Update: My SAI finally appeared today - took exactly 4 business days. For anyone else wondering about timing, the system didn't send me any notification; I just kept checking my account and it was there this morning. Thanks everyone for the help and reassurance!

Great to hear your SAI came through! Four business days is pretty typical from what I've seen. For others still waiting, I'd recommend checking your account every morning rather than multiple times per day - the processing seems to happen overnight and you'll just stress yourself out refreshing constantly. Also make sure to screenshot your SAI once it appears, since you'll need that number for multiple applications and it's easier than logging in every time.

One thing I learned the hard way: don't just look at the bottom line number on financial aid offers. Some schools front-load grants in the first year then switch to more loans in later years. Others include work-study in the package which isn't guaranteed money. And watch out for Parent PLUS loans being included as if they're aid - they're just loans with higher interest rates that YOU have to pay back, not reduced costs.

Your SAI of 598 is excellent news! As someone who just went through this process with my own kid, I can tell you that score puts your daughter in a really good position. We had a similar family income and our SAI was around 750, and my son still received substantial aid at most schools he applied to. A few practical tips from our experience: - Don't be surprised if private schools sometimes offer better net prices than state schools due to their larger endowments - Keep all your financial documents organized - schools often request verification - Consider having your daughter apply to a financial safety school where her stats are well above average (they might offer merit aid on top of need-based aid) - Start looking at outside scholarship opportunities now while you're waiting for school decisions The waiting is the hardest part, but with that SAI, you should have some good options come spring!

update: I finally got it fixed!!!! turns out the emails were because my dad needed to resubmit HIS part even tho it showed completed on my end! check with your parents maybe?

As someone who just went through the FAFSA process for the first time, this thread is so helpful! I was getting paranoid that I missed something when those automated emails started coming. It's reassuring to know this is a widespread system issue and not user error. For anyone still dealing with this - definitely save screenshots of your dashboard showing no pending actions before calling FSA. That documentation really helps the agents understand what you're seeing vs what their system is flagging.

Congrats on getting it sorted out! Your step-by-step breakdown is really helpful - I'm bookmarking this thread in case I run into similar issues with my own FAFSA. The part about waiting for FSA ID verification is especially important since I don't think most people realize that can take 1-2 days. Thanks for taking the time to post the solution that worked!

This is such great timing! I'm having the exact same issue with my mom right now - she got the invitation yesterday and the link just shows a blank page. Based on all the advice here, I'm going to have her create her FSA ID first at studentaid.gov and then I'll resend the invitation once it's verified. It's frustrating that the system doesn't make this requirement clear upfront, but at least now I know what to do instead of wasting more time clicking the same broken link. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is so helpful!

One thing I'd like to add that hasn't been mentioned yet - don't forget about CSS Profile if your son is applying to private colleges! Many private schools require both FAFSA and CSS Profile for institutional aid. The CSS Profile asks for much more detailed financial information and often requires tax documents to be uploaded directly. It also costs money to submit (around $25 for the first school, $16 for each additional). The CSS Profile usually opens in early October, so you'd actually need to submit that before the FAFSA. Just wanted to make sure you're aware since it can be a surprise for families who only prepared for FAFSA!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone just starting to navigate this process with my daughter who's also a junior, I'm taking notes on everything you've all shared. The timeline breakdown really clarified things for me - I was also confused about the tax year timing. One quick question: for the asset information that gets reported as of the filing date, does that include things like 529 college savings plans? I know those are treated differently but want to make sure I understand what counts as "parent assets" versus "student assets" since the assessment rates are so different.