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.

As a newcomer here, I really appreciate all the detailed advice everyone has shared! This conversation has been super helpful in understanding the timing issues with FAFSA and gap years. It sounds like the consensus is to wait until your son has more concrete plans rather than filling it out now. The point about military benefits being separate from FAFSA really clarifies things too. Good luck with whatever path he chooses - both the Air Force and community college are great options!

As someone new to this community, I wanted to add that it's also worth considering that if your son does end up going the Air Force route, many service members complete their degree while active duty using Tuition Assistance, then save their GI Bill benefits for after service (maybe for a higher degree or to transfer to dependents). This could actually work out better financially than the traditional college path! The military education counselors are really good at helping map out these strategies once he's in. But like everyone said, definitely no need to do FAFSA now if he's taking the gap year.

I'm in a very similar situation! My son's FAFSA was processed on March 20th and we're still waiting to hear from all 5 schools he applied to. Reading everyone's responses here has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea the new FAFSA system was causing such widespread delays this year. It sounds like 3-4 weeks is pretty normal timing, but I'm definitely getting anxious about our May 1st decision deadline too. I think I'll follow the advice about waiting one more week and then reaching out to the financial aid offices with that specific script someone mentioned earlier. It's comforting to know so many other families are going through the exact same waiting game right now!

Just wanted to chime in as another parent going through this same stressful waiting period! My daughter's FAFSA was processed on March 19th and we're still waiting on aid packages from 3 out of her 4 schools. It's our first time through this process too and I've been checking my email obsessively every day! Reading through all these responses has been such a relief - I had no idea the new FAFSA system was causing delays across the board this year. It sounds like we're all pretty much on the same timeline and that 3-4 weeks is totally normal. I'm going to take the advice about checking her student portals more carefully (I'll admit I've been relying mostly on email notifications) and then plan to make some calls next week if we still haven't heard anything. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - it's so much less stressful knowing we're not the only ones in this situation! Fingers crossed we all start seeing some aid packages roll in soon.

To summarize for anyone else with this question: Either the student or parent/contributor can sign first technically, but best practice is: 1) Student starts application and creates FSA ID if they don't have one 2) Student adds parent/contributor and completes their portion without signing 3) Parent/contributor completes their section with all financial information 4) Parent/contributor signs their section 5) Student reviews complete application including contribution information 6) Student signs to complete submission This order minimizes the need for corrections later, which can delay your SAI calculation and financial aid package.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter, I can confirm that following the order @Sienna Gomez outlined is definitely the way to go! We learned the hard way last year when my daughter signed first and then I realized I had entered the wrong bank account balance. Had to call the school's financial aid office to explain the discrepancy. This year we did parent section first, reviewed everything together, and it went so much smoother. Also Pro tip: make sure you have all your tax documents and bank statements ready before you start the parent section - it'll save you from having to stop halfway through to hunt down paperwork!