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Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been through this process multiple times with rental properties. One thing that really helped us was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all our rental property info year over year - property address, acquisition date, current market value estimate, outstanding mortgage balance, and net equity. This makes filling out the FAFSA much faster each year and helps ensure consistency. Also, if you're using online valuation tools like Zillow or Redfin, I'd recommend taking the average of 2-3 different estimates rather than relying on just one, as they can vary quite a bit. The financial aid offices seem to appreciate when families show they've done their homework on property valuations rather than just picking a random number.
This is such a smart approach! I'm definitely going to create a spreadsheet like you suggested - it would make things so much easier to track from year to year, especially since we'll be dealing with this for the next few years as our daughter goes through college. The idea of averaging multiple valuation estimates makes a lot of sense too. I was just going to use the county assessment, but taking the average of a few different sources would probably give us a more accurate and defensible number. Thanks for the practical tip!
Just want to add a quick note about timing - make sure you're using the property values and mortgage balances as of the date you file your FAFSA, not necessarily what they were at the end of the tax year. Property values can change significantly, and if you've made mortgage payments throughout the year, your equity will be different. I learned this the hard way when our property value dropped between tax filing and FAFSA submission, and I had to go back and correct our original submission. It's a small detail but can make a difference in your calculated asset value. Also, if you're refinancing or doing a cash-out refi during the FAFSA year, that can complicate things too, so plan accordingly!
That's such an important point about timing! I hadn't even thought about using the FAFSA filing date values versus end-of-tax-year values. Our duplex has actually gone up in value since we filed our taxes, so using the current market value would increase our reported asset value. It's tricky because you want to be accurate but also don't want to hurt your aid eligibility unnecessarily. Do you happen to know if there's any guidance on exactly which date to use for the valuation? And thanks for the heads up about refinancing complications - we were actually considering a refi later this year, so good to know that could affect next year's FAFSA!
Congrats on getting it fixed! This is really helpful to know about the duplicate application issue. I've been having the same error for over a week now and I think I might have the same problem - I started filling it out on my phone at school, then tried to continue on my laptop at home. Going to try that Claimyr service too since the regular FAFSA phone line is absolutely useless. Thanks for updating us with what actually worked!
Good luck with the Claimyr service! I'm dealing with a similar issue right now and have been going back and forth between devices too. It's really frustrating how the FAFSA system doesn't handle multiple sessions well. Hopefully you get it sorted out quickly - the duplicate application thing seems to be a pretty common cause of this error based on what everyone's saying here.
I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and seeing all these error messages is honestly terrifying me! I haven't even started my application yet because I keep hearing about all these technical issues. Should I wait until they fix these problems or just dive in and hope for the best? My parents are freaking out about deadlines too. Is there anything I should do differently when starting fresh to avoid the duplicate application issue that seems to be causing problems for so many people?
Don't wait! Even with all these technical issues, you absolutely need to get your FAFSA submitted as soon as possible. Deadlines are firm and waiting could cost you thousands in financial aid. Here's what I'd suggest based on everyone's experience here: 1) Use only ONE device/browser from start to finish - don't switch between phone and computer like many people did, 2) Have all your documents ready before you start so you can complete it in one sitting, 3) Try using Chrome in incognito mode, and 4) Don't bookmark the site - go through Google each time. If you do run into the "cannot complete this request" error, at least you'll know it's likely a duplicate application issue and can get help through that Claimyr service everyone mentioned. Better to deal with potential technical issues than miss your deadline entirely!
This is why I HATE the FAFSA system with a passion. Every year it's something new. Last year they couldn't verify my identity for THREE MONTHS. The year before that, they randomly selected us for verification after we'd already been approved. And now this year they completely redesigned everything and it's full of bugs. The government should be ashamed of how badly they've implemented this system that millions of students depend on. DISGUSTING!!!!!
Did you ever figure this out? I'm dealing with the same issue now with my son's application. We can see that it's been submitted but his SAI score isn't calculating because my income information isn't there. So frustrating!
Yes! Finally got it resolved yesterday. The financial aid counselor at my daughter's top choice school was able to unlock our application on their end so I could complete the parent portion. Turns out a lot of schools can do this now because of all the FAFSA issues this year. Definitely worth contacting your son's school directly!
As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm that you absolutely did everything correctly! The Parent PLUS loan is designed as a single-borrower loan, which is actually different from how many families expect it to work. The confusion is totally understandable because the FAFSA considers both parents' financial information for dependency status and aid calculations, but the PLUS loan itself can only have one borrower. Your husband will be the sole legal borrower on this loan, and the approval will be based entirely on his creditworthiness. Even though you're married and may jointly contribute to payments, only he is legally obligated to repay the debt. This structure actually provides some benefits - if approved, you have the federal loan protections, and if he were to pass away or become permanently disabled, the loan could be discharged. You made the right choice having the parent with better credit apply!
This is incredibly helpful to hear from someone who actually works in financial aid! Your explanation really clarifies why the system is set up this way. I was worried we had made some kind of mistake, but knowing that this single-borrower structure is intentional and provides those federal protections makes me feel so much better about our decision. Thank you for taking the time to explain the reasoning behind it - it's reassuring to get confirmation from a professional that we're doing everything right!
This thread has been so helpful! I'm a first-generation college student parent and had no idea how any of this worked. When I saw the Parent PLUS application only asking for my information and not my spouse's, I was convinced I was filling it out wrong. I even started over twice thinking I had clicked the wrong link or something! It's such a relief to know that this is exactly how it's supposed to work. The single-borrower approach makes sense now that everyone has explained it, but coming into this process blind, it definitely felt like something was missing. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's made me feel so much more confident about moving forward with the application!
I completely understand that feeling! Being a first-generation college parent is tough because there's so much you're navigating for the first time without anyone to guide you through it. I remember feeling the same way about so many parts of this process - like I was missing something obvious that everyone else just knew. But honestly, even parents who went through this years ago get confused because the rules and processes change. The fact that you're being so careful and double-checking everything shows you're being a great advocate for your student. Don't hesitate to reach out here if you have more questions as you go through the process - this community has been amazing for getting real answers from people who've actually been through it!
Carter Holmes
Good news that you've confirmed receipt with two schools already! That suggests the FAFSA data was indeed transmitted successfully. The other schools have likely received it as well. One thing to note: colleges won't begin creating financial aid packages until a student has been accepted, so if your daughters are still waiting on admission decisions from some schools, those financial aid offices might not actively acknowledge FAFSA receipt until after acceptance. I've seen this process work smoothly hundreds of times even without confirmation emails, so try not to worry too much. The system is working as designed (if not as well communicated as we'd all like).
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Chris King
•That's a really good point about the acceptance timeline that I hadn't considered. They have been accepted to most of their schools already, so hopefully the aid packages will start coming in soon. Thanks for the reassurance!
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GalaxyGazer
I went through this exact same situation with my daughter last year! The lack of confirmation emails is definitely nerve-wracking, but it sounds like you're on the right track. Since two schools have already confirmed receipt, that's a great sign that the system worked properly. One tip that helped us - we created a simple spreadsheet tracking each school's FAFSA receipt status and financial aid package timeline. It helped us stay organized and know exactly which schools we still needed to follow up with. Most schools we contacted were really helpful and could confirm receipt immediately over the phone. The waiting game is the worst part of this whole process, but it sounds like your twins are in good shape! Keep us posted on how it goes.
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