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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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the whole FAFSA system is designed to CONFUSE us normal people so we give up and just take private loans with higher interest its all a SCAM
While the system can definitely be frustrating to navigate, Federal loans like Parent PLUS almost always offer better protections and often better interest rates than private loans. They include options like income-contingent repayment plans and potential loan forgiveness that private loans don't offer. It's worth pushing through the confusion for these benefits.
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I successfully completed both the credit check AND the MPN using my FSA ID. My daughter also completed her own MPN for her Direct loans. The financial aid office confirmed everything is now in order, and we should see the aid disbursed when classes start next month. What a relief!
@Justin Chang You re'definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed by this process! I m'also new to navigating financial aid - my daughter is a high school junior and I m'trying to get ahead of the game. This thread has been a goldmine of information. @Khalil Urso, thank you for asking the exact question I would have asked! It s'such a relief to see that experienced parents like @Myles Regis and @Jacinda Yu are willing to share their knowledge. I m definitely taking'notes on creating FSA IDs early and keeping careful records of everything. The tip about Claimyr from @Ally Tailer is also something I m bookmarking for when'I inevitably get stuck somewhere in the process. This community really makes the whole financial aid journey feel less daunting!
@Khalil Urso Congratulations on getting everything sorted out! As someone who s'completely new to this process my (daughter is only a sophomore in high school ,)this entire thread has been incredibly educational. I had no idea that parents and students use separate FSA IDs for different parts of the financial aid process - that seems like such an obvious source of confusion! Reading through everyone s'experiences here has given me a much better understanding of what to expect when our time comes. I m'definitely going to follow @Hannah Flores advice about' creating our FSA IDs early and @Landon Flounder s tip about'saving screenshots of everything. Thank you for asking the question that I m sure many'of us parents would have, and thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge. This community is such a valuable resource!
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my sister had almost the same SAI last year an she got like $1200 in pell. her school also gave her some grant money that covered almost half of tuition so def wait for the full packages before worrying too much
Thanks for sharing that! After reading everyone's comments I'm feeling more hopeful. I'll definitely wait to see what each school offers before making any decisions.
As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! My daughter is in a similar situation with her SAI, and I had no idea there were so many different types of aid beyond just the Pell Grant. Reading about the MAP grant for Illinois residents and how different schools might offer varying amounts of institutional aid is really eye-opening. It sounds like the key takeaway is to wait for all the financial aid packages before making any decisions, since the final cost can vary so much between schools. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's making this whole process feel less overwhelming!
Welcome to the community! I'm also new to this whole process and feeling the same way - everyone here has been so helpful in explaining things that aren't clear in the official FAFSA materials. It's reassuring to know we're not the only ones trying to figure all this out. The advice about waiting for all the aid packages really seems to be the consensus here. Good luck to your daughter!
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UPDATE: after trying for 5 days straight i FINALLY got my contributor account working!!! what fixed it was using my PHONE instead of computer AND doing it at 4:30am when nobody else was on the system!! completed my part of both my kids applications. such a relief!!! if your still stuck try the middle of the night seriously it worked!!!
Congrats on getting it to work! The middle-of-the-night timing seems to be the key for a lot of people. My identity verification finally cleared this morning, and I was able to complete my contributor section. Such a weight off our shoulders! Now my daughter just needs to submit her final application. Thanks everyone for the help and moral support!
I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My son sent me the contributor invitation 6 days ago and I keep getting stuck at the same step 7. It's incredibly frustrating knowing that there's a known glitch and they have no timeline for fixing it. I'm going to try some of the suggestions here - the Edge browser in incognito mode and creating the FSA ID separately first. Also going to attempt it in the early morning hours when the system might be less overloaded. Thanks to everyone sharing their workarounds and experiences. It's reassuring to know we're not alone in this mess, even though it shouldn't be this complicated to help our kids with financial aid!
Welcome to the nightmare club! I just went through this exact same thing last week. The combination that finally worked for me was creating my FSA ID first at studentaid.gov (completely separate from the invitation), then using Edge browser in incognito mode at around 11pm to accept the invitation. The early morning timing that others mentioned seems to be key - the system is just overloaded during normal hours. Also make sure your name/DOB/SSN match your Social Security card exactly. Don't give up, it will work eventually! And remember most schools are extending deadlines because of these FAFSA issues.
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Yes! We actually appealed the financial aid offer at Private #2 by showing them the better offer from Private #1. They ended up adding another $8k in institutional grants. Definitely worth asking, especially if you can show better offers from similar schools.
As someone who just went through this process with my youngest, I wanted to share that an SAI of 20972 is actually pretty manageable! Don't let the number scare you. What really matters is how individual colleges interpret and work with that number. A few practical tips based on our experience: - Apply to schools with strong endowments if possible - they often have more flexibility with aid - Don't overlook state schools with honors programs - sometimes they offer merit aid that can bring costs below your SAI - Keep all your financial documents organized because some schools may ask for additional verification Also, if your family's financial situation has changed since you filed (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), make sure to contact each school's financial aid office directly. They can often make adjustments that the FAFSA formula doesn't capture. Good luck!
Olivia Van-Cleve
when i was filling out my fafsa a couple weeks ago the instruction said to report the parent who i lived with more during the past 12 months. so if thats your mom, just report her? the system seems pretty straight forward unless im missing something
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Sophia Russo
•The instructions can be misleading. While you initially report the parent you lived with more, the FAFSA system often follows up asking about the other parent's information, especially if legal custody is shared. The key is correctly completing the household information section, being careful about how you answer the questions about which parent provides more financial support, and potentially being prepared to file a special circumstances form if the system incorrectly calculates your SAI based on both parents' income.
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Logan Scott
I went through this exact situation two years ago! The key thing to understand is that the new FAFSA rules prioritize which parent provides MORE financial support, not just custody arrangements. Since your mom provides 100% of your support and your dad contributes nothing, you should only report your mom's income initially. However, I'd recommend being proactive - start gathering documentation NOW showing your mom's sole financial support (her tax returns claiming you as dependent, receipts for major expenses like medical/school costs, etc.) in case you need to file a special circumstances appeal later. Also, reach out to the financial aid offices at your target schools early to explain your situation - many are familiar with divorced parent issues and can walk you through their specific process. Don't let your dad's income on paper destroy your aid eligibility when he's not actually contributing!
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CosmicCommander
•This is so reassuring to hear from someone who actually went through it! I'm definitely going to start gathering all that documentation now. Quick question - when you say "receipts for major expenses," what kinds of things counted? Like would things like my school registration fees, doctor visits, car insurance count as proof my mom supports me financially? I want to make sure I'm collecting the right stuff in case I need it later.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
•Yes, those are exactly the kinds of receipts that help! Car insurance, medical bills, school fees, even things like clothes shopping or groceries if your mom pays for them regularly. I also included bank statements showing my mom's regular transfers to my checking account for personal expenses, proof she paid my phone bill, and documentation that she covers my health insurance through her work. The financial aid office told me they want to see a clear pattern that shows your mom is your primary source of financial support - so anything that demonstrates she's covering your basic living expenses works. Bank records are especially helpful because they create a clear paper trail of who's actually paying for what.
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