I work in our university's financial aid office, and we're seeing this issue frequently this cycle. While waiting for the correction period to open, here's what you should do: 1) Have your student contact her school's financial aid office ASAP 2) Ask specifically for a "Dependency Status Correction Form" or "Special Circumstances Form" 3) The school can make manual adjustments on their end for aid packaging purposes Most institutions are making accommodations for these known FAFSA glitches. The good news is that while this is frustrating, it won't ultimately impact her aid eligibility as long as you're proactive about documenting the error now. Also important: Once the correction period opens (early April according to our latest guidance), make that correction immediately as it will need to be processed before the final aid package is created.

update!!!!! just saw on reddit that corrections should be available starting april 3rd according to someone who got thru to fafsa yesterday!!!

awesome! glad it worked out for you!

That's a significant improvement! Be sure to notify all the schools she applied to that there was a meaningful correction to her FAFSA. Some schools might have already downloaded her initial data, and they won't automatically get the updated information unless they pull her FAFSA again.

UPDATE: I took everyone's advice here and did two things: 1) Used Claimyr to actually get through to FSA after waiting 3 days on their callback list with no response, and 2) Contacted my school's financial aid office. Turns out there was an issue with how my parent's tax info transferred from the IRS! The agent said there was a data mismatch that wasn't visible on my end. They fixed it right away and said I should get my official SAI within 3-5 business days. The financial aid office also told me they'd make a note in my file that I submitted before the priority deadline despite the processing delay. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll update when I finally get my SAI!

Pro tip for next year: submit your FAFSA at least 4-6 weeks before your school's priority deadline. Even in normal years there can be processing delays or verification requirements that take time to resolve. I've worked with hundreds of students and the ones who submit early almost never have deadline issues.

they only care aobut the tax return from 2 yrs ago none of the other stuff matters

Just wanted to update everyone - I finally got through to someone at FSA who explained everything clearly. For 2025-2026 FAFSA, we'll use our 2023 tax info as many of you mentioned. I'll need to report special circumstances to each school individually - there's no standard form. Apparently, even though our income is higher now, they still want to know because it affects the overall financial picture (assets, retirement status, etc.). The agent recommended documenting the change with a simple letter explaining the retirement and new income sources, along with current pay stubs and pension statements. Thanks everyone for your help! This process is so much more complex than I expected.

the whole fafsa system is a JOKE!!! I applied Dec 30 (literally the day it opened) and STILL processing. Meanwhile my roommate applied feb 1 and got her SAI in 10 days. HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?? The dept of education is completely incompetent and doesn't care that they're ruining students' futures. I've called 9 TIMES and can't get through to anyone. This is my last chance at affording college and they're screwing me over.

Final update for anyone finding this thread later: My SAI finally came through this morning! Total processing time was 6 weeks and 5 days from submission. For those still waiting - try calling FSA directly as there might be hidden issues with your application that don't show up online. And definitely notify your schools about the delay - mine were all understanding and said they're seeing this with lots of students.