I'm a new member here and just joined because I'm going through this exact same FAFSA nightmare! Submitted mine in early December and it's been stuck on "pending" for almost 3 months now. This whole thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea this was affecting so many people or that there could be verification issues not showing up in the portal. I've been calling FSA practically every day with zero success, so I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service @Alejandro Castro mentioned. Also planning to check my spam folder thoroughly and reach out to my school's financial aid office first thing tomorrow to document the delay like @Maggie Martinez suggested. It's both comforting and terrifying to see how widespread this problem is. My parents are starting to panic about Parent Plus loan applications and I'm worried about missing scholarship opportunities, but reading these comments gives me hope that most schools are being understanding about the delays. Has anyone gotten any updates from the Department of Education about when December submissions might actually be processed? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this mess!

New member here dealing with the exact same issue! Submitted my FAFSA in late November and it's been stuck on pending for over 3 months now. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about checking spam folders for verification emails or that there could be "silent holds" not showing in the portal. I've been calling FSA almost daily with zero luck, so I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service @Alejandro Castro mentioned. Also planning to contact my school's financial aid office tomorrow to document the delay like @Maggie Martinez suggested. It's both reassuring and scary to see how many of us are dealing with this nightmare. My parents are getting really anxious about planning for Parent Plus loans and I'm worried about scholarship deadlines, but reading everyone's experiences here gives me hope that schools are being flexible. Has anyone heard any recent updates from the Department of Education about timeline for November/December submissions? Thanks for sharing all your advice and experiences - at least we know we're not suffering through this alone!

As someone new to this community but currently navigating the FAFSA maze with my own family, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! We're dealing with a similar situation where the asset questions never appeared despite our income being well above the simplified needs threshold. It's both reassuring and frustrating to know this is a widespread system issue rather than user error. I've been beating myself up thinking I somehow missed or skipped important sections. The information about the 5.64% assessment rate for parent assets and the increased income protection allowances in the new formula is really helpful for setting expectations. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - especially the tip about Claimyr for getting through to FSA! This community is such a valuable resource for confused parents trying to navigate financial aid.

Just wanted to add my perspective as another newcomer dealing with this exact issue! My family's FAFSA also skipped the asset questions despite our AGI being around $85k. We have a decent amount in 529 plans and savings that should have been reported. What's been most helpful from this thread is understanding that this is a known system bug, not something we did wrong. I was panicking that I somehow missed critical sections or filled something out incorrectly. The detailed explanations about how parent assets are assessed (5.64% after protection allowances) and the examples of how much SAI might increase have really helped manage my expectations. I'm planning to try the Claimyr service mentioned earlier to get through to FSA, and I'll definitely reach out to my daughter's financial aid office proactively to let them know about the situation. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and solutions - this community has been invaluable for a stressed parent trying to navigate this broken system!

Yes! We got it working! My son had to send a new invitation, and I had to click the link in the new email while using Chrome incognito mode like someone suggested. The page looked completely different this time and I could see the

That's great news that you got it working! For anyone else running into this same issue, it sounds like the key steps are: 1) Have your student send a fresh invitation link, 2) Use Chrome in incognito mode to access it, and 3) Make sure to click the new email link rather than bookmarking the old one. The FAFSA system definitely has some quirks this year but at least there are workarounds. Thanks for updating us on what worked - this will help other parents who get stuck on that same "Currently Active" page!

I'm also a parent dealing with the new FAFSA for the first time and had the exact same concerns! What really helped me was logging back into the FAFSA website a few days after submitting and checking the "View and Print FAFSA" option. It actually shows you a summary of all the data that was imported from your tax return, including AGI, taxes paid, and filing status. This gave me confirmation that the system did pull our financial information correctly even though I never had to type it in manually. For the 529 question - I remember there being a section about "investments" where I entered the current value of our 529 plan. It wasn't labeled specifically as "529" but was grouped with other investment accounts. If you answered that section, you should be all set. The key thing to remember is that if you completed all the screens the system presented to you and got a confirmation number, you've provided everything they need. The new system is designed to be much more streamlined than the old one!

As someone who just went through this exact same experience, I can totally relate to the confusion! I completed my daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA last month and had the exact same reaction - it felt way too simple compared to previous years. Like others have mentioned, the new direct data transfer from the IRS is working as intended. One thing that really helped ease my anxiety was calling my daughter's financial aid office directly. The counselor there confirmed that they're seeing the imported tax data on their end and that the process is working smoothly for most families. She also mentioned that if there were any issues with missing information, they would contact us during their review process. For anyone still worried about the 529 reporting - I found mine was captured in the general "investments and assets" section as well. The financial aid counselor told me that as long as you answered all the questions presented to you truthfully, the system has what it needs. The key difference now is that we're not seeing all the detailed tax questions because that information is being pulled automatically with our consent. I'd definitely recommend reaching out to your school's financial aid office if you're still concerned - they've been really helpful in explaining how the new process works!

Welcome to the FAFSA journey! As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful. It's reassuring to know that other parents are going through the same confusion with the new system. I had no idea that students had to initiate the process - I was planning to tackle the whole thing myself this weekend! Now I know to have my daughter start her section first. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips. This community is already proving invaluable for navigating what feels like a very overwhelming process.

As another first-time FAFSA parent, I'm so grateful for this thread! I was literally about to log onto studentaid.gov and try to start filling everything out myself before finding this discussion. The fact that my son has to initiate the process first is completely counterintuitive to me - I'm the one with all the financial documents and tax returns! But it sounds like there's no way around the new system requirements. I'll definitely be bookmarking this conversation and following @Nadia Zaldivar's step-by-step guide. It's comforting to know we're all figuring this out together. Thanks for asking the question that so many of us needed answered!