Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just found this thread while dealing with the exact same FAFSA saving nightmare. My son and I have been stuck with the "failed to save" error for the past 4 days, and I was getting really worried about meeting his school's priority deadline. Reading through all of your experiences and solutions has been incredibly reassuring - it's amazing to see how this community has rallied together to help each other through these technical difficulties! I'm definitely going to try the 2-3am approach tonight combined with the incremental saving strategy that so many of you have had success with. I've already gathered all our tax documents and W-2s so we can work efficiently once we get that window where the system is cooperating. Thank you all for sharing what actually worked instead of just the generic troubleshooting advice you get from official sources. It gives families like ours real hope during such a stressful time. I'll make sure to update everyone on our results!

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to this community and just discovered this thread while searching for help with the exact same FAFSA issues. My daughter and I have been battling the "failed to save" error for the past 6 days and I was honestly starting to lose sleep over her upcoming deadline. Reading through all of your experiences and solutions has been such a huge relief - it's incredible to see how supportive this community is! Based on everything I've read here, I'm definitely going to try the 2-3am approach tonight combined with saving after each individual section. I've spent today organizing all our tax documents, W-2s, and bank statements so we can move quickly once we get that window where everything works properly. Thank you all for sharing real solutions that actually work rather than just venting about the problems. This gives me so much hope that we'll finally be able to get through this nightmare! I'll definitely come back and update everyone on how it goes.

I'm really sorry you're going through this stressful situation! I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have such a major family change happen right after submitting your FAFSA. The good news is that everyone here has given you absolutely fantastic advice - the Professional Judgment process is definitely your answer. I wanted to add one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet: consider reaching out to your state's higher education agency or GEAR UP program (if your state has one) for additional support navigating this process. They often have dedicated staff who can help advocate for students in complex financial aid situations and sometimes have direct relationships with school financial aid offices. Also, while you're working on getting through to your financial aid office, it might be worth checking if your school has a dedicated financial aid counselor assigned to students with your last name or major. Sometimes these individual counselors are easier to reach than the main office line and can provide more personalized assistance. The fact that this separation happened just one week after your FAFSA submission is actually ideal documentation that this was completely unforeseeable. Financial aid offices see this exact timing regularly - you're definitely not the first student to deal with family changes during FAFSA season. Keep advocating for yourself and don't give up! Your Pell Grant eligibility is absolutely worth fighting for, and with all the great documentation tips everyone has shared, you've got everything you need to make a strong case.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this incredibly stressful situation! The timing of family changes during FAFSA season is unfortunately more common than you might think, and the good news is that your situation is exactly what the Professional Judgment process was designed to handle. Everyone here has given you excellent advice, and I want to emphasize a few key points: First, definitely start with the FAFSA correction online immediately to update your family status. Then, when contacting your financial aid office, use the specific phrase "Professional Judgment Review for change in family circumstances due to separation" - the exact terminology really matters. One additional suggestion: if you're still having trouble getting through by phone, try calling during lunch hours (11:30am-1:30pm) when they might be less busy, or very early in the morning right when they open. Also, some schools have separate phone lines for "special circumstances" or "appeals" that might have shorter wait times than the main financial aid number. The fact that the separation happened just one week after you submitted your FAFSA is actually perfect documentation that this was a legitimate, unforeseeable life change. Financial aid offices see this exact scenario regularly, especially during FAFSA season. Stay persistent and don't let anyone tell you it's too late to make changes - your case is completely valid and the Professional Judgment process can absolutely get your SAI recalculated without your stepdad's income. You've got this!

Wow, reading through this entire thread has been such a learning experience! As someone who's about to start this process with my oldest next year, I was initially terrified that I'd make a similar mistake. But seeing how the community came together to help @Alicia Stern, and then watching the confusion get sorted out when everyone realized the tax year was actually correct - it's both reassuring and educational. The prior-prior year rule really is one of those things that makes perfect sense once you understand the reasoning (they need time to process and verify tax information), but it's so confusing when you first encounter it. I love @Sarah Jones' comprehensive breakdown of the correction process - that's going into my college prep folder immediately! This thread is also a great reminder of why it's so important to slow down and double-check everything before panicking. Sometimes what looks like a major error is actually correct, and having a supportive community to help sort through the confusion makes all the difference. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge here - it's going to help so many families navigate this process more confidently!

As someone who's completely new to the CSS Profile process, this entire thread has been incredibly helpful and reassuring! I was initially stressed reading about the potential tax year confusion, but seeing how it all worked out and how supportive this community is makes me feel much more confident about tackling this process myself. The prior-prior year rule is definitely one of those things that sounds simple once explained but is so counterintuitive at first glance. I can totally understand why @Alicia Stern initially thought there was an error - when most financial forms use current year information, using 2023 taxes for a 2025-2026 academic year feels backwards! I'm definitely bookmarking this discussion, especially @Sarah Jones' detailed breakdown of the correction process. Even though it wasn't needed in this case, having that step-by-step guide for actual corrections will be invaluable. It's also comforting to know that financial aid offices are generally understanding about genuine mistakes. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences here - this kind of community support makes the whole college application journey feel much less overwhelming for those of us just starting out!

Congratulations on getting your FAFSA submitted! 🎉 As someone who went through this process with my older son two years ago, I can tell you that you made the right choice pushing through all the technical difficulties. The combination of merit + need-based aid can really make a difference in your overall costs. One tip I wish someone had told me: if your daughter ends up getting additional need-based aid, make sure to understand how it affects her merit scholarship renewal requirements. Some schools calculate GPA requirements differently when students have multiple aid sources, so it's worth asking about that now rather than being surprised later. Also, since you mentioned having two more kids heading to college soon, keep detailed records of this whole process. Having multiple kids in college at the same time actually helps with FAFSA calculations (lower Expected Family Contribution per student), so you'll likely see even better aid packages when you have multiple enrolled simultaneously. Best of luck with the aid package results!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences! Reading through this thread has been incredibly enlightening. I'm in a similar situation with my son who received a partial merit scholarship, and I was on the fence about completing the FAFSA due to all the technical issues this year. Seeing real examples like @QuantumQuester's daughter getting an additional $8k in grants on top of her merit award, and @Mei Chen's experience with subsidized loans, really drives home that these aid sources truly are separate pools. The insider perspective from @Andre Moreau about institutional policies and @Zoe Stavros's point about FAFSA potentially being required for merit renewal are exactly the kind of details you don't find in the official guidance. I'm definitely going to push through and complete our FAFSA now. Thanks for creating such a supportive space to navigate this confusing process!

I'm new here but wanted to jump in since I'm literally going through this exact same situation right now! My daughter has been living with her mom since our separation but I'm the one who handles all her major expenses - health insurance, car payment, college prep courses, etc. I was so stressed about the address difference until I found this thread. Reading everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring. It sounds like the FAFSA system is actually pretty well set up to handle these divorced parent situations where physical custody and financial support don't align. I love all the practical tips about keeping digital records and creating spreadsheets to track expenses. One question for those who've been through verification - about how long did that process take once you submitted your documentation? I'm trying to plan out timing for when my daughter needs to submit her college enrollment deposits. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this community is amazing!

Welcome to the community! I'm also navigating the FAFSA process for the first time and found this thread incredibly helpful. It's reassuring to see so many parents who've successfully handled similar situations with divorced families where living arrangements and financial support don't align perfectly. I wanted to add one more tip that might be helpful - if you're using online banking, most banks let you download transaction history as PDFs or Excel files. This can be really useful for verification if you need to show patterns of support payments over time. I've been downloading monthly statements that show my insurance payments, transfers for my daughter's expenses, etc. Also, for anyone dealing with verification timing concerns, I called my daughter's college financial aid office directly and they said they can usually process verification documents within 5-7 business days once submitted, which helped me plan our timeline better. Each school might be different, but it's worth asking! This community has been such a great resource - thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly!