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.

My daughter is in both groups and she says this one has been more helpful for her specific situation with the Parent Plus loan eligibility questions. The other group seems to have more first-gen college students who aren't getting parental support. Different needs maybe?

One more suggestion - maybe compile a list of the most helpful posts/resources from your group that aren't already covered here? That way we don't lose valuable information during the transition, especially with the 2025-2026 FAFSA changes still causing confusion for many applicants.

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!

This is definitely one of the recognized issues with the new FAFSA system. The good news is that you can verify the official status by looking at the

Thank you, this is incredibly helpful! I just checked and the processed date is indeed after our last correction (we had to fix a small issue with our W-2 reporting). I feel much better now knowing that the system is working as it should, even if the communication is confusing.

the whole fafsa system is such garbage this year!!! they remove questions without telling anyone, the website crashes constantly, and when you finally submit everything they take FOREVER to calculate your SAI. i submitted in JANUARY and still don't have a final SAI number. how are we supposed to make college decisions like this???

Just wanted to update and thank everyone for the helpful responses! I contacted my daughter's financial aid office directly and they confirmed that the scholarship question was indeed removed from the new FAFSA. They also said that since her scholarship was non-taxable and paid directly to the school, there's nothing additional we need to report. Such a relief! They mentioned they're getting tons of calls about "missing questions" from people familiar with the old FAFSA format.