This is my third kid going through the college process and by far the worst experience. The new "simplified" FAFSA is anything but simple. My daughter's application got flagged for verification (which never happened with my older kids) and now we're stuck in this endless loop of submitting documents that never seem to satisfy what they're asking for. The timing couldn't be worse either - she was planning to start at community college this summer but now might have to delay because she can't register without financial aid being processed. The system is broken at every level.

Quick update for everyone in this thread - the Department of Education just announced they've fixed several more calculation errors in the SAI formula and will be reprocessing affected applications "in the coming weeks." So even if you've already received an SAI, it might change. And schools are being advised not to finalize aid packages until all these corrections are complete. I know this is incredibly frustrating for families trying to make decisions. My best advice is to stay in regular contact with your financial aid offices, ask about contingency plans they might have for deposit deadlines, and document all communications.

Wait I thought FAFSA for 2025-2026 doesn't even open until december??? what deadline is today??

UPDATE: My husband finally got his FSA ID created and verified instantly! We were able to make all the corrections and submit them before the deadline. Just got the confirmation email that our corrected FAFSA was processed successfully. THANK YOU everyone for your help and quick responses! For anyone facing this issue in the future - yes, spouses need separate FSA IDs even with joint taxes, but the process can be completed quickly if all their personal information matches their records.

After reading through your situation more carefully, I have one more suggestion. Ask your school's financial aid office specifically about a "Professional Judgment Review" or "Special Circumstances Review." Explain that you've submitted FAFSA but it's delayed in processing. Some schools have authority to make provisional financial aid offers based on estimated information, which can later be adjusted once your official SAI comes in. They might be reluctant to mention this option unless you specifically ask for it by name.

i had this same issue but with verification that took forever!!! finally got through on the phone after trying for weeks and they told me my fafsa was selected for verification but they never sent me the notification!! like how was i supposed to know?? maybe yours is stuck in verification too? worth asking when u finally reach someone

UPDATE: We got it figured out! My daughter created her FSA ID and started a new application. I did lose all my previously entered information, but now we're on the right track. For anyone else who makes this mistake - you definitely need to have the STUDENT start the application first! Thank you all for your help.

Glad you figured it out! Honestly they should rename the parent section to "contributor section" or something so it's more obvious. My kid was also confused cause he thought I could just do the whole thing for him lol

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but there is also a specific lockout happening for students who have ANY mismatch between their FSA ID information and their Social Security Administration records. Even something small like using "Wm" instead of "William" or a hyphenated last name can trigger it with the new system. Had one student who couldn't access because they had moved and their address didn't match what SSA had on file!

Update: FSA just released a statement about this issue. It's officially acknowledged as a system-wide problem affecting approximately 5-7% of all active FSA ID accounts. They're implementing a fix by this weekend that should automatically resolve most cases. For urgent cases (students with approaching deadlines), they've established a dedicated helpline: 1-888-FSA-HELP (select option 4, then 2). This line is specifically for account access issues and has shorter wait times than the regular support line.