I'm a new parent going through this FAFSA process for the first time and this thread has been incredibly reassuring! My daughter just submitted her application yesterday and we're already seeing the "Cannot Calculate SAI" message. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel so much better about waiting it out rather than immediately assuming we did something wrong. Quick question though - should we be doing anything proactive while we wait, like checking with her college's financial aid office to let them know about the delay? Or is it better to just wait until the SAI comes through before contacting anyone?

Going through the exact same thing right now with my twin daughters! Both submitted their FAFSAs last week and we're seeing "Cannot Calculate SAI" on both applications despite everything looking complete. It's such a relief to read this thread and know we're not alone. The new FAFSA system seems to have so many processing hiccups this year. One thing I wanted to add for other parents - I found it helpful to screenshot the "Submitted" status page as proof of on-time submission, just in case any of their colleges need documentation about the delay. Also keeping a simple log of when we submitted vs when (hopefully!) the SAI gets calculated so we have a timeline if we need to call for help. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - it's making this waiting period much more manageable!

@profile6 The financial aid counselor I spoke with mentioned asking specifically about their "sibling discount policy" or "multiple student adjustment." She also suggested requesting a "professional judgment review" once we have all the offers, explaining the triple college expense. Apparently some schools have discretionary funds they can use in unique situations like ours. And thanks! We're proud of our triplets but terrified of the cost!

As someone who just went through this process with my own complex household situation, I wanted to add that it's worth double-checking the specific wording on the FAFSA form itself. The question asks about people who "will receive more than half their support from you" between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. So you're looking at future support, not just current. Also, keep in mind that "support" includes housing costs - if your mom lives with you rent-free, that counts toward the support calculation even if she pays for some of her own expenses. With triplets, every point matters on that SAI calculation, so make sure you're capturing everyone who legitimately counts!

UPDATE: We figured it out! It was exactly what several of you mentioned - I entered her name as "Katie" on the FAFSA but her FSA ID has "Katherine." Once she updated her FSA ID to match, the application showed up in her account and she was able to sign it. We got the confirmation email that the FAFSA is now complete! Thank you all for your help - this forum saved us so much stress!

This is such a common issue! I'm glad you got it sorted out. For anyone else reading this thread who might run into similar problems, here's a quick checklist that might help: 1. Make sure ALL names match exactly between FSA ID and FAFSA (including middle names, nicknames vs full names, etc.) 2. Double-check SSN entry - even one wrong digit will cause linking issues 3. If the student doesn't see the signature page, try logging out completely and back in 4. Look in "Incomplete Tasks" or "To Do" sections, not just the main FAFSA dashboard 5. Give it 24-48 hours sometimes - the system can be slow to sync between parent and student accounts The new FAFSA definitely has a learning curve, but once you know these tricks it gets easier. Good luck to everyone still working through their applications!

Thanks for posting this update Grace! This is super helpful for anyone else dealing with the same issue. I'm actually going through this exact situation right now - my parent invitation has been stuck for 3 days. I'm definitely going to try the trick with making a small edit to my parent's info to trigger a new email. It's so frustrating that these workarounds aren't officially documented anywhere, but I'm grateful this community shares these tips. Will report back if it works for me too!

Just wanted to add another data point - I'm currently on day 5 waiting for my parent invitation email and getting pretty anxious about it. Reading through all these responses is really reassuring though! I'm going to try the edit trick that Grace mentioned since it seems to work consistently. One thing I noticed is that my FAFSA dashboard still shows "In Progress" status - does anyone know if that changes once the parent invitation is successfully sent out? Also wondering if anyone has tried contacting their school's financial aid office about this issue - my counselor mentioned they sometimes have a direct line to Federal Student Aid that might be faster than calling the main number.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who literally just went through this process last month! You absolutely use the same FSA ID for all your children - creating multiple parent accounts will only cause headaches down the road. One thing I wish I had known: make sure to verify all your personal information in your existing FSA ID account BEFORE your daughter starts her application. I discovered my address was outdated from when we moved two years ago, and it caused a delay in processing. Also, if you've changed banks since your first daughter's FAFSA, update your banking information in your profile too. The process is definitely smoother the second time around, but don't get overconfident - I still managed to make a silly mistake with one of the tax questions because I was rushing through it! Take your time even though it feels familiar. Good luck with your second daughter's college journey!

As a parent who just completed this process for my third child last fall, I can absolutely confirm - you use the SAME FSA ID for all your children! Don't create multiple parent accounts as this will cause major headaches with verification and processing. Here's what worked smoothly for me: Have your daughter create her own FSA ID first (using her own unique email address), then she'll invite you as a contributor when she starts her FAFSA. You'll get an email notification and can log in with your existing FSA ID to complete the parent portion. A few practical tips from my experience: 1) Test your FSA ID login NOW before FAFSA season gets crazy busy, 2) Update any outdated personal info (address, phone, email) in your account, and 3) Have your tax documents ready since you'll need to re-enter that information fresh for each child - it doesn't transfer automatically between applications. The second time really is much easier since you know what to expect! The system is designed to handle multiple children per parent account, so don't worry about "messing anything up" - you've got this!