Since you mentioned applying to private schools, here's what you need to know: 1. FAFSA (federal aid): Only requires info from custodial parent or higher-support parent in 50/50 situations 2. CSS Profile (many private schools): Often requires BOTH divorced parents' financial information 3. Individual institutional forms: Some schools have their own separate forms with different requirements So your dad is partially right - for some schools you might need both parents' info, but not for FAFSA itself.

Just want to add one more tip from someone who went through this exact situation - make sure you and your parents are all on the same page about who the "FAFSA parent" is BEFORE you submit. I made the mistake of filing with my dad's info first, then realizing my mom provided more support. Had to contact the school's financial aid office to make corrections and it delayed my aid package by weeks. Also, keep a simple spreadsheet or list of who pays for what (medical insurance, clothes, school supplies, etc.) throughout the year. It'll make this decision much easier for future FAFSA renewals and if you ever need to provide verification documentation. Good luck with your applications!

When I was creating my own FSA ID last month, I kept getting a similar error about account verification failing. Turns out I had been entering my birthday wrong (typing 1980 instead of 1990 - fat finger error that I didn't notice). The system error messages are so unhelpful that I spent hours troubleshooting browsers and clearing cache before realizing it was just a simple data entry mistake. The entire 2025-2026 FAFSA process has been a technological disaster. Between the website crashes, the account creation problems, and the confusing contributor requirements, I'm amazed anyone is getting through it successfully. And all this just to calculate our SAI, which seems unnecessarily complicated compared to the old EFC system.

As a new parent going through this process, I can't thank you enough for sharing this solution! I've been banging my head against the wall for the past two weeks trying to create my FSA ID as a contributor. The "limited account" error was driving me absolutely crazy, especially since the FSA website gives zero helpful guidance on what that actually means or how to fix it. Just tried incognito mode after reading your post and it worked immediately! I'm honestly shocked that such a simple browser setting was the solution after all the technical troubleshooting I attempted. This whole new contributor system has been such a learning curve. Between figuring out who needs to be a contributor, understanding the new SAI calculations, and now dealing with these technical glitches, the 2025-2026 FAFSA feels like it was designed to be as confusing as possible. I really hope they get these bugs worked out soon because I can't imagine how many families are getting stuck on these same issues. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your experience - you probably just saved hundreds of other parents from weeks of frustration!

Sounds like you've gotten some good advice here. Just to summarize the key points: 1. Take subsidized loans first (no interest while in school) 2. Only take unsubsidized if absolutely necessary 3. Current interest rate is 4.99% fixed for both types 4. No payments required until 6 months after graduation For your financial planning, you can use the Loan Simulator tool on studentaid.gov to estimate monthly payments based on different loan amounts. This can help you determine how much is reasonable to borrow.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I wanted to add that you should also look into work-study opportunities if they were offered in the financial aid package. My daughter got $2,000 in work-study which helped reduce how much we needed to borrow. Also, some schools have emergency grants or additional scholarships that aren't widely advertised - it's worth asking the financial aid office about when you do get through to them. The subsidized loan is definitely the way to go first, and remember you can always decline part of the loans later if you find other funding sources!

One more thing to be aware of - if the correction process takes longer than expected, make sure your son's college financial aid offices are aware of the situation. They can often place a hold on his financial aid package until the corrected information comes through, rather than issuing an initial package based on incorrect data. Just have him email the financial aid offices explaining the FAFSA glitch and that corrected information is forthcoming.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Just went through the contributor process yesterday and it only asked about government benefits - nothing about income, assets, or taxes. So frustrating to see this is a widespread problem. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like calling FSA and getting them to acknowledge the glitch is the key step. Has anyone had luck with specific phone numbers or times of day that work better for getting through? I'm dreading spending hours on hold but it seems like that's what it's going to take to get this fixed.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been stuck on SSA verification for 16 days after submitting on July 8th. The whole "3 business days" thing is clearly not accurate at all. What's been driving me nuts is that I keep seeing conflicting advice online - some people say to call every day, others say that just clogs up the system. I've been trying to be patient but it's hard when you see posts about people waiting 5+ weeks! One thing that's been somewhat helpful is keeping a log of when I call and what each agent tells me. So far I've gotten three different explanations for the delay, which makes me think they honestly don't know what's causing it either. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been more informative than any of my phone calls to FSA. Really hoping that system update @Alberto Souchard mentioned comes through soon - crossing my fingers we're all part of that batch that gets cleared in the next week or two!

I'm going through the exact same thing and it's such a relief to find this thread! I submitted my FAFSA on June 30th and have been stuck on SSA verification for 17 days now. Like everyone else, I was told "3 business days" but clearly that's not happening. What's been most frustrating for me is that my college's financial aid office keeps asking for updates, but I literally have nothing new to tell them - the status just never changes! I've called the FSA helpline 6 times so far and gotten the usual "just wait longer" response each time. One agent did mention that they're seeing "higher than normal volume" for SSA verifications this year, which at least explains why it's taking so long. Reading through everyone's experiences here gives me hope that it will eventually go through, even if it takes another week or two. @Alberto Souchard - really hoping that system update you mentioned comes through soon! And @Hailey O'Leary - I might look into that Claimyr service if I'm still stuck after the 7-10 day window Alberto mentioned. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - makes me feel way less alone in this mess!