THIS IS WHY THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! Why should parents have to jump through all these hoops and strategize about loans just to send their kids to college? The whole FAFSA parent contribution expectation is ridiculous. I make decent money but have 3 kids and the "expected family contribution" they calculate is LAUGHABLE. No normal family has that kind of extra cash sitting around!

To summarize the key points everyone has made: 1. Parent PLUS interest rates are fixed for the academic year regardless of credit score (pass/fail only) 2. You WILL save interest by borrowing only what you need for fall now 3. You'll pay the origination fee on each loan amount 4. If your credit improves significantly, you might qualify for better private loan rates for spring 5. Check with your school's financial aid office about their procedures for splitting the loan between semesters Given all this, your strategy does have merit, even if not for the exact reasons you initially thought.

This is a common issue with the new FAFSA system. Here's what I recommend: 1. First, confirm the email is correct in the system 2. Have your ex create an FSA ID if he doesn't already have one 3. Have your daughter go to her FAFSA dashboard and check if there are any alerts about parent information being incomplete 4. Try the manual connection method someone mentioned above If all else fails, your ex can call Federal Student Aid directly at 1-800-433-3243. They can manually link him to your daughter's application. Just be prepared for a potentially long wait time. The good news is that this won't necessarily delay her financial aid package as long as everything gets completed before the school's priority deadline.

Any update? Were you able to get this resolved?

do ur best to stay calm, we were so stressed bout this but it all worked out fine. just stay on top of followin up with the school every few days

Wait did anyone else have to provide their parent's birth certificates too?? My school asked for BOTH my proof of citizenship AND my parents' proof even though I'm the only one applying for aid. Seemed excessive.

One important thing to remember for everyone dealing with verification delays: document everything. Take screenshots of your account showing the verification pending status, and any error messages you encounter. If you end up missing scholarship deadlines because of the FAFSA verification delays, many institutions will accept these screenshots as proof that you were attempting to complete the application in a timely manner. Also, once your verification is complete and you can access the application, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) should work seamlessly to import your 2023 tax information. Just make sure the name, SSN, and filing status on your FAFSA exactly match what's on your tax return.

To directly answer your question - yes, SSN verification MUST be completed before tax data can be imported. This is a security measure to ensure that only authorized individuals can access tax information. The Federal Student Aid system has to confirm with the Social Security Administration that the information you provided matches their records before allowing access to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. If you're worried about scholarship deadlines, contact the financial aid offices at the schools your daughter is applying to. Many institutions have adjusted their internal deadlines to accommodate for the delays in the new FAFSA system. They may allow you to submit proof that you've initiated the FAFSA process even if you haven't been able to complete it yet.

My daughter's took exactly 19 days. But then her CSS Profile (which some private schools require) took another week after that. Make sure you check if any of your schools need the CSS Profile too - that's a separate application through College Board with its own timeline!

UPDATE: Just got my SAI this morning - took exactly 17 days! Looks like the average processing time from everyone's responses is around 2-3 weeks, though it can vary widely. For those still waiting, hang in there and definitely contact your schools about any upcoming deadlines. Most of mine were super understanding about the delays. Thank you all for your helpful responses! This community has been so supportive during this stressful process.