Update: I tried again on my laptop with Chrome and selected "not required to file" instead of "will file" - and the untaxed income section appeared! I was able to report my SSDI benefits under the Social Security benefits section. The application is now complete and it gave me my SAI calculation. Thanks everyone for your help! Special thanks to those who pointed out the "not required to file" option - that was exactly what I needed to fix!

So glad you got this resolved! This thread is super helpful for anyone else dealing with disability income on the FAFSA. I've been putting off starting mine because I wasn't sure how to handle my SSI benefits, but now I know to look for the "not required to file" option and make sure I'm using a desktop browser. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so much less intimidating when you know what to expect!

UPDATE: Success at last! I took everyone's advice here and: 1. Called at exactly 8:00 AM this morning 2. Got through after only a 45 minute wait (miracle!) 3. Spoke with an agent who confirmed our application WAS in the system The problem? Both my ex-husband and I had to complete separate contributor sections, and while I did mine correctly, my ex apparently never finished his part (despite claiming he did). The agent was able to send him a direct link to complete just his portion. Also learned our daughter's school can actually process a "provisional" financial aid package based on last year's information while we get this sorted out. THANK YOU all for the help and commiseration. This system is still a nightmare, but at least we're making progress now!

This is such a relief to read your update! I've been following this thread because I'm going through the exact same nightmare with my twin daughters' applications. The tip about calling right at 8 AM is gold - I'm setting my alarm for tomorrow morning. It's ridiculous that the system doesn't clearly communicate when a contributor hasn't finished their section. How are parents supposed to know if there's no notification? At least now I know what to ask about when I (hopefully) get through to someone. Did the agent mention anything about how long it typically takes once both contributors complete their sections? My girls' enrollment deadlines are coming up fast too and I'm starting to panic.

One thing to check that others haven't mentioned: make sure your daughters completed all steps of the FAFSA. Sometimes students think they've finished the application when they've actually only completed the student portion and not the parent/contributor section. The SAI wouldn't typically show up if this were the case, but it's worth verifying their applications show as "Processed" and not "Processing" or "Action Required." Another possibility is that they need to accept the terms for data transfer on studentaid.gov. Log in, go to the FAFSA form section, and check if there's any notification about needing to consent to information sharing with schools. Lastly, regarding deposits - I work in college admissions, and most schools have a process for financial aid pending situations. They may allow you to: 1. Submit a partial deposit 2. Request a deposit deadline extension 3. Make a refundable deposit pending aid packages Contact the admissions office (not just financial aid) to explain the situation and ask about these options.

Hi Sofia! Welcome to the community - you're definitely not alone in this situation! As a first-time college parent myself, I went through the exact same stress last year with my son. With an SAI of $8,600, your daughters should qualify for partial Pell Grants (probably around $1,500-$2,500 each as Miguel mentioned). The fact that you can see the SAI calculated is actually a great sign - it means the federal processing is complete. Here's what worked for us when we hit the same roadblock: I had my son email each school's financial aid office with his FAFSA confirmation number and asked them to confirm receipt of his data. Two schools had it, but one didn't - turns out there was a transmission glitch. The school that was missing it was able to request a manual send from Federal Student Aid. Also, don't panic about the deposit deadlines! Most schools are very understanding about FAFSA delays this year. When I explained our situation, three out of four schools automatically extended our deposit deadline by 30 days without us even asking. Keep us posted on how the school contacts go - fingers crossed everything gets sorted out quickly for your girls!

For a more permanent solution: The Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group is specifically designed to help resolve issues like this that fall through the cracks of the regular system. You can reach them at studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman/disputes/prepare. They have experience with military-specific situations and can document your case properly so it doesn't cause recurring problems each year you need to reapply. Much better than temporary workarounds.

As someone who's been through this exact situation, I completely understand your frustration! I'm a Navy spouse and we faced the same APO rejection issue when filling out my son's FAFSA last year. What ended up working for us was establishing a "virtual mailbox" service in our state of legal residence (Florida for us). These services provide you with a real street address that can receive and forward your mail, and they're specifically designed for military families who don't have a permanent physical address in their home state. The virtual mailbox address satisfied FAFSA's verification requirements because it's a legitimate street address in our tax state, and we were able to provide documentation from the service showing it's our official mailing address. Cost us about $15/month but saved so much headache during verification. Companies like PostScan Mail and US Global Mail specialize in this for military families. Just make sure whatever service you choose can provide official documentation that you can submit during verification if needed.

Quick update on processing times: The Department of Education recently announced they're working through a backlog of applications, with priority given to those submitted earliest. Applications from late November should be fully processed by mid-January at the latest. Here's what you can do while waiting: 1. Verify your daughter's studentaid.gov account has her current contact information 2. Check that the schools listed on her FAFSA match where she's actually applying 3. Start preparing any supplemental financial aid documents that schools might require (CSS Profile, institutional forms, etc.) 4. If any schools have specific financial aid deadlines approaching, contact them directly to explain the FAFSA processing delay Most schools understand the FAFSA delays this year and have contingency plans in place. They won't penalize students for delays outside their control.

I'm in a similar situation! My son submitted his FAFSA on 11/30 and we're still waiting too. It's so stressful watching other families get their financial aid packages while we're still in limbo. Reading through these responses is really helpful though - sounds like we should expect to hear something in the next week or two based on the 3-4 week timeline everyone's mentioning. I had no idea about checking the school portals separately, so thank you for that tip! Going to have him log into all of them today.