I understand your frustration. The early applications encountered numerous technical issues related to the new calculation methodology and system implementation. The Department of Education has stated they're working through the backlog, but yes, many March applications are processing more smoothly because many initial bugs were already fixed by then. If your January application is still stuck, I'd recommend contacting Federal Student Aid directly to have them check for any hidden issues that might be holding it up.

It really does seem random! I'm just glad we waited until March. I almost pushed my daughter to file in January when the form first opened, but we got busy and procrastinated. Turns out procrastination worked in our favor for once! 😂

This is incorrect information. While it's true that there can be temporary status changes during site maintenance, an application that changes from 'processing' to 'closed' with an error message is NOT part of normal data saving. This indicates an actual problem that needs to be addressed. Please don't tell people to just wait, as this could result in them missing important deadlines for aid consideration.

Great news! Thanks for updating us. This is exactly why it's so important to regularly check your FAFSA status even if you haven't received any communications. For others in the same situation, make sure to document everything - take screenshots, note the names of representatives you speak with, and follow up if promises aren't kept. The system is overwhelmed this year, so being proactive is essential.

does that actually work? seems sketchy to me but im desperate at this point. been trying to reach someone at FSA for DAYS

It's legit - they just call and wait on hold for you then connect you when a real person answers. Totally worth it for anyone with complicated FAFSA situations.

Yes! We solved it following the suggestion to remove both parents and add us sequentially. Removed both of us, added me first, I completed my section, then my daughter added my wife second. For some reason, that worked - my wife's email came through and when she clicked it, she could see the application right away. Must be some kind of bug in their system with handling multiple pending contributors simultaneously. Thanks for checking back!

We haven't tried that! That's a good idea, I'll have her try Firefox instead of Safari. Thanks for the suggestion.

Great news! Make sure both of you save your FSA ID credentials somewhere secure for next year. You'll use the same accounts for future FAFSAs, and this will prevent similar issues.

So glad you got it resolved without having to start over! Such a relief, right?

This is really helpful, thank you! One more question - once I create my FSA ID, how long do I have to wait before I can start the FAFSA application? I heard there's some processing time.

You can typically start your FAFSA application immediately after creating your FSA ID. However, it's best to wait 1-3 days before submitting the final application. This gives the Social Security Administration time to verify your information. If you try to submit too quickly, you might get an error message asking you to wait. But you can definitely start working on the application right away while that verification happens in the background.

I strongly advise against creating FSA IDs for parents, even with good intentions. This violates federal regulations since the FSA ID serves as a legal signature. Creating one for someone else is considered identity fraud. Additionally, if parents forget the login details you created, it causes major complications when verifying identity or making corrections later. Each person should create their own FSA ID while sitting together so everyone understands the process.