UPDATE: We finally got through!! My son checked his FSA inbox as someone suggested and found a different phone number specifically for verification issues. Still took 4 calls, but eventually got connected to someone who could help. They said there was an issue with how my birthdate format was entered - even though it looked correct on our end! The agent manually overrode the verification flag and said our application should be processed within 3-5 business days. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and support through this frustrating process!

Congratulations on getting it resolved! This is such valuable information for others dealing with the same issue. The birthdate format bug is something I hadn't heard about before - it's crazy how these seemingly minor technical glitches can cause such major headaches for families trying to secure financial aid. Your persistence really paid off, and I'm sure your experience will help other parents who find this thread when they're going through the same nightmare. Fingers crossed your son's aid package comes through quickly now!

As someone who just went through this exact same dilemma last month, I can't stress enough how important it is to match your SS card exactly! I almost made the mistake of leaving off my middle name because it seemed "simpler," but thankfully I found a thread similar to this one that convinced me otherwise. My FAFSA processed without any issues, and I got my SAR back within a few days. It's such a relief knowing I won't have to deal with verification delays during what's already a stressful time with college decisions looming. For anyone still on the fence - just include the middle name if it's on your SS card. The few extra seconds of typing could save you weeks of headaches later!

As a newcomer to this whole FAFSA process, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I was about to make the same mistake so many others mentioned - just using first and last name to keep things "simple." But after reading all these real experiences, especially the horror stories about 6-week delays and endless phone calls, I'm definitely going to include my middle name exactly as it appears on my Social Security card. It's amazing how such a small detail can cause such big problems later on. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, particularly @Natasha Orlova for the insider perspective from working in financial aid - that really drove the point home! This community is such a great resource for people navigating this confusing process for the first time.

As a newcomer to the FAFSA process myself, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful information! My son will be applying next year and I'm already feeling overwhelmed just reading about all the steps involved. A few quick questions based on what I've read here: - Is there a "best" time to submit the FAFSA to avoid delays, or does it not really matter? - Should I start organizing our tax documents now even though we won't apply until next year? - Are there any common mistakes first-time applicants make that I should watch out for? James, I hope your daughter's SAI appears soon and that she gets great aid packages from her schools! This thread has been incredibly educational for those of us still preparing for this process.

Great question and congratulations on getting to "processed" status! As someone who just went through this with my daughter last fall, I can share our timeline to help set expectations: After our FAFSA showed "processed," her SAI appeared 3 days later on studentaid.gov under the "View Student Aid Report" section. From there, colleges typically receive the data within 1-2 weeks, but each school processes aid packages on their own schedule. For us, the first aid package arrived about 5 weeks after the processed status (came with her acceptance letter), while others trickled in over the following month. The variation between schools was significant - some offered mostly grants, others were heavy on loans. One thing I'd strongly recommend: set up a dedicated email folder for college communications and check both your email AND her studentaid.gov account weekly. We almost missed an important document request because it only showed up in the online portal, not via email. Also, if your daughter applied to private schools, double-check that any required CSS Profile submissions are complete. Many families focus on FAFSA and overlook CSS deadlines. The waiting is definitely nerve-wracking, but you're doing everything right by staying proactive and asking questions. This community was invaluable for us during the process!

@OP I fixed the same mistake on my FAFSA last year! If you submit and realize you accidentally included grandma's SSI, you can make a correction afterward. Just log back into studentaid.gov, go to your FAFSA, and click "Make FAFSA Corrections." But doing it right the first time is wayyy easier!

As someone who just went through this process last year, I wanted to add that it's really important to keep documentation of everything! I saved screenshots of the official FAFSA instructions about SSI exclusions, and when my school's financial aid office questioned some of my info, having those references made the conversation go much smoother. Also, if your grandmother does help with any of your educational expenses directly (like paying for textbooks or tuition), make sure to track those amounts separately since they might need to be reported differently than her general household contributions. The key is being able to show exactly where every dollar came from if asked!

I'm going through this same situation right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! Just wanted to add something that might help others - when I called FSA (finally got through after trying the early morning suggestion), the agent told me that if you had any estimated tax payments during the year, those should also be included proportionally in your calculation. So it's not just the tax liability from the return itself, but any payments you made throughout the year too. I had completely forgotten about the quarterly payments I made for my freelance work! Also, they mentioned that if you're selected for verification, having a simple written explanation of your calculation method along with your supporting documents can really speed up the process. Something like "I calculated my portion as X% of total household AGI, therefore reported X% of total tax paid." Hope this helps someone else avoid the stress I went through!

This is such a comprehensive thread! I'm in a similar situation but with an added complication - my ex and I had different tax withholding rates throughout the year because of our different employers' payroll systems. I was worried this might affect the calculation, but from what everyone is saying, it sounds like I should still just focus on my percentage of the total AGI regardless of withholding differences. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - does anyone know if there are any special considerations if you had tax-advantaged accounts like 401k contributions that were different between spouses? My ex maxed out their 401k but I only contributed about half the maximum. I'm wondering if this affects how I should calculate my portion of the income for the proportional method, or if I should use the AGI as reported on the joint return (which would already account for our different contribution levels). I'm definitely planning to call FSA directly after reading everyone's experiences, but wanted to see if anyone else dealt with this wrinkle!