


Ask the community...
my neice had something similarr with fafsa and she just went to the finacial aid office in person and they fixed everything right there!! maybe try that?
The financial aid office can help with many things, but they can't directly fix FAFSA account verification issues - that has to be resolved through Federal Student Aid directly. However, going to the financial aid office is still a good idea because they can note the account issue in your file and may extend institutional deadlines while you get it resolved.
Just wanted to update everyone! My daughter was finally able to get through to someone at FSA after using Claimyr (thanks for that recommendation!). The agent confirmed that her original submission date was still preserved, and they were able to expedite the verification process. Her account is now showing the SAI score, and she's already contacted her schools to let them know about the situation. They were all very understanding and said it wouldn't affect her aid consideration. So relieved this is finally resolved!
That's great news! Glad it worked out for you. It's such a relief when you can finally get through to someone who can actually help.
To address your specific error about the mother's SSN and birthdate not being processed: This likely happened because the system now requires the actual person (you) to enter and verify this information using your own FSA ID, not your husband entering it on your behalf. Our financial aid office has seen hundreds of these cases since the new FAFSA launched. Starting fresh with each person having their own FSA ID is the cleanest solution. And don't worry about the previous attempts - the system will recognize the newest submission as the valid one.
This makes so much sense now. I'll create my own FSA ID too. Do both parents always need to submit information, or can we choose just one parent to be the contributor?
If you're married and file taxes jointly, you'll generally designate one parent as the contributor, but both parents' income information will be reported on the FAFSA. The contributor parent will need an FSA ID to complete their section. If you file taxes separately, the situation might be different based on your specific circumstances.
And FYI when ur son makes his FSA ID, make SURE he uses an email he actually checks!!! My daughter used some random gmail she never looks at and we missed deadlines cuz she never saw the notifications 🤦♀️
THIS IS WHY I TELL EVERYONE TO AVOID STUDENT LOANS!!! The whole system is RIGGED against borrowers!!! I had $45k in loans and they somehow ballooned to $68k even though I never missed a payment! These companies are PREDATORY and the government LETS THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!!!!
Quick update based on other responses: Since you confirmed these are federal student loans (not private), you have additional protections. Contact the FSA Ombudsman Group specifically - they're designed to resolve disputes between borrowers and loan servicers. Their contact info is: https://studentaid.gov/feedback-ombudsman/disputes/prepare Also, federal student loan servicers are required by their contracts with the Department of Education to maintain accurate credit reporting. This gives you additional leverage beyond just the FCRA protections.
After dealing with this for days, I called my son's college financial aid office directly. They said they're hearing about this issue from LOTS of families. Their suggestion was to have the student remove the parent as a contributor temporarily, then add them back and generate a fresh invitation link. Apparently this resets something in the system. Worth trying if you're still stuck!
We tried that THREE times and it still gave me the error page each time! This whole system is a disaster. Why did they have to change everything from the old FAFSA anyway? That one at least WORKED.
The change to the new system was mandated by the FAFSA Simplification Act passed by Congress. The intention was good - to make the form shorter and easier to complete - but the implementation has obviously been problematic. The Department of Education had to compress what was supposed to be a multi-year rollout into a much shorter timeframe, which is partly why we're seeing so many technical issues.
when my mom had this problem we fixed it by having her create a completely new FSA ID. for some reason the old one she used last year kept triggering the error page. kinda annoying to make a new account but at least it worked!
Interesting! I might try this as a last resort. Did she have any trouble with the new FSA ID being linked to her tax information for the IRS Data Retrieval Tool?
Angel Campbell
i herd some people just put "divorced" on FAFSA even if technically still married. NOT saying u should do that but ppl do. might be considered fraud tho so probably not worth risk
0 coins
Harold Oh
•This is absolutely NOT recommended. Providing false information on the FAFSA is considered fraud and can result in serious consequences including fines up to $20,000, prison time, having to repay all aid received, and being barred from receiving future federal student aid. The professional judgment route is the proper legal channel for addressing this situation.
0 coins
TommyKapitz
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I'm going to: 1. Complete the FAFSA with both incomes as required 2. Immediately start the professional judgment process with each college 3. Gather documentation showing our 16-year separation and that I'm the primary caregiver 4. Use Claimyr to reach FSA for official documentation of their policy It's frustrating that the system doesn't account for long-term separations without formal documentation, but at least there's a pathway to get it addressed. I'll update this thread after we go through the process in case it helps others in similar situations.
0 coins