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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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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!
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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.
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Hey everyone! I just want to add that I've been following this thread because I'm dealing with a similar SSN issue on my FAFSA. @Emma Taylor, your success story is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been putting off calling because I assumed the wait times would be horrible, but knowing that 8pm has shorter waits is a game changer. For those asking about photo requirements - I actually work at my college's financial aid office (student worker), and I can confirm that phone photos of documents are generally acceptable as long as they're clear and all four corners of the document are visible. The agents are pretty understanding about students not having access to scanners. One thing I'd add is that if you're still having trouble getting through by phone, you can also reach out to your school's financial aid office. They can't fix the SSN directly, but they can put notes in your file about the correction being in progress so it doesn't hurt your aid consideration. Some schools will even help you navigate the FAFSA phone system if you come in person. Good luck to everyone dealing with this frustrating issue - sounds like there are definitely working solutions if you know the right approach!
Thanks for the insider perspective from someone who works in financial aid! It's really reassuring to know that phone photos are acceptable - I was worried I'd need to find a scanner somewhere. I'm definitely going to try calling at 8pm tonight after reading all these success stories. And that's a great point about contacting my school's aid office to put notes in my file while I work on getting this corrected. I hadn't thought about that backup plan. This whole thread has been so much more helpful than the generic responses I got from FAFSA email support!
I just went through this exact same issue last month! The SSN correction process is definitely frustrating, but I found a combination approach that worked. First, I tried calling at 8:30pm Eastern (thanks to whoever mentioned the evening hours have shorter waits - this was a game changer!). Got through in about 25 minutes. While I was waiting on hold, I also submitted a request through the secure message center on studentaid.gov with photos of my Social Security card and driver's license attached. The agent I spoke with was able to see my message center request while we were on the phone and processed everything together. The key things that helped: - Called during evening hours (8-9pm seems to be the sweet spot) - Had all documents ready: Social Security card, driver's license, FSA ID info - Used the secure message center as a backup/supplement to the phone call - Phone photos were totally fine - just make sure they're clear and show all corners The whole process took about 20 minutes once connected, and my verification flag was removed by the next day. Don't give up - there are definitely solutions that work, you just have to know the right approach!
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Great to hear you got it sorted out with Claimyr! I'm dealing with the same issue right now for my twin daughters - both FAFSAs processed but no SAI visible anywhere. I was dreading spending hours on hold with FSA, so I'm definitely going to try that callback service. Quick question - did they give you the SAI for both kids in one call, or did you need separate calls since they have different FSA IDs?
I had to make separate calls for each child since they each have their own FSA ID and FAFSA application. The agent explained that they can only access one student's information per call for privacy reasons, even if they're siblings. The good news is that Claimyr lets you schedule multiple callbacks, so I was able to set up both calls back-to-back. The second call was actually faster since the agent already had my parent information verified from the first call. Hope this helps with your twins!
Just wanted to add another option that worked for us - if your daughter's colleges use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, some schools will display the SAI in their CSS Profile institutional methodology calculations even before they fully process the FAFSA data. We found our son's SAI listed in the financial aid portal of a private college that uses CSS Profile about a week before the other schools had it available. It's worth checking if any of her schools use CSS Profile and logging into those portals first. Also, some state financial aid websites (like Cal Grant in California) will show the SAI once they receive the FAFSA data, which can be faster than waiting for individual colleges.
That's such a helpful tip about CSS Profile schools! I had no idea they might display the SAI earlier than regular FAFSA-only schools. My daughter applied to a few private colleges that require CSS Profile, so I'll definitely check those portals first. Do you remember which section of the financial aid portal showed the SAI? Was it under "awards" or somewhere else? Also great point about state aid websites - we're in Texas so I'll check the state grant portal too. Thanks for sharing this!
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I'm new to this community but currently going through this exact situation with my son who's a senior! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. One thing I wanted to add that I learned the hard way - some schools have a "To Do" list or task list section in their student portals that shows outstanding items needed before they can release financial aid packages. My son had two schools where we thought everything was submitted, but when we finally logged into the portals, there were verification documents they were still waiting for that we had no idea about. Also, if your daughter submitted CSS Profile to any schools, those often have separate verification requirements too. I spent weeks wondering why we hadn't heard back from certain schools, only to find out they needed signed tax forms that were buried in a portal task list we never checked! Definitely worth logging into every single portal and looking for any "action required" sections. This whole process is so much more complicated than I expected, but at least we're all figuring it out together! 😅
Welcome! This is such an important point about the "To Do" lists in the portals - I'm definitely going to check for those tonight when we log into all her accounts. It makes perfect sense that schools would have outstanding requirements buried in portal task lists that we'd never think to look for. The CSS Profile verification requirements are also something I hadn't considered - my daughter did submit CSS Profile to three of her schools, so there could easily be additional documents they're waiting for that we're completely unaware of. It's honestly a relief to know that other parents have gone through this same confusion and missed these hidden requirements too. I was starting to feel like I was the only one who didn't understand how this process works! Thank you for sharing your experience and for making me feel less alone in this overwhelming process. The fact that we're all figuring it out together really does help! 😅
I'm new here but just went through this exact process with my daughter and wanted to share something that really helped us! Make sure to check if any of her schools use a third-party service like CashNet or Nelnet for their student accounts - sometimes financial aid information gets posted there instead of the main student portal. Also, I discovered that some schools send a "financial aid award notification" email first, then you have to log in separately to actually VIEW the package details. We almost missed two packages because we were waiting for the full details to arrive via email, but they were actually sitting in the portals waiting for us to access them. One more tip - if your daughter received any outside scholarships (local community groups, her high school, etc.), make sure to report those to the colleges because they can affect the aid packages. Some schools will reduce their aid if they find out about unreported scholarships later. The timeline stress is so real, but you still have plenty of time before May 1st! Don't let the panic overwhelm you - just tackle it systematically like everyone else has suggested. 💛
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I'm in a very similar situation with my daughter! Her dad works in Japan and files taxes there, and I receive SSI which is below the filing threshold. One thing that really helped us that I haven't seen mentioned yet is contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1-800-433-3243) and asking specifically for their "International Income" specialist. Regular customer service reps often give conflicting advice, but the specialists actually know how to handle these complex cases. They walked me through exactly which sections to use for foreign income vs. untaxed income. Also, when you get that Spanish tax document, make sure to note the exchange rate used BY THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT when they converted any USD amounts to Euros (if applicable) - sometimes verification officers want to see consistency in conversion methods. The verification process took us about 6 weeks total, but having all documents ready from day one made a huge difference. Don't let the complexity discourage you - financial aid offices see this more than you'd think, especially at schools with international student populations!
I'm currently going through this exact same situation with my twin brother! Our mom doesn't file taxes because she's on disability, and our dad works in the UK and files there. After reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, I wanted to share a few things we learned that might help: 1) When we called that International Income specialist line that Javier mentioned (1-800-433-3243), they told us to make sure we have documentation showing the student's citizenship status ready for verification - apparently some families get delayed because they can't quickly prove the student is eligible for federal aid. 2) Our school's financial aid office recommended creating a "cover letter" to submit with our verification documents explaining our family situation in simple terms - they said it helps reviewers understand the context immediately. 3) For the currency conversion, we found out that some schools prefer you use the Federal Reserve's exchange rates rather than commercial sites like xe.com, so it's worth asking your specific schools about their preference. The whole process definitely feels overwhelming at first, but seeing how many families have successfully navigated this gives me so much hope! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is going to save so many people from the stress and confusion we initially felt.
Zainab Ahmed
As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this incredibly comprehensive discussion! I'm in the exact same situation with my daughter starting college in Fall 2025, and this thread has been more helpful than countless hours of trying to decode financial aid websites and sitting on hold with various offices. I wanted to add something that might help other families - I just learned from my daughter's school that they offer "PLUS loan disbursement alerts" where they'll send you text messages or emails with updates about when your specific loan is being processed and when you can expect the refund to hit your account. This has been really helpful for planning those rent payments, especially since everyone here has mentioned the timing can vary. The financial aid counselor also mentioned that some schools have "off-campus housing partnerships" where they've pre-negotiated with local apartment complexes to accept delayed payments until student loan funds arrive. These apartments understand the disbursement timeline and won't charge late fees if you provide documentation that your PLUS loan is pending. One question I have - has anyone had experience with Parent PLUS loans when the student wants to live with non-student roommates? I'm wondering if this affects the housing allowance calculation or creates any complications with the lease arrangement and loan disbursement process. Thank you all for sharing such detailed experiences and creating this amazing resource. This community has made what felt like an overwhelming process so much more manageable!
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Selena Bautista
•Welcome to the community, Zainab! Thank you for sharing such helpful information about PLUS loan disbursement alerts - that sounds like an incredibly useful service for managing the timing uncertainty that so many families in this thread have mentioned. Getting real-time updates about when funds will actually be available would definitely help with planning rent payments and other housing expenses. The off-campus housing partnerships you mentioned are exactly the kind of proactive support that makes such a difference for families navigating this process! Having apartments that understand student loan timing and won't penalize families for the disbursement delays is such a practical solution. Regarding your question about living with non-student roommates - this typically shouldn't affect the housing allowance calculation since schools generally base their off-campus allowances on average local housing costs rather than specific living arrangements. The loan disbursement process should work the same way regardless of who your daughter's roommates are, as long as the lease arrangement allows for her portion of rent to be paid according to the loan timeline. One thing to consider is making sure any non-student roommates understand the potential timing delays with student loan disbursements, especially if they're expecting rent to be split equally and paid on time from day one. Having that conversation upfront could help avoid any awkward situations later. This community continues to amaze me with how many helpful resources and practical solutions exist that most families don't know about. Thanks for adding more valuable insights to this already incredible discussion!
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Mary Bates
As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for this amazingly detailed and comprehensive discussion! I'm facing the exact same situation with my son starting college in Fall 2025, and this thread has been more informative than weeks of attempting to navigate confusing school websites and endless phone hold times. I wanted to share something I just discovered that might help other families - when I finally got through to my son's financial aid office, they told me about their "Parent PLUS loan timeline tracker" that provides real-time updates on loan processing status and estimated disbursement dates. They also offer "pre-disbursement financial planning consultations" where they'll help you create a month-by-month budget that accounts for the timing gaps between when housing costs are due and when loan funds actually arrive. Additionally, I learned that some schools have "emergency housing assistance funds" specifically for families using PLUS loans who encounter unexpected timing issues or cost overruns. These are typically small grants (up to $1,500) that don't need to be repaid and can help bridge gaps when apartment deposits or higher-than-expected rent create financial stress. One question I have that I haven't seen addressed - has anyone dealt with Parent PLUS loan situations where the student needs to break a lease early due to academic changes (like switching schools or taking a gap year)? I'm wondering how this affects the loan disbursement and whether schools have any support programs for these situations. Thank you all for creating such an invaluable resource! This community has transformed what felt like an impossible maze into a manageable process with clear action steps.
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Natasha Volkova
•Welcome to the community, Mary! Thank you for sharing such valuable resources - the Parent PLUS loan timeline tracker and pre-disbursement financial planning consultations sound incredibly helpful for managing all the timing complexities everyone in this thread has been discussing. Having real-time updates and professional guidance for creating those month-by-month budgets could be game-changers for families trying to navigate the gaps between when costs are due and when funds arrive. The emergency housing assistance funds you mentioned are exactly the kind of safety net that families need but probably don't know exists! Having access to small grants specifically for PLUS loan timing issues or unexpected cost overruns could really help reduce the stress of this whole process. Regarding your question about breaking leases early due to academic changes - this is such an important consideration that I don't think gets addressed enough in financial aid planning. While I haven't personally dealt with this situation, I imagine it could definitely complicate loan disbursements, especially if the student's enrollment status changes significantly. I'd definitely recommend asking the financial aid office about their policies for these scenarios when you have your consultation. Some schools might have specific procedures for handling loan adjustments when students have legitimate academic reasons for housing changes, and they may even have partnerships with local landlords who understand these situations are sometimes unavoidable in college. This community continues to be such an incredible resource for learning about all these specialized programs and considerations that aren't obvious from standard financial aid materials. Thanks for adding another layer of valuable information!
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