I'm also brand new to FAFSA and just went through this exact same BankMobile nightmare! I couldn't access my account for 4 days and was absolutely panicking, thinking I had somehow messed up my entire financial aid application. This thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no clue these outages were actually normal during disbursement periods! I was literally losing sleep thinking I'd broken something important. The early morning login trick sounds brilliant and I'm definitely trying that tonight, plus I'm bookmarking that Claimyr service for future emergencies. Also planning to ask my financial aid office about switching to direct deposit after seeing how many people recommend it. It's so reassuring to find such a supportive community where experienced students share practical solutions instead of leaving us newcomers to panic alone. Thank you everyone for turning what felt like a financial crisis into a valuable learning experience - this is exactly the kind of guidance I needed as a first-time FAFSA user!

Welcome to everyone dealing with their first FAFSA disbursement! As someone who's been through a few semesters of this, I wanted to jump in and reassure all the newcomers that what you're experiencing with BankMobile is totally normal - these outages happen like clockwork during peak disbursement periods. I remember my first semester I was absolutely convinced I'd somehow broken my entire financial aid package when I couldn't log in for 3 days! A few additional tips that have saved me over the years: 1) Screenshot your disbursement confirmations when the site IS working - having that info saved has been helpful when dealing with customer service, 2) Consider setting up text alerts if BankMobile offers them for your account, and 3) Always keep your school's financial aid emergency contact number handy since they can verify disbursements even when BankMobile is down. The learning curve is steep but this community is fantastic for sharing real solutions. Hang in there everyone - your refunds will come through!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a new financial aid coordinator and have been dreading the day I'd encounter this dependency status error situation. Reading through everyone's experiences and step-by-step solutions has given me a much better understanding of how to handle this when it comes up with my students. The collective wisdom here about timing phone calls, having documentation ready, knowing about state agency alternatives, and preparing students for EFC changes is invaluable. I'm bookmarking this entire conversation as a reference guide. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences - it's exactly the kind of practical knowledge that helps us better serve our students!

As someone who's been helping students navigate FAFSA issues for over a decade, I want to emphasize how common this dependency status error actually is - you're definitely not alone in dealing with this! One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that some students panic and try to withdraw their FAFSA entirely when they realize the mistake, thinking they can start fresh. Please make sure your student knows NOT to do this, as it creates even more complications and delays. Also, while waiting for the FSA reset to process, have your student gather all their parent tax documents and financial information so everything is ready to input immediately once the correction window opens. The 24-48 hour processing time can sometimes stretch longer during peak periods, so being fully prepared helps minimize delays once they can actually make the changes. One last tip - if your college has a FAFSA help desk or student success center, loop them in on this situation too. Many schools track these types of corrections internally and can advocate with federal processors if there are any hiccups in the timeline, especially when priority deadlines are involved.

As someone completely new to the FAFSA process, this thread has been incredibly reassuring! I'm helping my nephew with his application next month and was already stressed about making mistakes. Seeing how Connor's email error turned into such a manageable fix, plus getting the insider perspective from Vincent about how common these issues are, really helps calm my nerves. The practical tips everyone shared - like setting up FSA IDs early and double-checking email addresses - are going straight into my preparation checklist. It's so helpful to have real timelines (4 business days for processing) rather than just the vague guidance you find elsewhere. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment for us FAFSA newcomers!

This thread has been such a lifesaver for me as a complete FAFSA newcomer! I'm helping my daughter with her first application next week and was honestly terrified of making any mistakes. Reading Connor's experience and seeing how what felt like a crisis turned into a simple 4-day fix has really put my mind at ease. The practical advice from everyone - especially about setting up FSA IDs early and Vincent's insider perspective about how common these issues are - is going straight into my preparation notes. It's amazing how this community turns stressful situations into learning opportunities for all of us. Thank you all for being so generous with your real-world experiences and timelines!

I just went through this same nightmare yesterday! After reading through everyone's solutions, I tried +15551234567 and it worked immediately. What's really frustrating is that I called the CSS Profile help line first and was on hold for over an hour, only to be told "try different formats" - which I had already done! This thread was way more helpful than their official support. It's mind-boggling that College Board would implement such a major format change without any clear instructions on the form itself. They really need to add example text showing the required format. Thanks to everyone who shared their working solutions - you've saved so many families from this headache!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My daughter's CSS Profile is due in two days and I've been stuck on this phone number screen for 20 minutes. After reading through all these comments, I'm going to try the +15551234567 format since that seems to work for most people. It's absolutely insane that College Board would change their system requirements without putting ANY indication on the actual form about what format they want. This is such basic UX design - just add an example or helper text! Thank you so much to everyone who shared their working solutions here. This thread is literally more helpful than College Board's entire help section. Fingers crossed the +1 format works for me too!

Hi Lukas! Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and working toward PSLF myself - currently at 72 qualifying payments. Seeing someone at 117 payments is incredibly motivating and gives me hope that I'll reach that milestone too! Everyone has already given you such thorough and helpful advice about being able to submit your ECF immediately when you hit 120 with no waiting period. I just wanted to add that it's really inspiring to see how supportive this community is - reading through all these responses has taught me so much about the final stages of the PSLF process. The anxiety you mentioned about wanting everything to go smoothly is so relatable. Even though I still have 48 payments ahead of me, I already find myself worrying about those final steps! But seeing all these success stories and practical tips from people who've completed the process gives me confidence that it really does work when you follow the right steps. You've shown such dedication getting to 117 payments over nearly 10 years - you're almost there! I'll definitely be following your journey and would love to hear updates when you hit 120 and submit for forgiveness. Your experience will be so valuable for those of us still working our way there. Congratulations on making it this far, and best of luck with those final 3 payments! 🎉

Hi Lukas! Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and currently working toward PSLF myself - I'm at 106 qualifying payments right now. Seeing someone just 3 payments away from forgiveness is so exciting and gives me hope that I'll be there soon too! Everyone has already given you fantastic advice about being able to submit your ECF immediately when you hit 120 with no waiting period. I just wanted to add that you might want to consider setting up email notifications on your studentaid.gov account if you haven't already - that way you'll get alerts when your application status changes during the review process. The anxiety you're feeling is so normal and relatable! Even being at 106 payments myself, I'm already starting to feel those nerves about the final steps. But reading all these success stories and practical tips from people who've completed PSLF gives me so much confidence that the system really does work. You've shown incredible dedication making it through 117 payments over nearly 10 years - you're almost at the finish line! I'll definitely be following your progress closely and would love to hear updates when you hit 120 and submit for forgiveness. Your experience navigating those final steps will be invaluable for those of us just behind you. Congratulations on making it this far, and best of luck with those last 3 payments! 🎉