UPDATE: My SAI finally came through! It took 14 days total, and I did get an email notification (though it went to my promotions folder in Gmail, so I almost missed it). Now I can finally finish those scholarship applications. Thanks everyone for your help and for calming my anxiety!

Glad to see this worked out for you! As someone who just went through this process myself, I wanted to add that it's also worth checking if any of your target schools have their own institutional aid applications with earlier deadlines. Some schools require additional forms beyond just the FAFSA for merit scholarships, and those deadlines can be really tight. Also, if your SAI seems unusually high or low compared to what you expected, don't hesitate to reach out to the financial aid offices directly - they can often provide insight into how their specific school uses the SAI in their aid calculations. The whole process is definitely stressful when you're doing it solo for the first time, but you've got this!

UPDATE: Success! After trying different browsers, I found my saved application on Chrome (I originally used Safari). AND I found my save key written on a post-it note I had completely forgotten about. I'm now back in my application and can make the W-2 corrections before submitting. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

This is such a common issue and it's really frustrating that FAFSA hasn't fixed it yet! For anyone still struggling with this, here's what worked for me last year: try logging in through an incognito/private browser window. Sometimes the regular browser session gets corrupted but incognito bypasses that. Also, if you're using any browser extensions or ad blockers, try disabling them temporarily - they can interfere with the save functionality. The system is definitely finicky but don't give up! And definitely write down that save key somewhere safe if you get prompted to create one.

Update: I called my top choice school today and they confirmed my negative SAI means I'll qualify for their need-based grants in addition to the Pell Grant! They said I should receive my complete aid package within 3 weeks. Thanks everyone for helping explain this - honestly was so confused and worried at first but now I'm actually excited to see my awards!

Congratulations on your negative SAI! As others have mentioned, this is excellent news for your financial aid eligibility. One thing I'd add is to make sure you submit your FAFSA to all the schools you're considering as soon as possible if you haven't already. Even with a great SAI like yours, some schools distribute aid on a first-come, first-served basis for their institutional grants. Also, keep an eye out for any scholarship opportunities at your schools - with your financial need profile, you might be eligible for additional merit-based aid that considers need as a factor. Best of luck with your aid packages!

This is exactly why I always recommend having your tax documents ready as a backup! I went through something similar last year - the IRS DRT kept timing out during peak application season. What saved me was having all my W-2s and 1040 forms organized beforehand. Even though manual entry takes longer, at least you're not at the mercy of system glitches. For anyone still dealing with this issue, don't wait too long before switching to manual entry, especially with school deadlines approaching. Better to have an accurately completed FAFSA than to miss your priority deadline waiting for the DRT to work!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been having the exact same IRS Data Retrieval Tool issue for the past 5 days and was starting to panic about missing my school's deadline. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really helpful - it sounds like this is a widespread problem with the new FAFSA system this year. I'm going to try the suggestion about double-checking that my name matches exactly between my FSA ID and tax return, and if that doesn't work, I'll probably go with manual entry since so many of you had success with that approach. Thanks for sharing your solutions and making me feel less alone in this frustrating process!

@profile5 - For California specifically, here are some dates to keep in mind: 1. March 2: Cal Grant deadline (FIRM - no exceptions) 2. UC priority filing: Usually early March 3. CSU priority filing: Varies by campus (some as early as February 15) 4. California Community Colleges: Varies, but generally you want to file by March 2 And yes, your family's financial situation changing since 2023 is a big deal! You'll need to complete what's called a "Professional Judgment" or "Special Circumstances" appeal with each college after your FAFSA is processed. Each school handles these differently, but you'll need documentation showing the change in income. Start gathering things like layoff notices, unemployment benefits statements, or medical bills that caused the income reduction. You typically submit these appeals directly to each college's financial aid office, not through FAFSA.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can't stress enough how important timing is. We filed in mid-January thinking we were "on time" but discovered several of her target schools had priority deadlines in early February that we barely made. Here's what I wish I'd known: Create a spreadsheet with each college your son is considering and their specific financial aid deadlines. Don't just look at FAFSA deadlines - look for "priority consideration" dates for institutional aid. Some schools award 80% of their aid budget to students who meet priority deadlines. Also, since you mentioned this is your first time with FAFSA, make sure you have your 2023 tax return handy and create your FSA ID ahead of time if you haven't already. The parent FSA ID can take a few days to verify, so don't wait until you're ready to submit the FAFSA to create it. One more thing - if your son is applying to any private colleges, many of them also require the CSS Profile for institutional aid, which has its own deadlines that are often earlier than FAFSA deadlines.