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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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I thought it got pulled from the taxes too!!! The whole point of linking to the IRS was so we don't have to enter all this stuff manually right?? So frustrating!
Emma Davis
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'll go ahead and enter the family size manually. Seems like I also need to pay attention to the "number in college" field too. Really appreciate all the information - definitely cleared up my confusion!
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Sunny Wang
Update: Just got off the phone with the financial aid office at my son's college. They were actually super helpful (which surprised me after all the FAFSA frustration). They explained that we can submit an appeal for our SAI score because of my husband's one-time bonus situation. They're sending us the forms today. The counselor also mentioned that LOTS of families are appealing this year because of the FAFSA delays and calculation changes. So if anyone else thinks their SAI doesn't accurately reflect their situation, definitely reach out to your schools!
Eve Freeman
•That's great news! Yes, appeals are definitely worth trying this year. We successfully appealed our daughter's package at two schools. One increased her grant by $4,500 and the other by $3,200. Just make sure you document everything thoroughly - they want specific numbers and proof, not just explanations.
Romeo Quest
my daughters fafsa was submitted same week as yours and we just got her award yesterday too!! such a relief but now im panicking about the may 1 deadline since we have to compare offers from 3 schools lol why do they make this process so stressful every single year??
Melissa Lin
•Don't panic about the May 1st deadline! As I mentioned above, many schools are extending their deadlines this year due to the FAFSA delays. Call each school's admissions office and ask about their policy. Also, when comparing financial aid packages, make sure you're looking at the net cost after all grants and scholarships, not just the total aid offered. Some packages look larger but contain more loans rather than grants.
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One thing I didn't see mentioned yet - if you're worried about qualifying for enough loans for your preferred program, you might want to look into an income-driven repayment plan after graduation. Even with higher loan amounts, these plans cap your monthly payments at a percentage of your discretionary income, making repayment more manageable. Also, check if your preferred program qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness if you plan to work in the public sector or for a non-profit after graduation. This could be a huge factor in your long-term financial planning. Best of luck with your decision! Advanced degrees are worth it, but definitely choose the program that aligns with your career goals rather than making a decision based solely on immediate financial concerns.
Thank you for bringing up the repayment options! I hadn't thought much about that aspect yet. I do plan to work in the education sector after graduation, so PSLF might be relevant for me. I'll research that more as I make my decision. After all this helpful advice, I'm leaning toward waiting for my preferred program. The funding options seem more flexible than I initially realized, and I don't want to spend years in a program that wasn't my first choice just because of timing.
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just wondering but y did ur son get listed as dependent? is he not working? bc if he has a job and pays for more then half his stuff he could file independent and then ud be totally off the hook
This is actually incorrect information. For FAFSA purposes, being independent isn't determined by whether the student pays for their own expenses. A student under 24 can only qualify as independent if they are: married, a veteran, have dependents they support, are emancipated, homeless, or meet a few other very specific criteria. Simply living on your own and paying your own bills doesn't make you independent for financial aid purposes.
Gabriel Ruiz
Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I understand now that I was misinterpreting how FAFSA works. The regular student loans go directly to my son regardless of me filling out the parent portion of the FAFSA. The Parent PLUS loans are completely separate and optional, so I can simply choose not to apply for those. I'll have my son reach out to his financial aid office to make sure we understand his complete aid package, and I'll be clear that we don't want Parent PLUS loans included. This is such a relief!
Exactly right! And just to add - make sure your son understands the borrowing limits for his Federal Direct Loans ($7,500/year as a junior/senior) and plans accordingly. If there's still a gap after grants and his own loans, he might need to look into scholarships, part-time work, or private student loans in his own name (though these typically require a cosigner). Good luck to both of you!
Sean Kelly
@confused_applicant: A lower SAI (Student Aid Index) is better for financial aid purposes. The SAI replaced the old EFC (Expected Family Contribution) in the 2024-2025 FAFSA. The lower your SAI number, the higher your demonstrated financial need, which typically qualifies you for more aid. An SAI of 0 demonstrates maximum financial need, while higher numbers (potentially into the thousands) indicate less financial need according to the formula.
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Omar Hassan
•This is really helpful information. Our SAI came back higher than I expected which has me worried. Does a high SAI mean we won't qualify for ANY needs-based aid? Or just less?
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Sean Kelly
A high SAI doesn't necessarily mean you won't qualify for any need-based aid - it depends on the cost of attendance at the specific schools. Need-based eligibility is calculated as: Cost of Attendance - SAI = Financial Need So even with a higher SAI, if the school has a high cost of attendance, you may still demonstrate some financial need. Additionally, many schools offer merit-based scholarships that aren't tied to your SAI at all, but rather to academic achievement, special talents, etc. Don't lose hope until you see the actual packages!
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Omar Hassan
•Thank you, that makes sense! I guess we just have to keep waiting and see what the schools offer. I'll have my daughter follow up with both financial aid offices next week if we still haven't heard anything.
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