Can't reach FAFSA? Claimyr connects you to a live FAFSA agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the FAFSA
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the FAFSA drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Congratulations on getting your award! That's awesome news and such a relief when you finally see those numbers. Your experience is exactly why I always tell people not to stress too much about the SAI number - the thresholds are higher than most people think. $3,465 is a solid amount that will definitely help with your costs. Hope your sophomore year goes smoothly!
That's such great news! I'm a new student here and was panicking about my own SAI being around 2800. Seeing everyone's experiences really helps calm my nerves about the whole process. It's encouraging to know that the system actually works and people do get the aid they qualify for, even if it takes some patience waiting for the schools to process everything.
Welcome to the community! Your SAI of 2800 should definitely qualify you for Pell Grant funding - you're actually in a better position than the original poster. Based on what others have shared here, you'll likely receive around $3,800-$4,200 for the year if you're enrolled full-time. The waiting is definitely the hardest part, but it sounds like you're on track to get good aid. Make sure to check studentaid.gov to see your official eligibility, and don't hesitate to reach out to your school's financial aid office if you have questions once your package is ready!
Thank you so much for the welcome and the information! That's incredibly reassuring to hear. I've been losing sleep over this whole financial aid process, especially since I'm the first in my family to go to college and we have no idea how any of this works. I'll definitely check studentaid.gov like you suggested. It's amazing how supportive everyone is here - I was expecting to just lurk and read, but you all make it feel like a real community where people actually help each other out.
Join the conversation
Glad to hear you got some clarity on the process! Just wanted to add one more thing for anyone else reading this thread - make sure to keep detailed records of all your Parent PLUS loan documents and payments. The servicers can be pretty disorganized and I've had friends who had to prove payments they'd already made. Also, if your financial situation changes significantly (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), you can request deferment or forbearance on Parent PLUS loans, though interest will keep accruing. It's not ideal but it's better than defaulting. Good luck with both kids' college journeys!
This is such great advice about keeping detailed records! I'm just starting this process and already feeling overwhelmed by all the paperwork. Quick question - do you know if there are any apps or tools that help track Parent PLUS loan payments and documents? I'm not the most organized person and I'm worried I'll lose track of important stuff, especially when I'll potentially have loans for two different kids at two different schools.
Great question! I personally use a simple spreadsheet to track everything, but there are some helpful apps. The Federal Student Aid app (studentaid.gov mobile app) lets you view all your federal loans in one place, including Parent PLUS loans. For document storage, I recommend scanning everything into a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox and creating folders for each child. Some people also use apps like Mint or YNAB to track the monthly payments alongside their other bills. The key is picking something you'll actually use consistently! Also pro tip - set up automatic payments if possible, you'll get a 0.25% interest rate reduction.
I'm new to navigating Parent PLUS loans and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Just wanted to add that I found it useful to create a timeline/calendar for when to submit each application. Since the credit checks are valid for 180 days, timing can be important if you're applying for multiple children in different academic years. Also, for anyone worried about the debt burden (which is totally valid!), some schools offer emergency aid or additional institutional grants for families experiencing unexpected financial hardship - it's worth reaching out to the financial aid office to ask about these options. They're not always well-publicized but can sometimes bridge funding gaps without taking on more loan debt.
This is such valuable information about timing the applications! I hadn't thought about the 180-day credit check window and how that might affect applying for multiple kids. That timeline/calendar idea is brilliant - I'm definitely going to create one now. Also really appreciate the tip about emergency aid. I'm in a similar situation and didn't know schools had these additional funding options available. Did you have success getting any emergency aid from your kids' schools? I'm wondering how to approach those conversations with financial aid offices.
Join the conversation
Financial aid counselor here. I always advise families to follow this order: 1. First, max out all federal Direct subsidized loans (no interest while in school) 2. Then federal Direct unsubsidized loans (interest accrues but still has protections) 3. Only after that, consider Parent PLUS or private options The federal Direct loans have the best terms and protections for students, period. The current rate is 4.99% for undergraduate Direct loans vs 7.54% for Parent PLUS. Another consideration: if your retirement timeline is within 10-15 years, taking on Parent PLUS could seriously impact your retirement security. Students have their whole careers ahead to manage their debt, but parents don't have as much time to recover financially. And definitely apply with multiple private lenders if you go that route - rates and terms vary widely, and having your daughter as the primary borrower with you as a cosigner often gets better rates than Parent PLUS.
Thank you for these insights! The retirement timeline is exactly what's been worrying me - we're about 12 years from when we hope to retire. The cosigner approach sounds interesting - I hadn't considered that option. Would that make me equally liable for the debt but potentially get us a better interest rate than a Parent PLUS loan?
Yes, as a cosigner you're equally liable if your daughter can't pay, but with two major advantages over Parent PLUS: 1) potentially lower interest rates if your credit is good, and 2) many private lenders offer cosigner release after a certain number of on-time payments (usually 24-48 months). So you could help her establish credit, get a better rate, but eventually have the loan be solely in her name. With your retirement timeline, I'd be very cautious about taking Parent PLUS loans that would extend into your retirement years. That could force difficult choices between loan payments and retirement needs.
As a newcomer to this community, I'm really grateful for all the detailed advice here! I'm actually facing a similar situation with my son's college funding next year, and this thread has been incredibly helpful. One thing I wanted to add - I recently spoke with a financial planner who emphasized looking at the total cost of borrowing over the full repayment period, not just the interest rates. She showed me that even though Parent PLUS loans have higher rates, the shorter repayment timeline (typically 10 years) versus extended student loan repayment plans can sometimes result in less total interest paid overall. That said, reading about the flexibility of student loans with income-driven repayment and forgiveness options really makes me lean toward having my son take the federal loans first. The peace of mind knowing he'd have options if he struggles financially after graduation seems worth a lot. Has anyone here actually used the cosigner release option that was mentioned? I'm curious how smooth that process typically is with private lenders.
Welcome to the community! Your financial planner makes a great point about looking at total cost over the full repayment period - that's something I hadn't fully considered when weighing our options. Regarding cosigner release, I haven't used it personally, but I've heard mixed experiences from other parents. Some lenders like SoFi and College Ave seem to have more straightforward processes, while others can be pretty strict about the requirements (like requiring a certain debt-to-income ratio from the student). Definitely something to ask about upfront when comparing lenders - get the specific requirements in writing! The flexibility aspect you mentioned is really what's pushing me toward the student loan route too. Even if the math might work out similarly in some scenarios, having those safety nets with income-driven repayment feels crucial given how unpredictable post-graduation employment can be these days.
Join the conversation
Update: Thanks everyone for your help! My husband created his FSA ID last night and was able to sign. The whole process took less than 10 minutes once I showed him where to go. Our son's FAFSA is now officially submitted with both parent signatures. Such a relief to have this done correctly!
Great news! Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Now your son's application can be processed without delays.
YAYY!! One more college prep task conquered! 👏
Congrats on getting it figured out! This thread is super helpful - I'm bookmarking it for when I help my daughter with her FAFSA next year. The signature requirement definitely seems like one of those things that catches a lot of families off guard. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences!
Yes, definitely bookmark this! I wish I had found a thread like this before going through the FAFSA process. The signature requirement really does catch so many people off guard - it seems like such a simple thing but can cause major delays if you miss it. This community has been incredibly helpful for navigating all these confusing financial aid requirements!
Nia Williams
Just wanna say that having three kids in college...respect! That's a huge financial undertaking even with merit scholarships. Hope your youngest does great!
0 coins
Omar Farouk
•Thank you! It's definitely been a journey (and expensive!). Fortunately this is our last one, so we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, haha!
0 coins
CosmicCrusader
This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my daughter who has a partial merit scholarship. Reading through all these responses really clarifies the distinction between scholarships used for qualified vs. non-qualified expenses. It sounds like most of us are overthinking this question - if the scholarship money went toward tuition and fees and we didn't report any of it as income on our tax returns, then zero is the correct answer. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, especially the financial aid counselor's breakdown!
0 coins
Giovanni Colombo
•Absolutely agree! This thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding this confusing FAFSA question. As someone new to the financial aid process, I was also worried about making mistakes with scholarship reporting. It's reassuring to see that so many families have similar questions and that the answer really comes down to whether the scholarship amounts were actually reported as income on tax returns. The financial aid counselor's explanation was especially clear about the qualified vs. non-qualified expense distinction. Thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge!
0 coins