One thing nobody mentioned - some employers now offer student loan repayment assistance as a benefit. My company pays $150/month toward my loans. But most require the loans to be in YOUR name, not your parent's. That was actually my motivation to refinance my mom's Parent PLUS loans into my name - to qualify for this benefit. Just something else to consider in your decision!

Just wanted to add - if you do decide to refinance, shop around with multiple lenders! I got quotes from SoFi, Earnest, CommonBond, and a few others before choosing. The rates and terms can vary quite a bit between lenders even with the same credit profile. Some also have different requirements for employment history. I ended up going with a lender that wasn't my first choice because they had the most flexible employment verification requirements for recent grads. Also, most lenders will do a soft credit pull for the initial quote which won't hurt your credit score, so there's no harm in getting multiple quotes to compare.

Just wanted to add that work study positions often come with some unexpected perks! When I had work study in college, my campus library job let me study during quiet periods, and the IT help desk position actually helped me build skills for my major. Plus, supervisors are usually understanding about exam schedules and academic commitments in ways that off-campus employers might not be. So even though the $1000 federal subsidy seems small, the overall experience can be really valuable beyond just the paycheck!

As someone who just went through this process with my own kid, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - that $1000 is just the federal government's contribution, not a cap on earnings! My son had a $1200 work study award and ended up making about $3800 total working in the campus rec center. One thing I'd add is that work study jobs often have better job security than regular student employment. Even when budget cuts happen, departments are more likely to keep work study students because they're getting that federal subsidy. Also, having work study on your FAFSA can sometimes make you eligible for certain campus positions that are reserved specifically for work study recipients. Your daughter should definitely take advantage of this opportunity!

UPDATE: We finally got it fixed! Combination of approaches worked for us: 1. Had my husband use his own phone (not our shared computer) 2. Logged in at 6:30am on a Tuesday (great tip about off-peak hours) 3. Went through the "My Documents" section as suggested 4. Re-authorized the IRS data transfer 5. Left everything completely alone for 3 days When we checked again, the status showed "Processing" and all sections were marked complete! Thanks everyone for your help. For anyone else stuck in this situation, patience and trying different devices seems to be key.

So glad to see this got resolved! This thread is going to be incredibly helpful for other families dealing with the same nightmare. I'm bookmarking it for future reference. The FAFSA redesign has been such a disaster this year - I've heard similar horror stories from so many parents in our community. Your persistence really paid off, and the combination approach you described gives hope to others stuck in the same loop. Thanks for taking the time to update with the solution that worked!

UPDATE: It worked! I followed the advice here and found the option to indicate my stepmom doesn't have an SSN. The system then asked for her A-Number and later gave me a signature page option. Just mailed in the signed form yesterday with tracking as suggested. Thanks everyone for your help! This forum saved me from completely missing out on financial aid because of one confusing technical issue.

As someone who went through this exact same nightmare last year, I'm so glad you got it sorted out! The FAFSA system really needs better instructions for families with non-citizen parents - it's ridiculous how many students get stuck on this. One small tip for anyone else reading this: when you're waiting for the signature page to be processed, you can still submit your FAFSA to schools. They'll just mark it as "incomplete" until FSA processes the signature, but at least you'll be in their system and won't lose your place in line for aid consideration. Most schools are understanding about this delay since it's such a common issue. Fingers crossed your aid package comes through soon! 🤞

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My mom is trying to create her FSA ID from the UK and we keep hitting the same loop you described. It's so frustrating that they claim the system is "simplified" but it seems like it's actually harder for international parents than before. I'm going to try the Firefox browser solution mentioned here - I had no idea that different browsers could cause such different results with government websites. Has anyone had success with the special email address that was mentioned? I'm wondering if that might be faster than waiting for the document verification process.

This thread has been so helpful! I'm a new parent trying to navigate this system for the first time and I had no idea there were so many technical workarounds needed. My husband is from Australia and we've been stuck in this exact same loop for about 3 weeks now. I'm going to try both the Firefox browser method and email the special FSAID.international@ed.gov address. It's really frustrating that these solutions aren't documented anywhere official - thank goodness for communities like this where people share what actually works! Quick question: for those who successfully got through the process, did you need to have any specific documents ready beyond just the passport? I want to make sure I have everything prepared before we attempt this again.