Ugh the FAFSA is THE WORST. they make these forms so confusing and then act like its our fault when we mess up. just another way the system is rigged against regular families trying to pay for college 😡

I'm so glad you figured out the issue! That retirement account mistake is probably the #1 cause of massive SAI increases - I see it all the time in financial aid groups. Just a heads up that while you're waiting for the correction to process, you should also double-check that you didn't accidentally include any of these other protected assets: life insurance cash value, annuities held in retirement accounts, or any small business assets if you own less than 100 employees. The good news is once your correction processes, your SAI should drop back down to something much more reasonable. Keep us posted on how it turns out!

Yes! We got it working! My son had to send a new invitation, and I had to click the link in the new email while using Chrome incognito mode like someone suggested. The page looked completely different this time and I could see the

That's great news that you got it working! For anyone else running into this same issue, it sounds like the key steps are: 1) Have your student send a fresh invitation link, 2) Use Chrome in incognito mode to access it, and 3) Make sure to click the new email link rather than bookmarking the old one. The FAFSA system definitely has some quirks this year but at least there are workarounds. Thanks for updating us on what worked - this will help other parents who get stuck on that same "Currently Active" page!

Welcome to the FAFSA journey! As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful. It's reassuring to know that other parents are going through the same confusion with the new system. I had no idea that students had to initiate the process - I was planning to tackle the whole thing myself this weekend! Now I know to have my daughter start her section first. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips. This community is already proving invaluable for navigating what feels like a very overwhelming process.

As another first-time FAFSA parent, I'm so grateful for this thread! I was literally about to log onto studentaid.gov and try to start filling everything out myself before finding this discussion. The fact that my son has to initiate the process first is completely counterintuitive to me - I'm the one with all the financial documents and tax returns! But it sounds like there's no way around the new system requirements. I'll definitely be bookmarking this conversation and following @Nadia Zaldivar's step-by-step guide. It's comforting to know we're all figuring this out together. Thanks for asking the question that so many of us needed answered!

lol I tried making corrections last year and somehow managed to make things WORSE! ended up having to get my school's financial aid office involved to help fix everything. If u can, maybe sit down w/ a financial aid person at your daughters school to make sure its all done right..

Just wanted to add that when you're making these corrections, double-check the "Parent 1" and "Parent 2" sections carefully. Since you have custody, you should be listed as Parent 1, and if you're unmarried, you can leave Parent 2 blank. Also, make sure to update the household size to reflect who actually lives in YOUR household, not your ex-husband's. This stuff can really impact the aid calculation, so it's worth taking your time to get it right. Good luck!

UPDATE: I finally got it fixed!! For anyone else with this problem, here's what worked: 1. I used Firefox instead of Safari 2. Cleared all cookies/cache 3. Found the new "Update Financial Information" button on the main application page 4. Had to re-verify my identity with FSA ID 5. THEN I could finally see and fill out the tax information section! Now waiting for the SAI calculation. Thank you everyone for your help - this community saved my sanity!

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my own kid's FAFSA, I feel your pain! The browser switching advice is spot on - I had to abandon Chrome completely. One thing that helped me was using the FAFSA mobile app as a backup to check if my information was actually being saved even when the desktop version wasn't displaying it properly. Sometimes the data was there, just not visible on the review page. Also, if you're still having issues after trying Firefox, consider doing the application during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening) when the servers aren't as overloaded. The system seems more stable then. Fingers crossed the "Update Financial Information" button solves it for you!