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Financial aid advisor here. The "parent doesn't exist" error (PA-2345) is one of the most common issues with the new FAFSA system. I want to clarify a few important points: 1. This is a system matching error, not a reflection of your information being incorrect 2. Your school CAN'T fix this directly - it must be resolved with FSA 3. This will NOT affect your aid eligibility once resolved 4. While waiting for resolution, contact your school's financial aid office to document that you're actively working on the issue The fastest resolution is speaking directly with an FSA technical support agent who has the authority to perform a manual override. If you're struggling to get through on the phone, email FSA_FAFSA@ed.gov with "URGENT: Parent Verification Error PA-2345" in the subject line. Include your name, FSA ID (not password), and a brief description of the issue. Schools are aware of these system problems and most have processes in place to prevent these technical issues from affecting your aid packages, as long as you're actively trying to resolve them.
Thank you for this detailed information! I didn't know about the email option - that might be easier than trying to get through on the phone. Is there specific documentation I should gather before contacting them? And should my mom be available when I speak with them, or can I handle it myself?
You should have your FSA ID ready, and it's helpful to have a copy of your mom's social security card and a recent tax return nearby for reference. Your mom doesn't need to be present for the call, but having her available could speed things up if they need to verify additional information. For security reasons, they won't discuss her specific information with you unless she provides verbal authorization during the call or has completed the parent authorization form on studentaid.gov.
Update: I finally got through to FSA technical support this morning using the menu options that @FinAidHelper suggested! The agent confirmed it was an issue with my mom's hyphenated last name - apparently there was a space after the hyphen in the IRS database but not in the Social Security database. They did a manual override and told me it should be resolved within 48 hours. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll update again when I can confirm it's fixed.
also just fyi if u get selected for verification STAY ON TOP OF IT!!! my roommate got selected and didn't complete everything in time and lost out on like $4000 for that semester!! they are SUPER strict about deadlines with that stuff
Yep this is so true! And some schools have earlier internal deadlines than what FAFSA says. My brothers verification took so long that he almost didn't get his money in time for spring semester. The whole verification thing is basically them saying "prove you're really this poor" which is annoying but you gotta do it
One more thing to consider: since you'll have a full Pell Grant, you might also be eligible for additional institutional aid from your school. Many colleges offer supplemental grants or scholarships to Pell-eligible students. When you speak with the financial aid office, specifically ask if there are any additional funding opportunities you qualify for with your negative SAI. Also, make sure to file the 2026-2027 FAFSA as soon as it becomes available (usually October 1, 2025) if you plan to continue your education beyond Spring 2026. Early filing often means access to more institutional funds.
I had no idea there might be additional aid available! I'll definitely ask about that when I call tomorrow. And thank you for the reminder about filing early for next year - I'm planning to get my associate's degree so I'll need to keep applying. I feel so much less stressed now having a clear plan of what to do next.
my cousin was in a similar spot and ended up going to school in canada for animation. way cheaper even as an international student might be worth checking out
One additional option to consider: has your daughter looked into BFA programs at public universities? While the most famous animation programs tend to be at private art schools, there are some excellent animation tracks at public universities that would be significantly more affordable. Schools like San Jose State, UT Austin, and University of Central Florida have animation programs with strong industry connections at a fraction of the private school cost.
We did apply to a couple public universities with animation programs, but she didn't get into the most competitive ones. The less selective public programs we looked at didn't have the same quality of instruction or industry connections according to our research. But maybe we need to cast a wider net and look beyond the most obvious choices. Thank you for this suggestion!
my daughter and I just finished our fasfa last night and had same issue. what worked for us was logging out completely, then having the PARENT log in first using their FSA ID. then from the parent account there was an option to access the student's application and add parent signature. totally backwards from how the instructions say to do it but it worked for us!
Just wanted to follow up - the Department of Education issued a technical update yesterday addressing this exact signature page issue. The official fix is to: 1. Have the parent log in with their FSA ID 2. Select "Apply for Aid" from the dashboard 3. Choose "Complete a FAFSA Form" 4. Then select "Sign a FAFSA Form" option 5. Enter the student's details when prompted This will take you directly to the parent signature section that's been causing problems. They're rolling out a patch to fix the normal student-to-parent signature flow, but this workaround should get you through until then. The SAI calculation delays won't be affected by using this method.
Heather Tyson
my daugter got a letter from her school saying they received her fafsa today but it was corrected back in march. its all messed up this year lol
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Isaiah Cross
•March to now? That's almost two months! I really hope ours doesn't take that long. Did they extend her decision deadline because of the delay?
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Heather Tyson
•yea they gave her till june 1 to decide. just keep bugging them thats what i did lol
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Evelyn Kelly
Quick update for everyone in this thread - FSA just released a statement yesterday acknowledging ongoing transmission delays to institutions. They're implementing a system update this weekend that should clear the backlog. If your school still hasn't received your FAFSA by next Wednesday, they recommend submitting a case through the FSA Feedback Center online rather than calling, as the call centers are overwhelmed.
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Isaiah Cross
•Thank you for sharing this update! That's really helpful information. I'll wait until next Wednesday before submitting a case. Appreciate everyone's help and suggestions!
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Kiara Greene
•thx for sharing! just checked and my school FINALLY got our fafsa today!! maybe they started clearing the backlog already??
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