I'm going through something similar right now! My mom remarried last year and even though my stepdad makes less than my mom, our SAI still went up significantly. What I learned from our financial aid counselor is that the new formula looks at your "available income" differently when there are two adults in the household - they assume you have more disposable income because you're sharing living expenses. One thing that might help is to make sure you reported your household size correctly. If your husband supports any other dependents (even if they don't live with you), that should be included. Also, retirement contributions and certain taxes can reduce your available income in the calculation. Don't give up on the appeal process! Our school was actually pretty understanding when we explained our situation. Good luck!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation and wanted to share what I've learned through this frustrating process. When my mom remarried two years ago, our SAI jumped from around 7,000 to over 20,000 even though my stepdad's income was modest. What helped us was being very thorough with the Professional Judgment appeal. Beyond medical expenses, we included documentation showing: - My stepdad's existing debt obligations from before the marriage - Proof that he wasn't financially supporting me before they married (bank statements, etc.) - A letter explaining that their marriage was recent and household finances weren't fully integrated The financial aid office reduced our SAI by about 4,000, which brought back some Pell Grant eligibility. It wasn't perfect, but it made a real difference. The key was being persistent and providing lots of documentation. Also, don't overlook your state's grant programs - some have different income calculations than the federal FAFSA and might be more generous for blended families. Worth checking into!

Update: My account just got verified! It took exactly 2 business days. I was able to complete my contributor section of the FAFSA and now it shows as "Processing" on my daughter's dashboard. Thanks everyone for the reassurance and advice - this whole new FAFSA system is so much more complicated than when I went to college!

Congratulations on getting through the verification process! As someone new to this community, I'm so relieved to see this had a positive outcome. I'm actually going through something similar right now - my son just started his FAFSA and I'm dreading the FSA ID verification wait. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful. It's reassuring to know that the 1-3 day delay is normal and that schools are generally understanding about these system delays. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and advice - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these stressful financial aid processes!

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare! My parent section has been "complete" for over a month but my student portal still shows it as incomplete. What's really frustrating is that I got a confirmation email when I originally submitted it, but now when I log into my FSA ID account, there's no trace of my daughter's application anywhere. I've tried all the browser clearing tricks and having her send new invitations, but nothing works. The "Get Started" button just throws an error every single time. I'm starting to panic because her college's financial aid deadline is next week and they keep sending emails about her incomplete FAFSA. Has anyone had success with calling the FSA helpline recently? I've been trying for days but can never get through. This whole rollout has been such a disaster - we never had these issues with the old FAFSA system!

I'm experiencing the exact same issue! My daughter's FAFSA shows my parent section as incomplete even though I submitted and signed it over a month ago. What's really concerning is that like you, the application completely vanished from my FSA ID dashboard. I tried having her send me a new contributor invitation, but clicking "Get Started" just gives me error messages. I'm also worried because her college keeps sending reminders about the incomplete application and their priority deadline is coming up fast. It's so frustrating that we completed everything correctly but the system isn't recognizing it. Based on the helpful advice in this thread, I'm going to try contacting both the FSA helpline (hopefully using that callback service mentioned) and my daughter's financial aid office directly. Has anyone heard if there's an estimated timeline for when this system-wide fix will actually resolve these parent section sync issues?

As a newcomer to this process, I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the detailed advice! My son will be applying for college next year and I had no idea where to start with FAFSA. The consensus seems clear: student creates FSA ID first, wait a day or two, then parent creates theirs with a different email. I'm taking notes on all the tips - different emails, matching names exactly to Social Security cards, checking spam folders, and having tax documents ready. This community is so helpful for navigating these confusing processes!

Just want to echo what everyone else has said - student first is definitely the way to go! I went through this with my daughter last year and we made the mistake of trying to set up both accounts on the same day from the same computer. The system got confused and we ended up with verification issues that took almost a week to resolve. Second time around (learned our lesson!), we had her create her FSA ID on Monday, I waited until Wednesday to create mine, and everything worked perfectly. The waiting period really does seem to matter for the system to properly process everything. Also, pro tip: screenshot or write down the confirmation numbers you get during the FSA ID creation process - the support agents asked for these when we had to call about our initial issues. Good luck with your daughter's applications!

One more tip that saved me thousands - if you do end up with private loans, look into autopay discounts! Most lenders offer 0.25-0.5% interest rate reductions if you set up automatic payments from your bank account. It might not sound like much, but over a 10-year repayment period, that can save you hundreds or even over a thousand dollars depending on your loan amount. Also, some private lenders offer rate reductions after you make a certain number of on-time payments (usually 12-24 months). Wells Fargo and Citizens Bank both have programs like this. Just make sure you read all the fine print before signing - some of these benefits disappear if you're ever late on a payment or need to modify your loan terms later. Hope your meeting with financial aid goes well and you can avoid private loans altogether!

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I wanted to share what I learned the hard way. Private loans are definitely more complicated than federal ones when it comes to repayment timing. Most private lenders offer these repayment options while you're in school: - Immediate full payments (lowest interest rate but obviously hardest to manage) - Interest-only payments (usually $40-80/month per $10k borrowed) - Full deferment until after graduation (highest interest rate) The key thing everyone's mentioned but I want to emphasize - exhaust ALL federal options first! I thought I had done this, but my school's financial aid counselor found an additional $3,000 in federal aid I had missed. Also, definitely appeal your SAI if there's been any change in your family's financial situation since you filed. If you do need private loans, get quotes from at least 3-4 lenders. I was shocked at how much rates varied - from 7% to 13% for the same loan amount! And make sure any cosigner understands they're 100% responsible for the debt if something happens to you. Good luck with your financial aid appointment - hopefully you won't need private loans at all!