UPDATE: I finally got through to FSA after trying for hours! The agent confirmed it's a known issue and said my application data is still in their system. They're manually resetting something on their end and said it should be visible again in 24-48 hours. They gave me a case number to reference if I have further problems. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

Wow, what a relief to see you got it resolved! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - my FAFSA disappeared but I get the "existing application" error when trying to start over. This thread has been SO helpful! I was panicking about my March deadline but now I know it's a known system glitch and not something I did wrong. Going to call FSA first thing tomorrow morning and ask for that manual reset. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is amazing! 🙏

Just wanted to add that if you're planning to submit early January (which is smart!), make sure you have your 2023 tax documents ready since that's what the 2025-26 FAFSA will use. Also, one thing that caught me off guard last year was that some schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, especially private colleges. It has its own separate deadline that's sometimes even earlier than FAFSA! You might want to check if your daughter's school requires it - it's an additional form through College Board that digs even deeper into your finances. If they do require it, you'll want to plan for that extra time and complexity too. The good news is that once you've done both forms once, renewal is much easier the following years!

I went through this exact same stress last year with my son! One thing that really saved us was marking my calendar with "FAFSA prep day" in mid-November to gather all documents before the December 1st opening. That way when the form goes live, you're not scrambling to find tax returns and bank statements. Also, I'd strongly recommend checking if your daughter qualifies for any state-specific grants or scholarships that have early deadlines. In our state, there was a need-based grant program with a February 1st deadline that we almost missed because we didn't know it existed. Her school's financial aid website had a list of all the programs and their deadlines - might be worth bookmarking that page now. One more tip: if you do end up needing help, many community colleges also offer free FAFSA completion events even if your daughter doesn't attend there. They're often less crowded than the high school sessions and the staff tends to be really knowledgeable about the process.

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!

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.