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UPDATE: IT WORKED!!! After three days of endless frustration, the re-invite method fixed everything! I had my daughter log in and just re-type my email which reset my form. When I accepted the new invitation, most of my previous information was saved. The missing spouse SSN was magically back, and we were able to sign and submit! For anyone else dealing with this issue, try the re-invite method first before starting over. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!
GREAT now i have a new problem - after fixing the SSN issue our SAI calculation is $7,000 higher than it was before!! anyone else have their numbers change after fixing glitches??? this is going to destroy my kids financial aid package
That's concerning. The SAI shouldn't change unless different information was entered. I'd recommend comparing the Student Aid Report before and after if you have a copy. If there's a significant unexplained difference, you might need to submit a correction or speak with a financial aid officer at your child's school to adjust the calculation.
I don't mean to get off topic but my cousin's FAFSA had the exact same issue last year. Her SAI was way off because the system counted her parents' retirement account as an available asset (which it shouldn't). Took forever to get it fixed. Just mentioning in case that's what happened to yours - might be worth checking the asset portion specifically when you get through.
UPDATE: I used Claimyr and got through to a FAFSA agent in about 25 minutes!!! The agent said there was an error in our asset calculation - somehow our small checking account balance of $3,800 got entered as $38,000! They were able to fix it on the spot and said my corrected SAI should update within 3-5 business days. THANK YOU everyone for your help - especially for the Claimyr suggestion. Literally saved my financial aid package!
This whole system is RIGGED against families trying to do the right thing!!! My husband and I actually postponed our wedding for 2 years because of FAFSA implications for his kids. The whole time I felt like we were being PUNISHED for wanting to get married! Why should the government basically force people to choose between marriage and affordable education for their kids? It's absolutely INSANE that getting married can cost your children tens of thousands in financial aid!!
To clarify something important regarding the wedding timing: Your 2026 income would indeed affect aid for the twins starting in their 2028-29 freshman year, as FAFSA uses prior-prior year tax information. If you're married in 2026 or earlier, your income will be counted on their freshman year FAFSA. However, if you wait to marry until 2027, your income wouldn't impact their financial aid until sophomore year. This could be a compromise approach - not delaying marriage until after college, but postponing it just enough to give them one year of potentially higher aid. Regarding your original question about assets vs. income: With $320K in non-retirement assets plus a vacation property, your fiancé's assets are substantial. After the Asset Protection Allowance (which is quite low these days, often under $10K for parents in their 40s-50s), the remaining assets are assessed at 5.64%. Basically, a rough estimation shows his assets might already be adding approximately $17,000-18,000 to their SAI. Your additional income could add considerably more, potentially pushing them well beyond the threshold for need-based aid at many public universities. I'd recommend consulting with a financial aid professional who specializes in divorce/remarriage situations to get personalized guidance.
Thank you for breaking down those numbers. It sounds like his assets are already creating a significant impact, but my income would make things even worse. The 2027 marriage compromise is an interesting idea - that would give the twins at least their freshman year with potentially better aid packages. I think we need to sit down with a financial aid consultant to work through all the variables.
The new FAFSA is a complete disaster. My daughter lost thousands in institutional aid because we couldn't submit on time due to these exact technical issues. The government had THREE YEARS to prepare the new system and yet here we are with these basic functions not working. And good luck getting help - the phone lines are a joke. This will end up hurting the most financially vulnerable students who don't have parents with time to troubleshoot these ridiculous problems.
I totally agree. The 'simplified' FAFSA is anything but. My son almost missed his school's priority deadline because of these glitches. The schools need to be more understanding about these delays that are completely out of our control.
For what it's worth, many institutions are aware of these widespread technical issues and have adjusted their internal deadlines accordingly. If you were unable to submit by a priority deadline due to documented FAFSA technical problems, I strongly encourage contacting the financial aid office directly with documentation of your attempts. Many schools are making case-by-case accommodations this year.
UPDATE: I finally got it working! For anyone else stuck in this loop, here's what worked for me: 1. I followed the advice about entering zeros in ALL asset fields (even ones that didn't apply to me) 2. I removed all commas and dollar signs from every financial field 3. I used an incognito browser window after clearing cache After doing all three, I was FINALLY able to get to the signature page and complete the submission. My son's SAI calculation appeared about 2 hours later. Thank you everyone for your help with this frustrating issue!
Great news! Thanks for updating the thread with what worked. This will help others facing the same issue. If you don't mind sharing, how long did the entire process take from when you first started having the loop problem until final resolution?
Brianna Schmidt
i went through this EXACT situation last year. ended up taking out private loans with sallie mae because the parent plus loan wasnt enough. now im paying 11.2% interest and its killing me. dont do what i did. cut costs where u can like ur doing. wish id been as smart as u.
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Jade O'Malley
•This is unfortunately very common. Private student loans should be absolute last resort after exhausting all federal loans, grants, work-study, and payment plans. That 11.2% interest is exactly why the financial aid community urges caution with private loans.
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Jade O'Malley
One more suggestion that might help: Many schools have payment plans that let you spread the cost over 10-12 months instead of paying each semester in full. This can reduce the need for loans and give you more flexibility. The enrollment fee is usually around $50-75, which is WAY less than loan interest. Just ask the student accounts office about it - it's not always well advertised.
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Charlotte Jones
•That's brilliant! I had no idea this was an option. I'll definitely look into payment plans - that could really help us avoid additional loans. Thank you so much!
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