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- Connect you to a human agent at the FAFSA
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
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- Give you free callbacks if the FAFSA drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
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!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
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!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
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.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Update: I verified this is legitimate by logging directly into my studentaid.gov account (not through the email link). There was a notification about the beta test in my message center. I've started the test application and it does look much improved! The contributor section especially seems way more straightforward than last year's confusing mess.
Smart way to check! Let us know if you find anything else interesting in the beta version
Ava Kim
wait i'm confused...is this different from teh regular FAFSA? i thought the FAFSA always opens in october...so is this like a early version or something totally different?
This is a test version of next year's FAFSA (for the 2025-2026 school year). The regular FAFSA for 2025-2026 will still open in October as usual. This beta test doesn't replace the regular application - it's just to help the Department of Education find and fix problems before the official launch. If you participate in the beta, you'll still need to complete the regular FAFSA when it opens in October.
Ava Kim
•ohhhh ok that makes more sense! so its not worth doing unless you really want to help them test. thx for explaining
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Omar Hassan
UPDATE: After trying for days, I FINALLY got through to someone at Federal Student Aid who was actually helpful! Used the Claimyr service that was recommended here (totally worth it) and got connected to an agent in about 10 minutes. The agent confirmed they have my paper FAFSA in their system as received on December 15th, but it's in the "manual processing queue" which is severely backlogged. However, she was able to flag my application for expedited processing due to my approaching scholarship deadline and gave me a case reference number to provide to my school's financial aid office. I took this info plus all my FAFSA copies to the financial aid office, and they were able to put me on their "FAFSA Pending" list which will reserve potential aid while waiting for official processing. The financial aid counselor said they're doing this for lots of students this year. Still annoyed about the whole situation, but at least now I know my application wasn't lost and I won't miss out on aid opportunities. Thanks everyone for the advice!
ShadowHunter
•That's awesome news! I'm going to try Claimyr tomorrow. Did they ask for any specific information to locate your paper application in their system?
Omar Hassan
•Yes! Make sure you have your Social Security number, date of birth, the exact date you mailed the form, and your confirmation number from certified mail if you have it. The agent looked it up based on name/SSN first, then used the mailing date to locate it in their paper queue.
Luca Conti
Reading through this thread is giving me anxiety! I submitted my FAFSA online last week after trying since January (kept getting an error about my parents' marital status verification). Now I'm terrified it's going to take months to process too! Question for those who got through to an actual person: did they give any indication of how long online FAFSA applications are taking to process compared to paper ones? I'm also facing a mid-February scholarship deadline and getting really worried.
Zara Ahmed
•Online applications are processing much faster than paper ones - typically 3-5 weeks for electronic submission versus 8-12 weeks for paper. Your situation should be different than what OP is experiencing with their paper form. However, I'd still recommend contacting your financial aid office to let them know your FAFSA was recently submitted and you're concerned about the scholarship deadline. Many schools can note this in your file.
Luca Conti
•Thank you! That's somewhat reassuring. I'll contact my financial aid office tomorrow just to be safe.
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One last suggestion - check if your husband has an existing FSA ID by going to https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/recover-username. If the system finds a match with his SSN and DOB, it means he already has an account and just needs to recover the username/password rather than creating a new one. This has resolved the issue for many parents I've worked with.
We actually tried the recovery option yesterday but it said no account was found with his information. That's what makes this so frustrating - the system won't let him create a new account OR recover an existing one! It's like we're stuck in FAFSA limbo.
That is truly frustrating. In that case, I agree with the suggestion to try very early morning hours (3-5am) when system traffic is lowest. Also, make sure you're not on any VPN or public wifi when attempting to create the account - IP address verification can be part of the security checks.
i mean is it even worth the hassle anymore?? my brother ditched the whole FAFSA thing after trying for weeks and just took out private loans instead. the interest rates suck but at least the application process doesn't make you wanna jump off a cliff lol
Financial aid professional here - please don't skip the FAFSA! Even with all the frustrations, federal student loans have much better terms, income-driven repayment options, forgiveness programs, and deferment options than private loans. Plus you might qualify for grants you don't have to repay. Private loans should be a last resort, not a first option because of technical difficulties.
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Javier Gomez
One thing to consider - he may be subconsciously afraid of going to college and this was an avoidance tactic. My brother did something similar ("forgot" to register for housing until all dorms were full). We later learned he was dealing with serious anxiety about leaving home. Might be worth a deeper conversation about if he's actually excited to go or just going through the motions because it's expected.
That's an insightful perspective I hadn't considered. We've been so focused on the logistics I haven't checked in on his feelings about college lately. He seemed excited during orientation but has been unusually quiet since then. I'll try to have a heart-to-heart with him tonight.
NebulaNinja
u should make him pay the late fee from his own money. thats what my parents did when I messed up deadlines and I learned QUICK to pay attention to that stuff lol
100% agree!! Natural consequences are the best teacher. My son had to pay the late registration fee from his summer job money and suddenly he became VERY interested in deadline dates 😂
Isabella Brown
I just want to add that my daughter's college financial aid office is holding special FAFSA workshops to help parents navigate the new system. Maybe check if your son's school offers something similar? Our college financial aid officer said they've been getting HUNDREDS of calls about the exact same issues you're describing.
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Liam Mendez
•That's a great suggestion! I'll check with the university to see if they're offering any help sessions. Sounds like they must be getting flooded with confused parents like me.
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Maya Patel
One final tip to keep in mind - the new FAFSA calculates the Student Aid Index (SAI) differently than the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Even with the same financial information, your son's aid eligibility might be different than in previous years. The new formula adjusts for family size differently, changes how multiple students in college are counted, and modifies asset protection allowances. So don't be surprised if your final aid offer looks different than previous years, even if your financial situation hasn't changed much. The good news is that the overall Pell Grant eligibility has expanded under the new system, so many students may qualify for more federal grant aid than before.
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Jacob Smithson
•wait what?? so even if our finances are the same we might get LESS aid?? thats terrrrible news for us. my daughter really relies on her financial aid package ðŸ˜
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Maya Patel
•It depends on your specific situation - some families will get more aid, others might get less. The changes benefit families with multiple children in college, Pell Grant eligible students, and certain low-income scenarios. But yes, some middle-income families might see reductions. That's why it's crucial to complete the FAFSA as early as possible and be proactive about communicating with the financial aid office if you have concerns.
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