ALSO watch out for the CSS Profile if your kid's school requires it!!! It asks for WAY more financial info than FAFSA and calculates aid differently. Home equity, retirement accounts, etc can all factor in depending on the school. Some schools are SUPER stingy with aid thru that system.

As someone who went through this exact situation with my oldest child, I can offer some perspective. When my spouse got a new job that increased our income by about $50K between freshman and sophomore year, we saw our aid package drop by approximately $12K. The key things that helped us navigate this: 1. **Start planning NOW** - Don't wait until you receive next year's aid package to strategize. Use online EFC calculators with your projected new income to estimate changes. 2. **Look into payment plans** - Many schools offer monthly payment plans that can help spread costs throughout the year rather than large semester payments. 3. **Research outside scholarships** - Your daughter can apply for private scholarships that aren't income-dependent to help offset reduced institutional aid. 4. **Consider state-specific programs** - Some states have middle-income assistance programs that kick in when federal aid decreases. The most important advice: don't panic and make rash decisions. Yes, costs will likely increase, but with proper planning and communication with the financial aid office, it's manageable. Many families successfully navigate these income transitions during college years.

Just wanted to add another solution that worked for me - if you're still having trouble getting through to FSA even with the callback services, you can also try contacting your school's financial aid office directly. They have a direct line to FSA and can often get these field unlocks processed faster than individual calls. My financial aid counselor was able to submit the correction request on my behalf and it was processed within 48 hours. Not all schools offer this service, but it's worth asking! Also, keep in mind that these locked field issues seem to happen most often when people save and return to their FAFSA later - if possible, try to complete it in one sitting to avoid the problem altogether.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Got to the financial section, saved my progress, and now I can't edit my parent's bank account information that I entered incorrectly. It's so frustrating that they lock these sections - I understand wanting to prevent errors, but what about when we need to fix actual mistakes? Reading through all these responses gives me hope though. I'm going to try calling FSA first thing Monday morning, and if that doesn't work, I'll definitely look into that Claimyr service or contact my school's financial aid office. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! It's so frustrating because I need to verify some information before my school's financial aid deadline next week. I tried the correction portal method that @Diego Vargas suggested and it actually worked perfectly - I could see all my submitted information without having to make any changes. Just make sure you don't accidentally hit submit at the end! The new FAFSA system really is a mess compared to previous years. Thanks everyone for the helpful workarounds!

I'm having the exact same problem! Submitted my FAFSA three weeks ago and can only see the correction link when I log in. It's really stressful not being able to double-check what I submitted, especially since this is my first time doing FAFSA and I'm worried I might have made errors. I tried the correction portal method that several people mentioned here and it worked great - I could see all my information without making any changes. Just be super careful not to click submit unless you actually want to make corrections! Really hoping they fix this summary view issue soon because this workaround shouldn't be necessary.

Just to add one more perspective as someone who went through this process recently - don't panic if you see conflicting information online about deadlines! The March 2nd deadline is the PRIORITY deadline for Cal Grants, meaning you get first consideration for funding. But CSAC does accept applications after March 2nd on a funds-available basis until September 2nd. Obviously you want to hit that March deadline, but if something goes wrong with your GPA verification or FAFSA, you're not completely out of luck. I had issues with my school's GPA submission and still got awarded a Cal Grant B in late April. The key is to keep following up and don't give up!

Just want to echo what everyone's said about checking your GPA verification status! I'm a current college sophomore and went through this exact same confusion two years ago. One thing that really helped me was calling my high school's registrar directly rather than just asking my counselor - they were able to tell me immediately whether my GPA had been sent to CSAC and even resend it while I was on the phone. Also, if you're worried about missing deadlines, you can actually submit your FAFSA correction/updates after the March 2nd priority deadline and still be considered for Cal Grants. The WebGrants portal that others mentioned is super useful - you can see exactly which documents CSAC has received and which ones are still missing. Don't stress too much about the complexity, the financial aid offices at the schools you're applying to are also really helpful once you get closer to making your final decision!

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I can't express how grateful I am to have found this thread! My son just submitted his portion of the 2025-2026 FAFSA yesterday and I was already anxious about the parent invitation step after hearing so many horror stories. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening - the identity verification issue seems to be the hidden culprit that's tripping up so many families. I'm definitely going to have my son check his verification status thoroughly before we even attempt to send me an invitation. It's absolutely mind-boggling that the FAFSA system allows students to think they're successfully sending invitations when there's actually an incomplete verification blocking the process. This kind of poor system design just adds unnecessary stress to an already overwhelming process. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your troubleshooting steps and solutions - this community support is invaluable for families navigating this confusing system for the first time!

As someone who's completely new to the FAFSA process, this thread has been absolutely incredible to discover! I'm the parent of a high school senior and we haven't even started the 2025-2026 application yet, but after reading through all these experiences, I now know exactly what to watch out for. The identity verification issue seems to be the main trap that's catching families, and it's shocking that the system doesn't make this requirement more obvious. I'm going to make sure my daughter completes her identity verification fully BEFORE we even think about sending parent invitations. It's so reassuring to see this community helping each other navigate what is clearly a poorly designed system. Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions - you've potentially saved our family weeks of frustration and panic! I'll definitely be bookmarking this thread as we start our FAFSA journey.