BTW if ur mom can't log in to her account anymore, it might be locked from too many failed attempts. That happened to my dad and we had to wait 30 days for it to unlock!!! But there's supposedly a way for them to manually unlock it if u get to the right person.

I feel your pain - I went through something very similar with my daughter's FAFSA last year. The SSN error created a cascade of problems that took months to resolve. Here's what I learned that might help you: 1. When you call tomorrow, ask IMMEDIATELY for the "Federal Student Aid Technical Resolution Department" - not just customer service. Tell them you have a "parent SSN correction case with signature authentication failure." 2. Have your mom gather ALL her identity documents before the call - Social Security card, driver's license, tax returns. Sometimes there are tiny discrepancies (like Jr. vs Junior, or missing middle initials) that cause the system to reject everything. 3. Get a case escalation number and ask for it to be flagged as "urgent due to approaching college deadline." This actually moves you up in their queue. 4. Most importantly - call your college's financial aid office TODAY if possible. Many schools have emergency procedures for FAFSA technical issues and can either extend your deadline or work with provisional aid calculations. Don't give up! This exact situation is more common than you think, and it IS fixable once you get to someone with the right system access. The key is persistence and using the right terminology so they route you to the technical specialists instead of general customer service. Keep us posted on how it goes!

One more thing to consider - make sure your daughter's school has received and processed her FAFSA information. Sometimes Parent PLUS loans can be delayed if the school's financial aid office is still waiting on the ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record) from the FAFSA. You might want to contact her school's financial aid office to confirm they've received everything they need from your FAFSA submission. Also, don't forget that Parent PLUS loans are disbursed directly to the school, not to you, and they typically disburse no earlier than 10 days before the start of the term. So even once you're approved, you may not see the funds applied to her account right away.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Applied for Parent PLUS loan last week and still showing "processing" - it's so nerve-wracking not knowing what's happening. My son's SAI also came back much higher than we expected ($11,800) and we're scrambling to figure out the gap funding. From what I've been reading here, it sounds like 5-7 business days is pretty normal for approval, so hopefully we'll both hear something soon. The credit requirements seem less scary than I initially thought based on what others have shared. Fingers crossed for both of us! This whole financial aid process is way more stressful than anyone warned me about.

UPDATE: I followed the advice about logging out and back in, and found the reset option! I was able to change our filing status to separate and upload both returns. Thanks everyone for your help! For anyone with the same problem, the reset option is at the very bottom of the page in tiny gray text. Easy to miss!

So glad to see you got this resolved! This is actually a really helpful thread for anyone dealing with FAFSA tax filing status issues. The new system definitely has some quirks that aren't immediately obvious. For future reference, I'd also recommend checking your Student Aid Report (SAR) carefully once it's generated to make sure all the tax information transferred correctly after making changes like this. Sometimes the system can carry over old data even after a reset. Hope your daughter's financial aid package works out well!

Use fastweb.com and scholarships.com to find scholarships - I found several smaller ones ($500-$1500) that added up! Also, once you're in school, apply to be a Resident Advisor if possible. At my university, RAs get free housing and a small stipend, which saves about $12k per year. That made a HUGE difference for my family even though we had a high SAI too.

Another option to consider is looking into your school's payment plan options. Many universities allow you to spread costs over monthly payments throughout the semester rather than paying everything upfront, which can help with cash flow even if it doesn't reduce the total amount. Also, don't forget about textbook savings - use rental services, buy used books, or check if your library has copies you can use. Every bit helps when you're dealing with a high SAI situation. The system definitely isn't perfect for middle-income families, but there are still ways to make college more affordable if you're creative about it.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their help! I used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to correct my FAFSA, met with my financial aid office, and submitted all my verification documents. They said the process typically takes 3-4 weeks but they'll try to expedite it since we're close to the deadline. I also used that Claimyr service that someone suggested to speak directly with an FSA agent who confirmed my correction was received and gave me a case number to reference. The financial aid advisor actually thanked me for being proactive instead of waiting until the last minute like most students do. I'm still nervous about how this might affect my aid package, but at least I'm taking all the right steps now. Will update again when I hear back about the verification results!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a sophomore who just went through verification last semester, and I wanted to add one more tip that really helped me. When you're gathering your documents, also grab your Social Security Administration benefit statement (if applicable) and any records of untaxed income like child support or veterans benefits. My verification got delayed because I forgot to include documentation for some untaxed income that was on my original FAFSA. The financial aid office had to request additional documents, which added another 2 weeks to the process. It's better to bring everything upfront even if they don't end up needing it all. Also, definitely follow up regularly but be patient with the staff - they're usually dealing with hundreds of these cases during peak season. Good luck with your verification!