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

I'm confused about how everyone's submitting FAFSA so early. Aren't we supposed to wait until we have our taxes done for the year? I'm still waiting to file mine. Am I behind the curve here?

Adding to the helpful advice here - while adding W&M won't impact your daughter's existing FAFSA submissions, it's worth noting that W&M calculates their Student Aid Index (SAI, formerly EFC) using both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. If you haven't submitted the CSS Profile to W&M yet, you should do that immediately, as their institutional aid calculations rely heavily on it. Also, after adding W&M to the FAFSA, I'd recommend emailing their financial aid office directly to confirm they received her information. Include her full name and student ID in the email. This creates a paper trail and helps ensure nothing falls through the cracks during their busy season.

UPDATE FOR EVERYONE: The Department of Education just announced yesterday that they're aware of this notification glitch and are working on a fix. According to their statement, applications that appear complete when you log in ARE actually complete in their system, and the notifications can be ignored. They expect to resolve the issue within 2 weeks. In the meantime, they recommend checking your actual application status by logging in rather than relying on the automated notifications.

UPDATE: Problem solved! After manually going through every section again and hitting the final submit button (which I had missed before), the system finally acknowledged everything as complete. The notifications stopped after about 24 hours, and we received our SAI calculation this morning. For anyone else experiencing this - make sure you hit that final submit button after the IRS data retrieval, even if all sections show complete with green checkmarks!

Since time is critical, I'd recommend pursuing multiple solutions simultaneously:\n\n1. Follow up on getting the provisional/conditional aid letter from financial aid\n2. Prepare the alternative documentation (bank statements, affidavit of support)\n3. Contact the Spanish consulate to confirm exactly what alternatives they'll accept\n4. Have your son check his SAI status daily and call FSA if there's any change\n\nThe good news is that once your FAFSA does process, things move quickly. Our SAI finally came through about 10 days before my daughter's visa appointment, and her school produced the final aid package within 48 hours after that. It was stressful right up to the end, but it worked out.\n\nOne more tip: when your son goes to his appointment, have him bring documentation of the FAFSA delays (news articles, official notices) to show this is a nationwide issue affecting many students. Sometimes this context helps the consular officers understand it's not just poor planning on his part.

Thank you for the thorough plan of action! I'm definitely going to pursue all these paths at once. The idea of bringing news articles about the FAFSA delays is brilliant - I hadn't thought of documenting that this is a nationwide problem. I'm feeling more hopeful now that we have some concrete steps to take!

One thing no one mentioned yet - your son should create his own email account BUT make sure you have access to it or that he adds you as a recovery option. My son never checks his email and almost missed the verification deadline because important notices went to his inbox. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, both student and parent will get separate notifications, so having access to both accounts is really helpful.

I work in a college financial aid office. Here's what your son needs for his part of the FAFSA: - Social Security Number - Alien Registration Number (if not a U.S. citizen) - Federal income tax returns - W-2s and other records of money earned - Bank statements and records of investments (if any) - Records of untaxed income (if any) And absolutely get separate email addresses. This isn't just a preference - it's required by the system. Gmail and Outlook both offer free accounts that he can keep permanently. Also, start the process early! The new system has had issues, and priority deadlines for many schools are in early February 2025.