UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid this morning! It turns out there was a discrepancy between the tax information we entered and what the IRS had on file. The representative helped us correct it right on the call. She said we should see our SAI score within 3-5 business days. I've already contacted the school with the subscription service, and amazingly, they agreed to extend our refund deadline by two weeks due to the FAFSA issues! I'm so relieved we'll be able to make an informed decision now. Thank you all for your advice and support!

@user7 - Seriously, try the Claimyr service I mentioned. It's the only reason I got through after weeks of trying. The FAFSA situation this year is unprecedented, and normal methods of contact just aren't working.

just wondering im in similar situation but were doing the css profile too for some schools. does anyone know if the preliminary estimates include css profile info or just fafsa? thx

Update: I called three schools today based on the advice here. Two were really helpful! They asked for our AGI from last year's taxes, number of people in household, and number in college. One school gave us a rough estimate range, and the other actually walked through specific amounts for different types of aid they'd likely offer. The third school refused to give any numbers without the processed FAFSA. Now I need to call the other two tomorrow. I also tried the Net Price Calculators as suggested, but the information they asked for was pretty basic and I'm not sure how accurate the results will be. At least it's a starting point though!

I just checked my FSA account and saw they updated my payment count! It looks like they're still counting payments during this period as long as you're making them on time. Maybe try logging in again to see if your account shows the same?

UPDATE: I finally got through to an FSA representative (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned - it actually worked!) and got some clarification. You all were right - the SAVE program legal challenges don't affect payment counting for existing IDR plans. The agent confirmed all my payments are still being counted, including recent ones. She helped me submit a payment count review since I'd had multiple servicers, and recommended I keep all my payment confirmations just in case. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and advice. This whole system is still frustrating, but at least my timeline isn't being extended.

I'm honestly so confused by all of this. My daughter is also applying to colleges and some have Dec 1 deadlines, others Jan 15, and one Feb 1. Do I need to submit different FAFSAs at different times? And why does the form ask about parents' education if we don't qualify for need-based aid? The whole system seems designed to be complicated on purpose. I spent three hours on it yesterday and gave up.

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses! We're definitely going to submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile before the December 1st deadline. I'm still learning all the ins and outs of this process - it's so much more complicated than when I went to college. Does anyone know how long after submission we should expect to receive the SAI calculation? And will that be sent to us or just to the schools?

This happens when there's a mismatch between what you reported and what the IRS data retrieval tool imported. The system locks up because it can't reconcile the difference. I recommend: 1. Try logging in very late at night or early morning (system maintenance usually happens around 2-4am EST, but right after is often a good window) 2. Use the FAFSA correction form (you can download a PDF version from studentaid.gov/resources) and fax it to the number on the form 3. As others mentioned, your daughter's school financial aid office can often make these corrections directly Also, be sure you're using the most updated browser - sometimes older browsers conflict with their security protocols.

UPDATE: Finally got this resolved! I ended up doing three things simultaneously: 1. Used Claimyr to get through to an actual human at Federal Student Aid (THANK YOU for that suggestion - it actually worked!) 2. Contacted my daughter's school financial aid office 3. Faxed in the correction form The FSA agent confirmed there was a system-wide glitch affecting income verification corrections for many applicants. They made a note on our account and manually pushed our correction through. The school also submitted an override from their side. For anyone else dealing with this: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Take screenshots, save confirmation numbers, get agent names. The agent told me this has been happening to thousands of people with the new system rollout.