This is SO helpful reading everyone's experiences! I'm a parent who's been struggling with the signature issue for my daughter's FAFSA since mid-January. We've tried everything the support reps suggested but nothing worked. Reading through all these comments, I'm realizing we probably need to check my Social Security card format more carefully. I think I've been using the name format from my driver's license instead of exactly what's on the SS card. Also definitely going to try the early morning approach - if 4:30am worked for you, Santiago, I'm willing to set that alarm! One question for anyone who got it working - did you complete the parent demographic section and signature all in the same session? Or were you able to save and return to just the signature part? My daughter started the application weeks ago and we've just been stuck on the signature step. Thanks for sharing your success story - gives me hope we can finally get this done! 🙏

Just wanted to add another potential solution that worked for my family! We were stuck on the parent signature issue for over a month, and what finally worked was having my mom sign using her phone's mobile browser instead of a computer. We tried Safari on her iPhone at around 2am (following the low-traffic time suggestion from this thread) and it went through on the first try! I think there might be something about the mobile browser that handles the signature verification differently. Also want to echo what others said about the Social Security card name format - we had to remove a middle initial that appeared on other documents but wasn't on the actual SS card. For anyone still struggling: don't give up! The combination of mobile browser + exact SS card name format + off-peak hours seems to be the magic formula. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread was a lifesaver! 🙌

If her mother makes more than you and you have equal custody, it might benefit your daughter's aid eligibility for you to be the parent who completes the FAFSA. The lower-income parent will typically result in a lower SAI, potentially qualifying for more need-based aid. The official rule is: 1. The parent who provided more financial support in the past 12 months 2. If equal support, the parent the student lived with more 3. If equal living time, the parent who provided more financial aid Since you're handling college expenses but make less, you have a legitimate case for being the parent contributor. Just be prepared to explain the situation if verification is requested.

As someone who just went through this process with my own kid, I'd strongly recommend waiting until the 2023 taxes are actually filed rather than using estimates. I know it's stressful with deadlines, but here's why: The verification process is absolutely brutal if your estimates are off by more than a small amount. Even if you're close, schools often won't finalize aid packages until they have the actual tax data anyway, so you're not really saving time. For the parent/student process - yes, your daughter creates her FSA ID first, starts the application, then invites you as a parent contributor. Make sure you use your own FSA ID when you get the invitation. One thing that helped us was reaching out to the financial aid offices at her top choice schools to explain the tax extension situation. Most were understanding and said they could work with a later FAFSA submission as long as we communicated early about the delay. The peace of mind from submitting accurate information from the start is worth way more than rushing with estimates that might cause problems later!

Just wanted to add some reassurance here - you're definitely making the right choice by sticking with FAFSA! I went through a similar situation last year where my family was worried about documentation issues during the application process. One thing that really helped me was keeping a folder with copies of all our immigration documents (including renewal receipts and any correspondence) ready for verification. The financial aid office was actually very understanding when I explained the situation upfront. Also, since you're at UT Dallas, they have pretty good financial aid counselors once you get past the front desk staff. Try asking specifically to speak with a "financial aid counselor" rather than just general staff - they tend to be more knowledgeable about these complex situations. You've got this! The fact that you're asking the right questions and doing your research shows you're on the right track.

Hey! As someone who works in financial aid, I want to echo what others have said - you're absolutely making the right choice by sticking with FAFSA given your situation. Since you're a US citizen with permanent resident parents, FAFSA will give you access to the full range of federal aid (Pell Grants, federal loans, work-study) PLUS state aid programs. One quick tip: when you do speak with FSA or your school's financial aid office, have your parents' A-numbers (alien registration numbers) ready - these don't change even during green card renewal. This can help speed up the verification process if you're selected. Also, don't stress too much about the renewal process. Immigration services typically provide receipt notices that extend the validity of expired green cards, so your parents' status remains protected during renewal. Your financial aid office has definitely seen this situation before! You're being really smart by getting clarity on this now rather than later. Good luck with everything!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! My FSA ID got locked out three weeks ago and I've been getting the runaround ever since. What's really frustrating is that different representatives keep giving me completely different timelines - first it was 5-7 days, then 10-14, and now they're saying up to 21 business days. I'm also worried about missing priority deadlines for fall semester. Has anyone had success escalating to a supervisor? I feel like the regular customer service reps just don't have the authority to actually expedite anything. Also wondering if there's a specific department within Federal Student Aid that handles these recovery forms faster than others?

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this FSA ID recovery nightmare too! I've been following the advice from everyone here and wanted to share what's worked so far. I called my school's financial aid office yesterday and they were incredibly helpful - they immediately understood the situation and said they see this all the time now. They put a note on my account and gave me a temporary extension on the priority deadline while I wait for the recovery to process. They also offered to make a call to Federal Student Aid on my behalf, which apparently has a much higher success rate than student calls. The financial aid advisor told me to bring all my documentation (confirmation number, dates of calls, etc.) when I come in next week. It's such a relief to know the school has my back on this! For anyone else in the same boat, definitely contact your financial aid office ASAP - they seem to have way more pull with the FSA system than we do as individual students.

One important note: If you do select 'unmarried' based on being separated, make sure you understand the documentation requirements. If your application is selected for verification (which happens to about 30% of FAFSA applications), you may need to provide: 1. Proof of separate residences (utility bills, leases, etc.) 2. Legal separation documentation if applicable 3. A personal statement explaining the separation situation 4. Sometimes a third-party statement (counselor, clergy, lawyer) confirming the separation Being prepared with this documentation ahead of time can save weeks of delays if verification is required.

I went through this exact situation two years ago with my oldest daughter's FAFSA. After reading all these responses, I want to add that timing is crucial here. Don't wait until the last minute to sort this out - financial aid offices get swamped closer to deadlines and response times slow way down. Also, when you do contact the school's financial aid office (which you absolutely should do first), ask specifically about their "Dependency Override" or "Special Circumstances" forms. Some schools have streamlined processes for separation situations that can bypass a lot of the headaches everyone's describing. One more tip: if your son is applying to multiple schools, each financial aid office may handle your situation slightly differently. Don't assume the guidance from one school applies to all of them. I learned this the hard way when my daughter's backup school had completely different documentation requirements than her first choice. The stress is real, but there are solutions. Your son won't miss out on aid because of this - it just takes some extra legwork on the front end.