As someone who just went through this nightmare myself, I can confirm the agent was completely wrong about device compatibility! I had the exact same freezing issue at the tax section on my MacBook Air, and it had nothing to do with Apple vs PC. After reading through all these responses, I tried the incognito mode trick in Safari and it worked perfectly. The real problem seems to be browser cache conflicts with their new system. Don't waste time borrowing someone else's computer - just try a different browser or incognito mode first. Also, if you're still stuck, manually entering the tax info instead of using the IRS retrieval tool is a solid backup plan. Good luck with your deadline!

Just want to chime in as another data point - I successfully completed my FAFSA on a Lenovo ThinkPad last month with zero issues! That agent definitely gave you wrong information. The problems you're experiencing are almost certainly related to the website's technical issues, not your device brand. I've also helped friends complete theirs on various devices (MacBook, Surface Pro, even an old Dell from 2018) and device brand was never a factor. The key things that actually matter are having an updated browser, stable internet connection, and sometimes just trying at different times of day when their servers aren't overloaded. Don't stress about needing to borrow a different computer - focus on the browser troubleshooting tips others have shared here!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a first-generation college student going through this process and honestly had no idea how any of it worked. My parents and I were also waiting for some official notification from FAFSA and kept checking our email obsessively. It's such a relief to know that the "completed" status really does mean everything went through properly and that we're supposed to hear from the colleges directly. I wish they made this clearer on the FAFSA website - maybe just a simple message like "Your information has been sent to your schools. Check with each school's financial aid office for your aid package." Would save so much confusion! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

This whole thread has been so reassuring! I'm dealing with the exact same situation with my daughter - we got the "completed" status weeks ago but heard nothing until she randomly checked her college portal yesterday. I was starting to panic that we'd done something wrong or missed a deadline. It's crazy how the FAFSA system just leaves you hanging without any explanation of what happens next. Reading everyone's experiences here has been more helpful than any of the official resources I've found online. I especially appreciate the tip about checking studentaid.gov for the SAR report - I had no idea that existed! Now I feel much more confident about understanding her aid package and what steps to take next. Thank you all for sharing your stories and making the rest of us feel less alone in this confusing process!

Welcome to the nightmare club, Natasha! Your septic system failure sounds absolutely horrific - not being able to use toilets or run water with young kids is definitely a health emergency that required immediate action. That $9k withdrawal being counted as regular income combined with the gutted multiple-student benefit under the new formula perfectly explains your SAI doubling. Septic emergencies are typically very well-received by financial aid offices since they understand these are serious health and safety situations that can't be delayed. Make sure to include any health department notices (those carry a lot of weight!), emergency septic service calls, contractor documentation, and photos if you have them to really demonstrate the urgency and health risks involved. It's infuriating that responsible families who saved for retirement are being penalized for accessing those funds during legitimate health emergencies, but your case sounds very strong for professional judgment relief. The fact that you couldn't use basic household facilities with children in the home makes this exactly the type of unavoidable emergency that appeals were designed to address. Keep us posted on how your appeals go - there are so many families here dealing with similar emergency situations and we're all learning from each other's experiences!

I'm new to this community but experiencing the exact same devastating situation! Our SAI jumped from $8,100 to $16,400 even though our AGI barely changed. We have two kids in college and had to make an emergency $12k withdrawal from my husband's IRA last year when our main electrical panel failed and created a fire hazard - our electrician said we couldn't safely stay in the house until it was completely replaced. Reading through all these responses has been so enlightening - I was convinced we'd made some terrible error on our FAFSA, but now I understand it's the combination of that withdrawal being counted as regular income plus the dramatic reduction in benefits for multiple students under the new formula. It's incredibly frustrating that families who planned their college finances based on the old FAFSA system are now being penalized by these changes. I'm going to start gathering all our electrical emergency documentation, fire safety inspection reports, and contractor receipts to submit appeals to both schools. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and providing such detailed guidance on the appeal process - this thread has been more helpful than anything I could find through official channels! It gives me real hope that we can fight these inflated SAI numbers through professional judgment rather than just accepting this financial disaster.

Wow, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! I'm just starting the FAFSA process for my daughter and was completely overwhelmed by the asset reporting requirements. The detailed explanations everyone has provided here have been a lifesaver. I'm particularly grateful for the clarification on 529 plans always being parent assets for dependent students - we have about $15,000 saved up and I was worried it would be assessed at the 20% student rate. Learning it's actually assessed at the much lower parent rate (up to 5.64%) is such a relief! The advice about calling banks to ask specifically about UTMA/UGMA designation rather than accepting generic terms like "custodial account" is brilliant. I have a similar situation with a savings account we opened for my daughter when she was 14, and I definitely need to verify the actual legal structure before reporting it. One question for the group - my daughter also has a small investment account (about $2,800) that her grandmother set up for her a few years ago. I believe it's in my daughter's name but I'm not certain about the legal structure. Would this follow the same principles as the bank accounts discussed here, or are there different rules for investment accounts on the FAFSA? Thanks to everyone for sharing such practical, detailed advice. This community has made what seemed like an impossible task feel much more manageable!

@Arjun Kurti - Great question about investment accounts! Investment accounts generally follow the same ownership principles as bank accounts for FAFSA reporting. If the account is legally in your daughter's name (like a UTMA/UGMA investment account), it would be reported as a student asset at the 20% assessment rate. If it's a custodial account where your daughter is the beneficiary but legally owned by the grandmother, it might not need to be reported at all since it wouldn't be considered your daughter's asset. The key is determining the actual legal ownership structure, just like with bank accounts. I'd recommend calling the investment company (or whoever manages the account) and asking specifically: 1. Is this account established under UTMA/UGMA laws? 2. Who is the legal owner of the assets? 3. Who has control over distributions? If your daughter is the legal owner and has (or will have) control over the funds, it's her asset. If the grandmother retains control and your daughter is just the beneficiary, it might not be reportable. Investment accounts can be trickier than bank accounts because there are more types of structures available, but the same principle applies - actual legal ownership determines FAFSA reporting, not just whose name appears on statements. Definitely worth a phone call to get clarity before submitting your FAFSA!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! My son's SAI jumped from $6,400 to $13,200 for 2025-2026 despite our financial situation being virtually identical to last year. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm now convinced I also fell into the retirement account reporting trap that seems to be affecting countless families. What's both alarming and oddly reassuring is seeing how systematic this issue appears to be. When this many families make the exact same mistake on identical questions, it's undeniable proof of a major form design flaw rather than user error. The way the new FAFSA disguised retirement account exclusions within that confusing "investments" terminology has clearly cost thousands of families significant aid eligibility. I'm going to follow the correction roadmap everyone has outlined: document everything meticulously, wait for processing to complete (currently at "submitted" status for 7 days), then submit corrections once fully processed. The 3-7 business day correction timeline that others have shared gives me hope we can resolve this before critical aid offer deadlines. Beyond fixing my own situation, I'm absolutely planning to file a formal complaint with the Department of Education about this widespread form design failure. With this many documented cases showing identical systematic problems, we need to demand accountability and ensure future families don't face this financial aid nightmare. Thank you all for creating such an incredibly supportive and informative community during this stressful process. This thread has provided more concrete solutions and reassurance than weeks of trying to reach federal support channels!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm both devastated and relieved to find this thread! My daughter's SAI skyrocketed from $4,800 to $10,400 for 2025-2026 despite our income actually decreasing by about $3,000 this year due to my husband's reduced hours. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly eye-opening - I was convinced there had to be some kind of system error when I first saw that more-than-doubled number. Like virtually everyone else here, I'm now certain I accidentally included our retirement accounts as assets because of that misleading "investments" language on the new form. Looking back at last year's FAFSA, the retirement exclusions were crystal clear, but this year's version buried that critical information in confusing terminology that led so many of us astray. What's most striking is the sheer scale of this systematic issue - when dozens of families in a single thread make identical reporting errors on the same questions, it's irrefutable evidence of a major form design failure by the Department of Education, not individual user mistakes. This level of widespread confusion is completely unacceptable when families are losing thousands in potential aid eligibility. I'm planning to follow the correction process everyone has outlined: document everything thoroughly, wait for processing to complete (currently showing "submitted" for 4 days), then submit corrections once it's fully processed. The 3-7 business day timeline for corrections that others have shared is really helpful for planning ahead of aid offer deadlines. Beyond resolving my own family's situation, I'm definitely filing a formal complaint with the Department of Education about this widespread form design disaster. When this many families face identical aid losses due to the same misleading questions, it demands systemic accountability and immediate fixes to prevent future applicants from experiencing this nightmare. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive community during this incredibly stressful time. This thread has provided more actionable solutions and reassurance than weeks of failed attempts to reach federal support. It's both heartbreaking and comforting to know we're not alone in this battle!