the new fafsa is sooooo confusing!! i never got asked about assets either but then my daughter got selected for verification and NOW they want all my bank statements?? make it make sense!! 😡 the whole thing is a mess im convinced nobody at the dept of education actually knows whats going on

Just to add some clarity on the timeline: Your daughter's FAFSA was submitted last Thursday, so I would expect to see a processed status and SAI calculation by this coming Thursday or Friday (5-7 business days). Once processed, she'll get an email notification, and her SAI will be visible in her studentaid.gov account. After that, any schools she adds to her FAFSA will receive her information within 3-5 additional business days. Schools will begin creating financial aid packages once they have her FAFSA data and she's been accepted for admission. The reduced lunch program connection is important - it likely means you qualify for the simplified needs formula, which is why you didn't see asset questions. This is actually advantageous because assets can reduce aid eligibility.

Yes! We got it fixed using the steps from the thread. The key was having my daughter go to the very end of the application and click the final submit button even though it showed her signature was already there. After that, the status changed to \

Thanks for the update! Really appreciate the tips - will definitely try to do it during off-peak hours.

when i made fsas for me n my twins last yr ONE of them got verified instantly, ONE took 2 days, and MINE took a week!!! makes no sense lol. but ya everyone needs their own id thats just how it works now

Since a few people have mentioned verification delays, I want to clarify that there are two different types of "verification" being discussed here: 1. FSA ID verification - This is the process of confirming your identity when you first create an FSA ID. This usually takes minutes to a few days. 2. FAFSA verification - This is completely different and happens AFTER you submit your FAFSA. About 30% of FAFSA applications are selected for this more intensive verification process. For your immediate question about FSA IDs: Yes, both you and your son need separate FSA IDs before starting the FAFSA. You can begin creating the FAFSA application while waiting for FSA ID verification to complete, but you won't be able to sign and submit until both IDs are fully verified. Hope this helps clarify the process!

my kid got her signature email in spam folder so make sure he checks that

Update: The Department of Education just announced yesterday that they're implementing fixes for the duplicate signature request issue. They recommended that if you've already signed successfully (got to the final confirmation page), you can disregard any additional signature request emails for the next 14 days while they update their system. If your application shows "Being Processed" in the parent portal, that's a good sign that your signature was received. The student signature request emails are definitely taking longer than the original 1-3 day estimate - closer to 7-10 business days currently.

Just to clarify about deadlines - the FAFSA processing delay doesn't count against your submission deadline. As long as you submit the completed FAFSA by your school's priority deadline, you're fine. The system records your initial parent submission date as the starting timestamp. One other thing to check: make sure your students are using the correct website. For 2025-2026 FAFSA, they need to use studentaid.gov and click on "Complete the FAFSA Form" - not the old fafsa.ed.gov site that some school portals might still link to. Once everything is working, the student portions should take about 20-30 minutes each to complete if they have their tax info ready (if they filed) or their W-2s if they worked but didn't file taxes.

Based on the thread, it sounds like you're on the right track now! To summarize the solution: 1. Wait the full 48-72 hours for processing after parent contribution submission 2. Ensure both students have verified their FSA IDs (email and phone) 3. Have students use different devices than what you used for the parent portion 4. Clear browser cache/cookies before attempting login 5. Use studentaid.gov directly One additional tip: For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, the system calculates the Student Aid Index (SAI) which replaced the old EFC. This calculation happens after ALL portions are complete, so don't worry if you don't see an SAI number until everything is submitted. The SAI calculation can take an additional 3-5 business days after final submission. Good luck with finishing both applications!