One more thing about verification - if your son is attending college this fall (2025-2026 academic year), you should prioritize completing the verification process ASAP. Many colleges have priority deadlines for financial aid, and while verification won't make him ineligible, it could delay his aid package and potentially impact the institutional aid he receives. If you run into issues with the verification process, don't hesitate to contact the school's financial aid office directly. They're usually more responsive than the Federal Student Aid helpline and can provide guidance specific to their institution's requirements. And for Illinois specifically, look into the Golden Apple Scholars program if your son is interested in teaching in high-need schools in Illinois. It provides up to $23,000 in tuition assistance plus stipends and mentoring.

btw the verification stuff is annoying but usually takes like 2-3 weeks to process once you submit everything. just make sure u send EXACTLY what they ask for. my roommate had to resubmit twice bc he sent the wrong tax form lol

quick update - my daughters SAI finally came thru and it was COMPLETELY wrong!!! now we have to submit a correction and wait AGAIN. this is such a nightmare

For those still waiting, here's what many financial aid offices are advising students to do: 1. Screenshot your confirmation page showing the date you submitted the FAFSA 2. Email this screenshot to each college's financial aid office 3. Ask for a provisional financial aid offer based on your submission date Many schools are making accommodations and extending deadlines due to these unprecedented delays. Don't assume you'll lose opportunities - proactive communication with your schools is key.

One additional important note: The 2025-2026 FAFSA uses the streamlined formula with the Student Aid Index (SAI) replacing the old EFC. For your bankruptcy situation, this means: 1. The base FAFSA still won't account for your bankruptcy payments 2. The changes mostly affect how parent income and assets are assessed 3. The professional judgment process still works the same way (schools have authority to adjust data elements) Make sure you're ready to file when the FAFSA opens (December 1st) and then IMMEDIATELY begin the professional judgment process with each school. Don't wait until aid offers come out.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to: 1. File FAFSA with just my and my current husband's information 2. Prepare a complete bankruptcy documentation package 3. Contact each school's financial aid office about their professional judgment process 4. Submit all documentation before their deadlines 5. Follow up to confirm receipt and processing And if I have trouble reaching FSA, I'll definitely try that Claimyr service. This is all so much more complicated than I expected, but at least now I have a plan.

I wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful. The timing of when SAI scores are calculated and displayed can vary widely depending on when the FAFSA was submitted and if there were any verification requirements.\n\nIf your daughter submitted her FAFSA earlier or had a less complex financial situation, her application might have been processed in an earlier batch. The Department of Education has been rolling out features of the new system gradually.\n\nAlso, do check if your son's FAFSA was selected for verification. If it was, the SAI might not be finalized until that process is complete, even if the application shows as \

This is really helpful context. We actually did submit both FAFSAs on the same day (Feb 7th), but my son's took much longer to process initially. I'll check if he was selected for verification - that might explain the difference in how they're handling his application vs. my daughter's.

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!