I had this exact nightmare scenario with my mortgage last month! The solution that finally worked was having my mortgage loan officer submit a "Third Party Authorization for Information Request" directly to StudentAid. For some reason, they responded to my lender's formal request when they kept giving me the runaround as an individual borrower. My lender specifically requested documentation showing: 1. Current forbearance status and reason (citing the SAVE plan litigation) 2. Estimated payment under Income-Based Repayment (which is calculated differently than SAVE but acceptable for mortgage underwriting) This approach worked where nothing else did. Maybe ask your loan officer if they can take this approach?

This whole situation is such a mess! I've been dealing with similar SAVE plan confusion, and what's really helped me is keeping detailed records of every single interaction. I created a spreadsheet with date, time, rep name/ID, and exactly what they told me - this has been crucial when I get contradictory information. For your mortgage situation specifically, I'd recommend trying multiple approaches simultaneously: 1. Use the exact document names that @Tyrone Johnson mentioned - those specific terms seem to unlock better responses 2. Have your loan officer submit the Third Party Authorization like @Raj Gupta suggested - this dual approach might speed things up 3. If all else fails, escalate to the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman (they have a separate complaint process for situations like this) The key thing for your February closing is getting ANY official documentation that explains your current payment status, even if it's not the exact amount. Most underwriters will work with you if you can show you're actively trying to resolve the situation and have documentation of the forbearance. Don't let this derail your home purchase - there ARE solutions, it just takes persistence and knowing the right terminology to use with StudentAid!

Since your question is about the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, I want to clarify: The FAFSA now uses the concept of "contributors" rather than "custodial/non-custodial" terminology. For divorced parents, generally the parent who provided more financial support and with whom the student lived more during the preceding 12 months will be the contributor who completes the FAFSA. Based on your 90% custody situation, that's clearly you. Make sure to use your 2023 tax information when completing the 2025-2026 FAFSA, and report any child support received during that tax year. Then, as others have mentioned, contact each school's financial aid office to explain that the child support has ended, which constitutes a significant change in circumstances that may qualify for a professional judgment review.

I'm going through something similar right now! My ex makes way more than me but I have primary custody. What really helped me was keeping detailed records of everything - custody schedules, who pays for what expenses, etc. Also, don't forget that even though child support is ending for your oldest, if you're still receiving it for your other three kids, that will still count as income on the FAFSA. But the good news is that as the custodial parent with 90% custody, you're definitely the one who should fill it out, and your son should qualify for aid based on your income level. The system actually works in your favor in this case, unlike some of the horror stories here about remarriage situations!

I'm so sorry for your loss - I can't imagine how difficult this must be while also trying to navigate financial aid. I went through something similar when my father passed away during my senior year of college. A few additional tips that helped me: 1) When you call the financial aid offices, ask to speak with a "financial aid counselor" rather than just any representative - they're typically more knowledgeable about special circumstances. 2) If possible, try to get any verbal agreements or instructions in writing via email for your records. 3) Some schools have grief counseling services that can also help connect you with additional campus resources you might not know about. The process is frustrating, but the financial aid staff generally want to help once they understand your situation. You're doing everything right by asking questions and preparing documentation. Your son is lucky to have such a dedicated advocate.

I'm so deeply sorry for your loss. Losing a spouse is devastating, and having to navigate FAFSA on top of everything else must feel overwhelming. I want to share something that might help with the immediate stress - you absolutely can and should file the FAFSA now rather than waiting. Here's what I'd recommend: 1) File the 2025-2026 FAFSA using your current single/head of household status and estimate your income based on what you expect to earn this year (without your husband's income). 2) Immediately after submitting, contact each school's financial aid office to request both a Professional Judgment Review AND ask about dependency override options as others mentioned. 3) Prepare a packet with: death certificate, recent pay stubs, a letter explaining your circumstances, and your 2023 joint tax return for comparison. The key thing to remember is that financial aid offices deal with these tragic situations regularly and they have processes in place to help. Don't let anyone make you feel like you're asking for special treatment - you're dealing with a legitimate change in circumstances that the system is designed to accommodate. Take it one step at a time, and remember that advocating for your son's education is a beautiful way to honor your husband's memory.

After you get this resolved, make sure your son updates his FAFSA if there are any other scholarships or outside funding he receives. My daughter got a $3,500 merit scholarship after we submitted her FAFSA, and we had to update the form or it would have reduced her need-based aid. These forms are so sensitive to every detail!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this situation - it must be incredibly frustrating to have your ex file without your knowledge! As someone who's been through the FAFSA process, I can tell you that you absolutely need to act quickly. The fact that you have primary custody AND provide 80% of your son's support means you should definitely be the one filing the FAFSA, not your ex. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. Have your son check if he has an FSA ID account (your ex would have needed to create one for him) 2. Start gathering all your financial documents and proof that you provide the majority of support 3. Call the Federal Student Aid helpline as soon as possible (though be prepared for long wait times) 4. Contact each college your son applied to and let them know about the situation Don't let this delay your son's college plans - schools deal with these correction situations more often than you might think. The key is being proactive and having documentation ready. Your son's financial aid eligibility could be significantly better with your lower income, so this correction is definitely worth pursuing!

UPDATE: First, thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful suggestions! I finally got through to FSA after using that Claimyr service someone recommended (it actually worked!). The agent confirmed it was exactly what @profile2 suggested - the marriage date in December 2023 was causing a flag since we filed jointly that year. They helped me submit a correction with a special note explaining the situation, and the agent said they'd expedite the review since my daughter's aid deadline is coming up. The status now shows "Correction Processing" so fingers crossed it will be fixed in a few days. Will update when we know for sure!

Wow, this thread is incredibly helpful! I'm a high school counselor and I've had several families dealing with this exact same issue this year. The 2025-2026 FAFSA rollout has been especially buggy with these hidden validation errors. I'm definitely going to share the Claimyr service with my families - the FSA phone lines have been completely overwhelmed this season. It's so frustrating that the system shows "processed successfully" when there are actually blocking issues. Thank you everyone for sharing your solutions - I'm going to create a checklist for my families based on all the common causes mentioned here (marriage date discrepancies, household size vs tax dependents, hyphenated names, incomplete contributor sections, etc.).