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Great news on the extension! That takes some pressure off. Keep us posted on how things develop with the FAFSA and if Claimyr helps get your application moving.
Just want to follow up - did you contact your financial aid office? Many schools are creating exceptions for the FAFSA processing delays this year since it's affecting so many students nationwide. Keep us posted!
Yes! I finally got through to them yesterday. They said they're aware of the delays and are being flexible with their deadlines as long as I can show proof that I submitted before their priority date (which I did). They said not to worry and that my aid package won't be affected by the processing delays. Such a relief!
One more important detail: document EVERYTHING going forward. Take screenshots of your online account showing the incorrect amount, save copies of all communications, and keep a log of every phone call (date, time, representative name, and what was discussed). This documentation will be crucial when you escalate to the FSA Ombudsman or CFPB. Also, when you call FSA directly, ask specifically for a "servicer escalation specialist" rather than just speaking to the first representative. The specialists have direct lines to management at the servicers and can often resolve these issues in days rather than weeks or months.
This is excellent advice. Documentation is absolutely critical. I'd add that you should send follow-up emails after phone calls summarizing what was discussed and agreed upon. This creates a paper trail that's invaluable if things continue to go sideways. One additional tip: if FSA does open a case, you'll get a case number. Use this in ALL future communications with both FSA and your servicer. It helps track the issue through their systems and prevents you from having to re-explain the situation repeatedly.
wait do we have to reapply for SAVE every year like we did with IBR?? I just got on it and no one told me anything about recertification
Yes, you do need to recertify your income annually for SAVE, just like with IBR/PAYE/REPAYE. However, starting in July 2024, if you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and consent to automatic income information sharing, the recertification should happen automatically without you having to manually resubmit documentation each year. But for now, mark your calendar for recertification about 2-3 months before your anniversary date of entering the plan.
everyone talks about appealing but does it actually work? seems like colleges just want to get as much $ as possible from us parents...
Appeals absolutely do work, especially for situations like this where there's likely an error or special circumstance not captured by the standard formula. Financial aid offices have significant discretion through Professional Judgment. I've seen SAI/EFC numbers reduced by tens of thousands of dollars when families provide proper documentation. The key is being persistent, thorough, and working directly with each school's financial aid office.
UPDATE: I went through our FAFSA application line by line and found the problem! When entering our assets, I mistakenly included our entire retirement savings ($175k) as regular investments instead of marking them as retirement accounts. I just submitted a correction through the studentaid.gov portal, and according to the estimate calculator, our SAI should drop to around $12,000 - which is still tight but at least within the realm of possibility with loans and work-study. I'm also going to follow the advice about appealing for professional judgment at my daughter's top choice schools. THANK YOU all for helping me figure this out! I've been losing sleep over this for weeks.
wow thats HUGE difference!! so glad you caught that error. definitely gives me hope - gonna double check our application tonight
That's excellent news! The retirement asset misclassification is actually one of the most common FAFSA errors, and it has a massive impact on the SAI calculation. The $12,000 figure sounds much more in line with typical expectations for your income level. Once the correction processes (which typically takes 3-5 business days), I'd recommend following up with the financial aid offices at your daughter's schools to make sure they're using the corrected information.
Natalie Adams
My daughter had this exact problem!!! We finally fixed it by going to studentaid.gov/fsa-id/recovery and selecting "Forgot Username". When it asked for email, we tried EVERY email address she's EVER had (school, gmail, old accounts, etc) until one finally worked. The system is horrible.
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Mason Kaczka
After you get this sorted out, make SURE you check her SAI calculation when it comes through. My daughter had a similar login issue that took forever to fix, and when we finally submitted, her SAI was calculated incorrectly because of how late we submitted and some fields defaulted to incorrect values. We had to go through a whole separate correction process that nearly made her miss priority aid at her top school. Document EVERYTHING in case you need to appeal later.
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Sarah Jones
•Oh no, I hadn't even thought about potential calculation issues. Thanks for the warning - I'll make sure to carefully review everything once we get in. This whole process has been so much more complicated than when I went to college!
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