While you're waiting for your SAI to be calculated, this is a good time to check with your school about any supplemental forms they might require. Many schools, especially private institutions, require the CSS Profile or their own institutional forms in addition to the FAFSA. Missing these deadlines can limit your institutional aid regardless of your FAFSA status.

Wow, 3 months is absolutely brutal! I'm so sorry you had to go through all that stress. I'm actually in a similar situation right now - my FAFSA has been stuck on "needs correction" for about 6 weeks and I keep getting different error messages every time I try to fix it. The whole system feels completely broken this year. Reading through everyone's responses here is actually really helpful though! I didn't know about checking spam folders or that schools might grant housing deposit extensions. I'm definitely going to call my school's financial aid office tomorrow to see if they can work with me on deadlines while this gets sorted out. Fingers crossed your SAI comes through quickly! Keep us updated on how it goes - it gives the rest of us hope that there's actually light at the end of this tunnel 🤞

Just a clarification on the tax year information - for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, they'll be using 2024 tax information (not 2023 as someone mentioned above). This is due to the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. So any income your son earns in 2024 would affect the 2025-2026 aid calculation. That said, with the protection allowance of $9,410, working 12 hours weekly at $15/hour should still keep him under or very close to that threshold, meaning minimal impact on his Pell eligibility.

As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm that the $9,410 protection allowance for student income is accurate for 2025-2026. Your son's projected earnings of around $9,360 annually would fall just under this threshold, so his Pell Grant should remain intact. One thing I'd add is to keep detailed records of his work hours and earnings throughout the year. If he ever gets close to that threshold, he can adjust his schedule accordingly. Also, many campus jobs are flexible with student schedules during finals and busy academic periods, which is a huge advantage over off-campus work. The experience and potential networking opportunities from a campus bookstore job could be invaluable - he'll interact with faculty, staff, and other students regularly. Plus, many campus positions offer perks like textbook discounts or first access to used books, which could save money in other ways!

UPDATE: I got it working!!! Turns out it was a combination of issues. I turned off my VPN like @casual_user suggested AND used the mobile app instead of the website like @financial_aid_advisor recommended. The mobile app interface is actually way easier to use than the website. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad you got it working! I'm actually dealing with the exact same issue right now - been stuck on the signature page for days. Going to try the mobile app + turning off my VPN combo that worked for you. Quick question though - did you have to start the whole FAFSA over again on the mobile app, or were you able to pick up where you left off from the signature step?

I used to work in a financial aid office before the new FAFSA system rolled out. This sounds like a combination of issues - the one-time gift being counted as income and possibly some confusion with retirement assets. The good news is both are fixable! Make sure you get everything in writing when you fix it, because sometimes these corrections can revert in the system.

I went through something similar last year and it was incredibly frustrating! In my case, the issue was that my parents accidentally reported their gross income in one section and then also included some of the same income as "untaxed income" in another section. The system basically double-counted about $18,000 of our income, which inflated our SAI by around $7,000. From what you've described with the $20,000 gift for medical expenses, that's almost certainly being treated as regular income rather than a one-time gift. The FAFSA system is notoriously bad at handling these special situations automatically. One thing that helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet showing exactly what our actual income was versus what the FAFSA was calculating, then highlighting the discrepancies. Both financial aid offices found this really helpful when they submitted the professional judgment requests on my behalf. Also, if you do end up needing to contact FSA directly, try calling right when they open (8 AM EST) - the hold times are usually shorter then. Good luck!

Did you ever get this resolved? I'm curious which solution actually worked because we had so many issues with the spouse signature thing too.

So glad you got it figured out! This thread is going to be super helpful for other people dealing with the same issue. The FAFSA spouse signature problem seems to trip up so many families, and it's frustrating that the system doesn't make the process clearer. Thanks for updating us on what actually worked - the combination of verifying the email AND using the direct signature link seems to be the key. Hopefully the Department of Education fixes these user experience issues for next year's FAFSA cycle!