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.

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

Waht about parent plus loans? Thats what we ended up doing when my sons aid wasnt enough

Just wanted to update that after I dealt with a similar issue, we got our daughter's SAI reduced by almost $7,000! It took about 3 weeks from correction to getting a revised aid package, but it was absolutely worth it. Her grant increased by $3,500 for the year. Definitely don't give up on this!

When my daughter started college last year, I found myself in a similar situation - wanting to combine Parent PLUS loans with out-of-pocket payments. Here's what I learned the hard way: 1. Financial aid and student accounts/billing are TWO SEPARATE OFFICES at most schools. If you're asking about payment plans and billing, you need the Bursar's Office or Student Accounts, not Financial Aid. 2. The Parent PLUS loan process is frustrating because you have to specify an amount, but the exact bill isn't always clear when you're applying. 3. If you ever need to INCREASE your Parent PLUS loan mid-year (which we did), there's additional paperwork and another credit check. If I could do it all over again, I would have borrowed slightly MORE than I thought I needed for fall semester, then adjusted downward for spring once I had a better handle on our finances.

One more tip from my experience: the Parent PLUS loan application asks for the loan period (academic year) and loan amount. If you indicate a full academic year loan period but later decide you don't need the spring semester portion, you can cancel that disbursement without penalty before it's processed. This gives you flexibility - if your financial situation improves dramatically, you can cancel the spring portion. If not, it's already approved and ready to disburse. Also, keep in mind that Parent PLUS loans require a new application each academic year, so you'll go through this process again next year for your son's sophomore year.

Update to my earlier comment - I should clarify that while our parent section eventually processed automatically, it did take almost two weeks. If your deadline is next week, you probably do need to be more proactive than we were. Contacting the school is definitely a good idea.

UPDATE: I used Claimyr this morning and actually got through to FSA! The agent found that there was a mismatch between how my name appears on my tax return versus how I entered it in my FSA ID. They fixed it right there and said the parent section should process within 3-5 business days. I also called my son's school financial aid office, and they said they'll make a note in his file about the FAFSA technical issue so his application won't lose priority status. Thank you everyone for your help!