btw another thing that happened to me - school was emailing my STUDENT not me (parent) even tho i did all the fafsa stuff. check ur daughters email too maybe theres more info there

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My son's school keeps saying there's missing info but won't specify what. Reading through all these comments has been super helpful - sounds like I need to stop obsessing over the FAFSA portal and actually check his student account at the university. It's so confusing that they call it "missing FAFSA information" when it's really verification documents that the school specifically wants. Why can't they just be clear about what they need instead of sending these vague panic-inducing emails? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

As someone who just went through this exact same situation last month, I can totally relate to your frustration! The new FAFSA requirements definitely caught us off guard too. What helped us was setting aside a dedicated evening to walk through the whole process together. My husband was also not tech-savvy, but the FSA ID creation is actually pretty straightforward - just make sure he uses his own email address and has his Social Security card handy for verification. The contributor invitation process worked smoothly once we both understood our separate roles. Don't let the stress get to you - thousands of families are figuring this out for the first time this year!

This is straight from the FAFSA website in an article for the 25-26 FAFSA: is-my-parent-a-contributor.jpg (5000×7133) It says if your parents are married filing jointly then only 1 parent needs a FAFSA account and needs to contribute. Is this wrong?

Update: I just checked the mobile app and my SAI is actually showing there! It's $4,352. Thank you all so much for your help, especially the tip about checking the app! Now I can finish those scholarship applications in time.

Wow, this thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - my FAFSA shows processed but no SAI visible on the website. I'm definitely going to try the mobile app trick that worked for Zara. It's crazy how buggy this new system is, but at least there are workarounds. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

Update: I was able to transfer the parent information successfully! For anyone else in this situation, here's what worked: I logged in with MY FSA ID (not my son's), started a new FAFSA for 2025-2026, entered all his student information, and then when I got to the parent section, there was an option that said "Transfer Parents' Information from another FAFSA form." I clicked that, verified my identity again, and it pulled all our tax info, assets, etc. from my daughter's application. Saved me at least an hour of work! Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad I found this thread! I'm in the exact same situation - just submitted my oldest daughter's FAFSA last night and completely forgot about the sibling transfer option. My youngest is a senior this year and I was dreading having to re-enter all our financial information again. Our situation is pretty complicated with my husband being self-employed and us having some rental income, so it took me forever to get all the numbers right the first time. Reading through all these responses gives me hope that the transfer process will actually work smoothly. Going to try it this weekend when I have more time to focus without distractions!

I'm also new to this process and feeling pretty overwhelmed! My twin daughters are applying to college this fall too, and I've been lurking here trying to figure everything out. Reading through all these responses is both reassuring and terrifying at the same time - it sounds like the delays are normal but still so stressful when deadlines are looming! I submitted our FAFSA applications about 2 weeks ago and they're both still showing "Processing" status. At least now I know not to panic if it takes another few weeks. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know other parents are going through the same thing!

Hi there! I'm also navigating the FAFSA process for the first time with my daughter who's applying for fall 2025. Reading through this thread has been incredibly helpful - especially learning that the 3-4 week processing time is normal right now. I submitted our FAFSA about 10 days ago and have been checking the status obsessively! It's reassuring to know that schools are aware of the delays and many are adjusting their deadlines accordingly. One question - for those who have been through this before, do you get an email notification when the SAI calculation is finally complete, or do you just have to keep checking the website? Thanks for creating such a supportive community for stressed parents like us!