Just want to follow up on the divorce situation since that seems to be a major sticking point: the FAFSA's definition of "contributor" is very specific and often confuses people. The actual rule is: - If parents are divorced/separated, you report information ONLY for the parent you lived with more during the past 12 months - If you lived with both equally, then you report the parent who provided more financial support - Child support and alimony ARE counted as income for the parent who receives it - If your custodial parent is remarried, your step-parent's information MUST be included The most common mistake is including information from both biological parents when divorced, which causes verification flags. The system is designed to only collect data from the household you actually live in, not both parents.

whatever you do DONT miss the priority deadline for your schools!!! my son did last year and lost out on like $4000 in institutional grants even though his fafsa eventually went through. some schools are super strict about those dates!!

my cousins nephew had similar problem with fasfa this year and ended up not going to college at all because of it... the whole system is broken honestly

Update: I want to thank everyone for the amazing advice! I was able to contact my son's top choice school and they've extended our financial aid deadline by 30 days. I also used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and actually got through to a FAFSA representative who was super helpful. She walked me through the Professional Judgment request process and specifically told me which documents to upload. I've submitted everything yesterday and now we wait. The rep said it should take 2-3 weeks for review, which still gives us time before the extended deadline. I'm still nervous but feeling much more hopeful now. Will update when we hear back!

One more tip: Once you submit your corrections, print or save the confirmation page that shows your confirmation number. This provides proof of your submission date and time. If there are any processing issues later, having this documentation is invaluable when discussing with your financial aid office.

also - the signature page at the end is confusing. make sure u click the SUBMIT button after signing. i just signed and closed the page like an idiot and had to do it all over again lol

Financial aid advisor here. There's a lot of confusion in this thread I want to clear up: 1. For immediate help with potential default: Call your servicer and request an Administrative Forbearance specifically while you resolve the IDR application issues. They must grant this while paperwork is being processed. 2. For the tax return issue: You can submit alternative documentation of income (recent pay stubs) instead of tax returns for IDR qualification if you're having issues with your tax documents. 3. For long-term solutions: The new SAVE plan (replacement for REPAYE) caps undergraduate loan payments at 5% of discretionary income instead of 10%. 4. If you're unemployed: Your IDR payment should be $0 during this period. 5. Interest capitalization rules have changed under the new regulations - interest should not be capitalizing except in specific circumstances now. I recommend filing a complaint with the FSA Ombudsman if your servicer is providing incorrect information or not processing your applications properly.

I had a similar nightmare with defaulted loans. What eventually worked for me: 1. Filed a CFPB complaint against my servicer (surprisingly effective) 2. Got into the Fresh Start program to get out of default 3. IMMEDIATELY applied for income-based repayment with my $0 income 4. Requested a recalculation when I found employment The system is absolutely broken, but there are pathways through it. Don't ignore it though - that makes everything worse. And DOCUMENT EVERYTHING - dates of calls, who you spoke with, what they told you. This saved me multiple times when they tried to claim I hadn't submitted paperwork.

One important thing no one mentioned: if your school's financial aid priority deadline is approaching, send an email to your financial aid office with your daughter's name, student ID (if she has one), and brief explanation about the birthdate correction. Request that they flag her application as "in process" rather than incomplete. Many schools will honor their priority deadlines if they know corrections are in progress. I work with college-bound students and this saves many families from missing out on institutional aid.

my daughters correction finally went thru yesterday and we submited it april 2nd. so ya... not fast