If her mother makes more than you and you have equal custody, it might benefit your daughter's aid eligibility for you to be the parent who completes the FAFSA. The lower-income parent will typically result in a lower SAI, potentially qualifying for more need-based aid. The official rule is: 1. The parent who provided more financial support in the past 12 months 2. If equal support, the parent the student lived with more 3. If equal living time, the parent who provided more financial aid Since you're handling college expenses but make less, you have a legitimate case for being the parent contributor. Just be prepared to explain the situation if verification is requested.

As someone who just went through this process with my own kid, I'd strongly recommend waiting until the 2023 taxes are actually filed rather than using estimates. I know it's stressful with deadlines, but here's why: The verification process is absolutely brutal if your estimates are off by more than a small amount. Even if you're close, schools often won't finalize aid packages until they have the actual tax data anyway, so you're not really saving time. For the parent/student process - yes, your daughter creates her FSA ID first, starts the application, then invites you as a parent contributor. Make sure you use your own FSA ID when you get the invitation. One thing that helped us was reaching out to the financial aid offices at her top choice schools to explain the tax extension situation. Most were understanding and said they could work with a later FAFSA submission as long as we communicated early about the delay. The peace of mind from submitting accurate information from the start is worth way more than rushing with estimates that might cause problems later!

UPDATE: Problem solved! It was a combination of issues. First, I was using commas in the financial fields. Second, I was trying to save and come back later which seemed to confuse the system. Third, there was a mismatch in how I formatted my address in different sections. I created a brand new application, sat down for an hour uninterrupted, entered everything in one session, used only numbers without any formatting, and triple-checked that address formats matched exactly between sections. It FINALLY let me complete the parent contributor portion and sign! Thank you everyone for your suggestions. For anyone else dealing with this issue, try all of these approaches - it might be multiple small problems combined.

Congratulations on finally getting through! This is such a helpful summary for anyone else dealing with this nightmare. I'm bookmarking your update because it covers all the main issues people seem to be running into. The fact that it was multiple small problems combined makes so much sense - the new FAFSA system seems incredibly sensitive to formatting inconsistencies. Really appreciate you taking the time to share what ultimately worked!

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child last year, I'd echo what others have said about creating a new FSA ID if you had the old PIN system. One thing I'd add is to make sure you verify your identity through the FSA ID process ASAP - it can take 1-3 business days for that verification to complete, and you'll need it fully verified before you can sign your daughter's FAFSA. Also, keep your FSA ID login info somewhere safe because you'll need it not just for the initial FAFSA but also for any corrections, renewals, and potentially loan servicing down the road. The peace of mind of having everything set up and tested months in advance is worth it!

I went through this exact same situation last year with my son! Since you mentioned having login credentials from 15 years ago, you definitely had the old PIN system, not an FSA ID. The PIN system was completely discontinued, so you'll need to create a brand new FSA ID. I'd recommend doing it ASAP - not just because of the verification time (which can take a few days), but also because the new FAFSA system is much more sensitive about data matching. When you create your FSA ID, triple-check that your name matches your Social Security card exactly - even something like "Jr." vs "Junior" can cause problems. Also, once you create it, test logging in and out a few times to make sure everything works. The last thing you want is to discover login issues in October when everyone is trying to submit applications at once!

Thank you all so much for your help! We were able to find the SAR in the My Documents section and download it. Everything looks correct and her SAI score matches what we saw on the dashboard. Such a relief to know this wasn't something we did wrong. For anyone else with this issue - check your documents section on studentaid.gov and don't panic if you didn't get an email!

As someone who went through this exact same situation last month, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - the missing email notification is NOT a problem! My son's FAFSA showed processed but we never got the email either. I was panicking for days until I realized I could just download the SAR directly from studentaid.gov. All his colleges received the information automatically and he got his financial aid packages on schedule. The system is definitely working behind the scenes even when the notifications aren't. Don't stress about it!

Glad to hear you got through to FSA and they're working on fixing it! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this thread - if you're having trouble getting through to FSA by phone, try calling right when they open (8am ET) or during lunch hours when call volume might be lower. I've noticed the wait times are usually shorter then. Also, make sure you have your FSA ID and all relevant documents ready before calling so you don't waste time once you get connected. Good luck with getting everything resolved before your deadline!

Just wanted to share my experience for anyone else dealing with this issue - I had the exact same problem last year with my daughter's FAFSA when I accidentally entered my SSN with a typo. The key thing I learned is to be persistent but patient with FSA. When you call, make sure to explain that it's a contributor SSN error specifically, not the student's SSN, because they handle those differently. Also, if the first agent you talk to seems unsure about the process, don't be afraid to politely ask to speak with a supervisor who deals with FAFSA corrections regularly. Some agents are newer and might not know all the steps for unlocking those locked fields. Document everything with dates and reference numbers - this saved me when I had to call back for a follow-up. The whole process took about 2 weeks from start to finish, but my daughter's aid wasn't delayed because we caught it early and kept the school informed throughout the process.