Update: I spent all evening comparing the applications side by side and found the problem! Somehow on my son's application, I accidentally entered our home value and mortgage in the "investments" section, which added about $150,000 in assets that shouldn't have been counted. No wonder his SAI was so much higher! I submitted a correction request and hopefully it will be processed soon. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions - you saved us potentially thousands in financial aid!

Wow, I'm so relieved you found the error! That's exactly the kind of mistake that would drive me crazy - accidentally putting home equity in the wrong section. The FAFSA interface can be really confusing about where different assets should go. Your story is a perfect example of why it's so important to double-check everything before submitting. I'm bookmarking this thread because I have twins who will be applying next year and this gives me a great checklist of things to watch out for. Thanks for sharing the solution!

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! I feel much better now. I found the original confirmation email with our submission number and date. My daughter is contacting all her schools today to let them know we've submitted but are still waiting for processing. Her top choice school actually told her they're being flexible with aid deadlines this year specifically because of the FAFSA delays! Such a relief.

I'm in the exact same situation! My FAFSA has been "In Process" for about 2.5 weeks now and I was getting really worried. Reading all these responses is so reassuring - it sounds like this is completely normal this year and not a sign that something went wrong. I'm definitely going to contact my schools tomorrow to let them know I submitted on time but am still waiting for processing. Has anyone had luck getting updates by checking the FAFSA app versus the website, or are they both showing the same status?

Thanks everyone for the insights! I think I'm going to aim for the third week of October like many of you suggested. Will definitely have all our documents ready beforehand and maybe even use that Claimyr service if we run into problems. The stakes feel so high with college costs being what they are - can't afford to miss out on any potential aid. Will also be prepared to file appeals if needed since our 2023 income doesn't really reflect our current situation (husband took a pay cut this year). Fingers crossed the 2025-2026 rollout goes smoother than last year's disaster!

As someone who works at a college financial aid office, I can't stress enough how important it is to submit by early November at the latest. We start packaging aid offers in December, and students who file later often get less institutional grant money simply because our funds are limited. That said, definitely don't be in the first wave - we always see a spike in correction requests from the earliest filers. My recommendation is to file in the last week of October, make sure you double-check all income figures before submitting (especially if you're self-employed or have multiple income sources), and keep detailed records of everything. Also, create a spreadsheet tracking each of your daughter's schools' priority deadlines - some state aid programs have earlier cutoffs than federal aid. The new FAFSA is supposed to be more user-friendly, but have a backup plan ready in case you encounter technical issues!

Quick update for everyone in this thread: The Department of Education just announced they've identified the DRT connectivity issue and are implementing a fix over the next 72 hours. If you can delay your application completion for a few days, you might be able to avoid manual entry altogether. They're prioritizing this fix since it's affecting thousands of applicants for the 2025-2026 cycle.

Just wanted to share my experience - I had the exact same DRT failure issue last week! After trying all the browser suggestions and different times of day, what finally worked for me was making sure my address on the FAFSA matched my tax return EXACTLY, including apartment number formatting and ZIP+4. Apparently even small differences like "Apt 2B" vs "Apartment 2B" can cause the system to fail the data match. Once I corrected that tiny detail, the DRT worked on the first try. Might be worth double-checking those address fields before doing manual entry!

UPDATE: We tried the suggestions here and were able to submit the FAFSA using zeros for my husband's SSN and including his ITIN tax return information! The application went through but now shows we're selected for verification (just like many of you predicted). I've helped my daughter start gathering the extra documentation and she has an appointment with the financial aid office next week. Thank you all for the help - at least we're moving forward now!

So glad to see this update! This is exactly how the process is supposed to work for mixed-status families. The verification step might seem intimidating, but it's really just the school's way of confirming the information is accurate. When your daughter goes to her appointment, make sure she brings copies of everything rather than originals (tax returns, W-2s, bank statements, etc.) and don't be surprised if they ask for additional documents later - it's all part of the normal process. You've already overcome the hardest part by getting the application submitted correctly!