This is such a relief to read! I'm currently on day 4 of waiting for my tax data to import and was starting to panic. Seeing that it took Diego 7 days and others have experienced similar delays makes me feel better about waiting it out instead of rushing to manual entry. The verification risk that Sean mentioned is definitely something I want to avoid if possible. Thanks for sharing your experience - it really helps to know this is more common than the official timelines suggest!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Started my FAFSA on Sunday and it's been showing "processing" for 4 days now. Reading through all these comments is actually really reassuring - sounds like 5-7 days is pretty normal this year despite what the official site says. I was getting ready to panic and manually enter everything, but after seeing the verification risks that Sean mentioned, I think I'll wait it out a few more days. Diego, so glad yours finally went through! Gives me hope that mine will process soon too.

One more thing - make sure to keep track of which email addresses you used for each FSA ID. I got locked out of my account because I couldn't remember which email I used for which child's application. It's the little organizational details that make the FAFSA process smoother.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this process last year! You definitely use the same parent FSA ID for both kids - that part everyone got right. But here's something that might save you time: when you start the second FAFSA application, the system will ask if you want to transfer information from a previous application. Say YES to this! It'll pull over most of your parent financial info automatically, so you won't have to re-enter everything from scratch. Just double-check all the numbers since tax info might have changed between applications. Also, don't forget that having two kids in college at the same time can actually help with your Expected Family Contribution, so make sure that's reflected correctly on both forms!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare! Our SAI jumped $42K with virtually identical financials and we also have 3 kids in college. What's really frustrating is that nobody warned us this was coming - we budgeted for this year based on last year's aid packages and now we're scrambling. I've been following this thread closely and I'm definitely going to try calling each school's financial aid office directly like @Luca Russo did. Has anyone had luck with private scholarships or work-study programs as a way to help fill this gap? I'm exploring every possible option at this point because taking on massive Parent PLUS loans feels like it would bury us financially for decades.

Just wanted to chime in as another family dealing with this exact situation. Our SAI went up $39K this year with two kids in college and nearly identical income. What's been most helpful for us is creating a spreadsheet documenting the exact differences between our old EFC and new SAI to present to financial aid offices. I also discovered that some schools have "sibling enrollment verification" forms that weren't required before but can trigger additional institutional aid review. One of our schools actually proactively reached out after we submitted this form. Also, don't overlook your state's higher education agency - ours has a emergency grant program specifically for families caught in the FAFSA transition that wasn't widely publicized. It's only $2500 per student but every bit helps right now. Hang in there everyone - it sounds like schools are really trying to find solutions even if the federal formula isn't helping us.

You're absolutely doing the right thing by protecting your retirement! I'm a recent college grad who went through a similar situation with my parents 4 years ago. They had a modest retirement fund and FAFSA expected them to contribute way more than they could afford without jeopardizing their future. I was initially disappointed about not going to my "dream school" but ended up at our state university with merit scholarships. Here's what worked for us: I applied to 12 schools where my stats put me in the top 25% of applicants for merit aid. Ended up with a full tuition scholarship at a great state school. Now I'm debt-free, have a good job, and my parents can actually retire someday. Meanwhile, friends from high school are drowning in loan payments for degrees that aren't any better than mine. Your daughter might be upset now, but you're teaching her an invaluable lesson about financial responsibility. There are SO many paths to success that don't involve crushing debt. Stand your ground!

You are absolutely NOT wrong to protect your retirement! I'm a financial advisor and I see this scenario constantly - parents being guilted into taking on massive debt for their kids' education while their own financial security crumbles. At 52 with $217K saved, you're actually behind where you should be for retirement (rule of thumb is 5-6x your annual income by age 50). Taking on $150K+ in Parent PLUS loans would be financial suicide. The harsh reality is that your daughter has options - she can attend a less expensive school, earn merit scholarships, or take on reasonable student debt herself. But you cannot get loans for retirement. Social Security alone won't be enough, and working until you're 75 because you drained your savings for college is not a viable plan. I've seen too many families destroy their financial futures for the "college experience." Your daughter will adapt and thrive elsewhere, but your retirement security, once gone, is nearly impossible to rebuild at your age. You're being a responsible parent by setting financial boundaries.

UPDATE: We logged in tonight and re-signed the FAFSA. It seems to have worked! The status now shows "Processing" instead of "Action Required." According to the site, it should take 3-5 days for processing, and then schools will receive our information. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! This new system has been such a headache.

So glad to see you got it resolved! This same thing happened to my family last month and it was incredibly stressful. For anyone else dealing with this issue, I found that clearing browser cache and cookies before attempting to re-sign can help avoid some of the technical glitches. Also, if you're still having trouble, try logging in during off-peak hours (early morning or late night) when there's less traffic on the system. The whole FAFSA rollout has been a nightmare this year, but at least there are workarounds for most of these issues.