anyone else notice how SLOW the site is? takes like 10 seconds to load between pages sometimes

For future reference, here are some navigation tips for the 2025-2026 FAFSA form: 1. Use the Save & Exit method to refresh navigation 2. Click on the text labels in the sidebar instead of icons 3. Use the progress indicators at the top to jump between sections 4. Clear your browser cache if experiencing persistent issues 5. The mobile version sometimes works better for navigation than desktop 6. Take screenshots of completed sections as backup Also, once you've submitted, keep your confirmation number. If you need to make corrections later, you'll use the "Correct Your FAFSA" option, which is more straightforward than the initial application navigation.

so happy for u!!! we just finished ours too after weeks of trying. the relief is REAL. good luck to ur son with his college journey!

Update: We finally got the SAI calculation and thankfully it looks correct! For anyone still stuck - seriously try the contributor switch. And start the process WAY earlier than you think you need to next year.

My nephew had a negative SAI too and ended up getting a full ride to his state school! But here's the thing - his roommate ALSO had a negative SAI and got much less aid at the same exact school. Turns out his roommate's parents had a lot of home equity and retirement savings that didn't count on FAFSA but did matter to the school's internal aid formula. So weird how it works!

dont forget to look for school-specific scholarships too!! my negative SAI got me automatically considered for some need-based scholarships but i had to apply separately for others

My daughter's FAFSA has been "processing" for almost 3 months now lol. Every time I call they give me a different answer. One person said it was because we have rental property (we don't), another said it was because of her dependency status (she's clearly dependent). The whole system is broken this year and nobody seems to know what's going on.

Just a quick update based on what I'm seeing across multiple cases: if your SAI is being recalculated and you already received financial aid offers, the colleges will handle this in different ways: 1. Some will honor the original offer even if your SAI changes 2. Some will adjust only if the change is significant (usually >$2000 difference in SAI) 3. Some will recalculate everything, which could change aid amounts It really depends on the school's policies and how close you are to the decision deadline. The most important thing is to communicate directly with each financial aid office rather than waiting for the process to complete on its own.

One additional solution that's worked for many families with this specific tax filing status discrepancy: Ask the financial aid office if they can initiate what's called a "Comment Code 400" resolution. This is a specific code that tells the FAFSA system there's a mismatch between reported tax filing status and IRS records. Many schools can process this correction internally without requiring you to keep calling the Federal Student Aid helpline. The most important thing is submitting that 2022 Tax Return Transcript directly to the school as soon as possible, as that's the documentation they'll ultimately need regardless of which approach they take to fix the issue.

I work in a university financial aid office (not giving specifics for privacy). This is a common issue this year with the new FAFSA. The financial aid office CAN fix this through the verification process, despite what they might be telling you. Ask specifically to speak with a verification specialist, not just a front-desk person. They need to submit a correction through their institution's correction process, not through the standard FAFSA correction method. Bring a copy of the 2022 tax return transcript, and they should be able to resolve it.