Great! Now make sure when you submit the corrections that you re-sign the FAFSA (both you and parent if required). A lot of people make corrections but forget the final signature step, which just creates another round of errors. And take screenshots of your confirmation page after submitting - you might need those if there's any question later about whether you made the corrections on time.

Just want to add another tip for anyone else dealing with this - if you're still having trouble finding the specific errors after checking the SAI worksheet, try accessing your FAFSA from a computer instead of mobile. The mobile interface sometimes doesn't display all the error flags properly. Also, clear your browser cache before logging in - I've seen cases where old cached data interferes with the correction interface. The FAFSA system has definitely had more glitches this year than usual, but most issues can be resolved once you know where to look!

I'm just wondering why they can't just use the paper signature? Before all this online nonsense, EVERYTHING was paper forms and signatures. The whole system is broken. My daughter almost lost her aid because of technical glitches with the new system. Have you looked into if there's a way to get power of attorney for financial aid purposes? That might be another route if the incarcerated parent is willing to sign that over to you. Just a thought.

I'm a financial aid counselor and want to add some clarity here. The power of attorney suggestion is interesting but unfortunately won't work for FAFSA purposes - federal regulations require the actual contributor to sign, not someone with POA. However, what you absolutely should do is contact your son's financial aid office about a "Dependency Override" specifically for incarcerated parent situations. This is different from the special circumstances reviews others mentioned, though both can apply. With a dependency override, your son would be treated as an independent student, meaning his father's information wouldn't be needed at all. You'll need: - Documentation of incarceration (letter from facility) - Your son's statement explaining the situation - Sometimes a third-party verification This process completely bypasses the contributor signature issue. Each school has different documentation requirements, so call them today and ask specifically about their "dependency override process for incarcerated parents." Don't wait on that paper form - it could take months to process, if at all.

It doesn't matter which parent is listed as Parent 1 or Parent 2 for PSLF purposes. The FAFSA information doesn't affect your loan forgiveness eligibility - it only affects your dependent student's aid package. Just be consistent each year with which parent is listed as which number to avoid confusion when comparing aid packages year to year. The most important thing for your PSLF is maintaining your income-driven repayment plan and filing your Employment Certification Form annually.

As someone who just went through this process last month, I can confirm what others have said - both parents definitely need separate FSA IDs! One thing I'd add is to make sure you have all your financial documents organized before you start. We made the mistake of beginning the FAFSA without having our investment statements handy, and it was frustrating having to stop mid-process to hunt down account balances. Also, if you're doing PSLF, you probably already know this, but double-check that your loan servicer has your correct employment info on file. The FAFSA process reminded me to submit my annual Employment Certification Form, which I'd been putting off. Good luck with everything!

Thanks everyone for your advice! Based on what you've all shared, I'm going to count my son in my household size (so 4 total) since we do provide his housing and utilities which is definitely more than 50% of his support when I calculate it all out. I'll keep documentation ready in case we get selected for verification. Really appreciate all your help!

Great choice! Just went through this exact situation last year with my 22-year-old daughter who was working but living at home. I calculated that providing her housing alone was worth about $1,200/month in our area, plus utilities added another $200/month. Even though she was earning $35k/year, we were still providing over half her total support. The key is documenting everything now - I wish I had done a spreadsheet from the beginning like others mentioned. Good luck with your daughter's aid package!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I've marked those emails as spam for now and I'm going to call both Sallie Mae and my school's financial aid office tomorrow. I had no idea about all the preference settings in my FSA account - just found and updated them! Definitely going to be careful about sticking with federal loans after seeing these warnings. Will update if I get any resolution!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! I submitted my FAFSA in February and I'm getting bombarded by Sallie Mae, Discover Student Loans, and even some companies I've never heard of. What's really frustrating is that they make it sound urgent, like I need to apply NOW before rates go up, but I haven't even received my financial aid package yet. It feels so manipulative to target students when we're already stressed about paying for school. I'm definitely going to try the suggestions here about calling Sallie Mae directly and updating my FSA account settings. Thanks for posting this - it's good to know we're not alone in this!