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UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at FSA using that Claimyr service (totally worth it btw). Turns out there was a mismatch between my dad's reported income and what they had on file from the IRS. The weird thing is we used the data transfer tool so it should have matched automatically! The agent manually noted the correction and said processing should resume within 3-5 business days. Just wanted to update in case anyone else runs into this problem!
That's a common issue this year - the Data Retrieval Tool is pulling the right numbers, but the system is sometimes comparing it to the wrong year's tax data. Glad you got it sorted out! Make sure you keep checking your status because occasionally they need additional verification after the first issue is resolved.
Just wanted to update everyone! My ex checked this morning and the tax information magically appeared! It looks like it did eventually link automatically through the IRS DRT tool, even though it initially said it couldn't. We're so relieved - the SAI calculation is now complete and everything looks correct. Thanks for all the advice!
man i wish id seen this thread last week!! spent like 3 hours trying to figure out why my wifes tax info disappeared from our daughters fafsa. ended up starting over completely and lost all our previous info. the whole system is trash tbh
This exact thing happened to me with my son's applications! It was driving me CRAZY. Turns out the problem wasn't his birthdate at all - it was because his high school had submitted his name to the FAFSA system with his middle name included, but we were applying with just his first and last name. Once we added his middle name exactly as the high school had it, the system accepted everything. Maybe check with your daughter's high school counselor to see how they submitted her info to the FAFSA system?
Any luck resolving this? One other thing to check - make sure the parent info (your name, SSN, etc.) is entered EXACTLY the same on both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 forms. Sometimes these validation errors happen because of parent data mismatches, not student information.
Update: We got it resolved! It turned out to be the craziest thing - her high school had recorded her birth month incorrectly in their system (they had March instead of May). When they sent the batch data to the federal student aid system, it created this conflict. I had to have her high school update their records, then wait 48 hours, and finally the 2023-2024 FAFSA went through. Thanks everyone for your help!
OMG yes they need to invite u again every year and make sure ur using the EXACT same email address as last year!!! We made that mistake where my daughter invited me with my gmail instead of my work email that I used before and it created this WHOLE mess where I had two different contributor profiles and the system got all confused and we had to start over 😫
Thank you for the warning! I'll double-check which email I used last year to make sure we use the same one. Definitely don't want to deal with that kind of headache.
Just to clarify one more thing - when your student sends the contributor invitation this year, you'll have 14 days to complete your section before the invitation expires. They can always resend it if needed, but it's good to be aware of that timeline.
I didn't know about the 14-day limit! Definitely good information to have. I'll make sure to complete it promptly once I get the invitation. Thanks again for all your help!
And sometimes the emails are slow to arrive! My daughter sent the invitation and it took almost 24 hours for me to receive it. Just another thing to be aware of.
Diego Castillo
I work in financial aid (not at ASU). With your SAI of -1500, you're in the highest need category, which is good news for federal aid. For Land Grant specifically, each university has a residency classification appeal process where you can explain extenuating circumstances. In your case, since your parents established residency and you were only temporarily away, you might have a case. The entity that provides Land Grant scholarships is the university itself, using state funding tied to their Land Grant status under the Morrill Acts. It's not federal money like Pell Grants. What I would suggest: 1. Contact ASU's Residency Classification Office directly about an appeal/exception 2. Apply for all federal aid regardless of the Land Grant situation 3. Look into ASU-specific scholarships that might have different residency requirements 4. Check departmental scholarships within your intended major With your GPA and SAI, you have excellent chances for other aid even if the Land Grant doesn't work out.
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Tami Morgan
•Thank you so much for this detailed explanation! I've been so confused about where the money actually comes from. I'll definitely reach out to the Residency Classification Office about the appeal process. Do you know if these exceptions are rare or if they approve a decent number of them?
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Diego Castillo
•Exceptions aren't common, but they do happen in cases with clear documentation and legitimate reasons. The key is providing evidence that your absence was temporary and that your parents maintained continuous Arizona residency. Your academic profile (high GPA) and financial need (negative SAI) make you exactly the type of student these programs aim to help, which works in your favor. The success rate varies by institution and individual circumstances, but I've seen similar cases approved when properly documented.
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Logan Stewart
I had a similar situation with Land Grant at Michigan State!!! The residency office was IMPOSSIBLE to reach for WEEKS and then they denied me even though my parents lived in-state for years just because I went to high school out of state with my grandparents for my senior year!!! SO UNFAIR!!! My SAI was like -2300 and I still got rejected. The system is completely broken!!!
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Tami Morgan
•Oh no, that sounds exactly like my situation! Did you ever get it resolved or find alternative scholarships?
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Logan Stewart
•I appealed THREE TIMES and finally got approved after sending like 50 documents proving my parents never left Michigan. Had to delay enrollment for a semester though. KEEP PUSHING and document EVERYTHING!!!
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