep copies of EVERYTHING. Like scan or photo every document before you send it to your school's financial aid office. I've heard horror stories of people having to re-request paperwork because the school "lost" it or it got buried in someone's email. Also, if you're comfortable sharing, what school are you attending? Some people here might have experience with how your specific school's financial aid office handles these situations. Every school seems to have their own quirks when it comes to professional judgment appeals. Hang in there - it sounds like you're doing all the right things and most of the advice here has been really solid!
Thanks for the encouragement and great advice about keeping copies of everything! I'm actually at UC Davis, so if anyone has experience with their financial aid office specifically that would be super helpful. I've heard they can be pretty reasonable with professional judgment cases but I'm still nervous about the whole process. It's reassuring to know other people are dealing with similar situations - this whole estate account thing is so confusing when it comes to FAFSA rules!
Tony Brooks
my brother had a similr SAI last year and ended up going to community college for 2 years to save money. now transferring to state university with way less debt. might be worth considering tbh
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Owen Jenkins
•We've definitely discussed the community college route! She's really hoping for the 4-year experience, but it's good to hear that your brother had a successful transfer. We'll keep it as an option depending on what the financial aid packages look like.
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Joy Olmedo
Don't get too discouraged! An SAI of 13061 actually puts you in a decent position for several aid programs. While you won't qualify for the maximum Pell Grant, you should still be eligible for subsidized student loans (which don't accrue interest while in school) and potentially some state aid in both California and Oregon. One thing I learned when my daughter went through this process is that the cost of attendance varies widely between schools, so your actual "need" will be calculated differently at each one. A UC school with a $35K cost of attendance will show much more need than a CSU at $25K, which could result in more institutional aid at the pricier school. Also, don't forget to apply for outside scholarships! Your SAI doesn't affect private scholarship eligibility, and even small ones ($500-1000) can add up. Fastweb and Scholarships.com are good starting points. The key is applying to many rather than just focusing on the big ones everyone knows about.
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Connor Gallagher
•This is really helpful perspective, thank you! I hadn't thought about how the different costs of attendance would actually work in our favor at more expensive schools. That's a great point about outside scholarships too - I was so focused on the FAFSA stuff that I forgot those aren't tied to our SAI at all. We'll definitely have her start applying to those smaller scholarships. Every bit helps!
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