Great to hear you got it resolved! For anyone else seeing strange dates in their loan portal, here's a quick checklist: 1. Always verify directly with your loan servicer by phone 2. Check if you've been automatically enrolled in any new repayment plans 3. Confirm if your loans are in administrative forbearance during system updates 4. Make sure your contact information is updated so you receive notifications 5. Consider setting up autopay once your actual repayment date is confirmed (often comes with a 0.25% interest rate reduction) The transition to the SAVE plan is creating a lot of temporary confusion, but most borrowers will benefit from the new terms once everything is implemented.

To answer your question about making voluntary payments during forbearance - it's generally a good financial move, especially if your son can afford it. During most administrative forbearances, interest isn't accruing, so any payments made go directly toward reducing the principal balance. This can save significant money in the long run since he'll have less principal to accrue interest once regular repayment begins. Just make sure he keeps documentation of all voluntary payments made. Sometimes these don't get properly recorded during administrative periods, so keeping your own records is essential. Also, he should specify with the servicer that he wants these payments applied to principal rather than just advancing future payment due dates.

THIS IS WHY THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! The FAFSA form is DELIBERATELY CONFUSING so they can deny aid to people who need it! I made a tiny mistake on mine too and my SAI went up by $20k. When I finally got it fixed, they said I'd missed a deadline and would "receive aid based on remaining funds" which means basically NOTHING. The whole system is designed to keep poor students poor. Good luck OP but don't hold your breath.

Update: I made the corrections last night and also emailed my top school's financial aid office explaining the situation. They responded this morning saying they'd make a note in my file about the pending correction. Fingers crossed the new SAI gets processed before decisions go out! Thanks everyone for the help!

It's definitely overwhelming! We're hoping their SAI scores will qualify them for decent aid packages. We've also had them apply to schools with good merit scholarship options, and they're all applying for every external scholarship they can find. I wish the FAFSA had better accommodations for multiple children attending simultaneously.

UPDATE: I finally got through to FSA this morning! The agent confirmed there IS a system bug affecting applications with multiple students from the same household. They're unlocking the specific sections we need to fix and putting a note in our file about the system error. For anyone else experiencing this, they said to specifically mention \

Final update: It worked! I waited about 36 hours after updating my FSA ID, and then my son sent a new invitation using my maiden name. This time it went through without any error messages. I was able to complete my contributor section, and now his FAFSA shows

Awesome!! So glad it worked out! The 2025-2026 FAFSA has been such a headache with all these little technical issues.

Your situation sounds similar to mine from last year. Since I was the parent with primary physical custody and we were living separately (though not legally separated in our state either), I was able to be the only parent on the FAFSA. Just be prepared that because of the joint tax return, your daughter's Student Aid Index (SAI) might be higher than it would be with just your income. When you get the SAI calculation back, you might want to appeal directly to the colleges if it doesn't accurately reflect your financial situation.

Regarding appeals - wait until you receive the initial financial aid packages, then contact each school's financial aid office about their "professional judgment" or "special circumstances" process. Every school handles these differently, but most will require documentation of your separation, decreased household income, and changed financial circumstances. The most effective appeals include specific numbers showing the difference between the joint tax return and your actual current financial situation. Be prepared to provide bank statements, proof of separate residences, and any relevant court documents.