This has been such an incredibly helpful discussion to follow! As someone who just went through the FAFSA process myself a few months ago, I can totally relate to the frustration with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and the confusion around divorced parent information. One thing I wanted to add that helped me tremendously was keeping a detailed log of every attempt I made with the IRS tool - including what information I entered, what error messages I got, and what I changed each time. This helped me identify patterns and eventually realize I had been making a consistent typo in my parent's address. Also, @Dananyl, since you're so close to your deadline, you might want to consider having your dad create his own FSA ID if he doesn't have one already. Even if you end up entering the tax information manually, having his FSA ID ready can speed up other parts of the process if you need him to sign electronically. The community support in this thread is absolutely amazing - it's exactly what makes navigating financial aid feel less overwhelming when you're doing it for the first time. Best of luck getting everything submitted on time!

This thread has been incredibly comprehensive and helpful! As someone who works with students on FAFSA applications, I just want to emphasize a few key points that have been mentioned: 1. **Parent selection is based on residence, not dependency claims** - Since you lived with your dad most of the time, use his tax information regardless of who claimed you as a dependent. 2. **Always use AGI from Form 1040** - The $42,350 figure is what FAFSA needs, not the W-2 amount. 3. **Exact matching is crucial** - Even a single space or punctuation mark difference will cause the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to fail. One additional tip: If you're still having issues after trying all the suggestions here, many universities have FAFSA completion events or one-on-one appointments during busy season. Your financial aid office might be able to walk through the application with you via screen share, which can be incredibly helpful for catching those tiny errors that are hard to spot on your own. You're so close to your deadline - with your dad's correct tax information and all the troubleshooting steps everyone has shared, you should be able to get this completed successfully. Don't hesitate to reach out to your school's financial aid office as a backup if you need additional support!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here as well and this thread has been absolutely invaluable. I'm 35 and trying to return to school after completing my degree in 2010, and I just encountered that same panic-inducing "SSN already in use" message this afternoon. Like everyone else here, my immediate reaction was fear about identity theft! But reading through all these detailed experiences has completely transformed my anxiety into confidence. It's remarkable how this single post has created such a comprehensive guide for returning students facing this exact situation. I've already started preparing based on all the excellent advice shared here - gathering old addresses, school information, and even managed to locate some financial aid documents from over a decade ago. The consistent feedback that this is a routine daily occurrence for Federal Student Aid representatives and typically resolved in 20-30 minutes once connected is incredibly reassuring. I'm planning to call the 1-800-433-3243 number first thing tomorrow morning around 8 AM with all my documentation ready. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and practical tips - this community's willingness to help fellow returning students navigate these complex systems is truly inspiring. It's amazing how what seemed like an insurmountable problem this afternoon now feels like a completely manageable step in my educational journey!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here but wanted to share that I just went through this exact same situation about two weeks ago. I'm 40 and returning to school after getting my bachelor's degree back in 2003. When I got that "SSN already in use" message, I had the same immediate panic about identity theft that everyone else here has described! This thread has been incredibly validating to read - it's amazing how many of us returning students face this identical challenge. Like others have mentioned, it turned out to be my old FAFSA account from 20+ years ago that was still in the system. The Department of Education really does keep these accounts permanently tied to your SSN. I followed the advice similar to what's been shared here - called 1-800-433-3243 around 8:15 AM and got through after about 20 minutes on hold. The representative was incredibly patient and walked me through the verification process, which included confirming my old schools, addresses from when I was in college, and even my parents' information from when I was a dependent student. The whole call took about 25 minutes, and I was able to access my recovered FSA ID immediately afterward. One tip I'd add: if you have any old emails or documents from your college years, those can be helpful for remembering specific details they might ask about. I was surprised they asked for my approximate graduation date and even what type of degree I earned originally. Don't stress about this - it's completely routine for them and you'll have it sorted out quickly once you get through on the phone. Good luck with your return to school!

This is such a stressful situation and I feel for you! As someone new to navigating the financial aid world, I'm honestly shocked reading through all these stories about mid-semester Pell Grant revocations. It seems like such a broken system that families can be blindsided like this after planning their finances around awarded aid. From everything everyone has shared, it really does sound like verification issues or email communication problems are the most likely culprits. I'd definitely recommend having your son check his student portal thoroughly - sometimes there are notifications there that don't get emailed out properly. Also, when you call Monday, maybe ask them to walk through their entire communication timeline with specific dates and email addresses used. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is just an administrative error that can be quickly resolved. The fact that so many people here have gotten their aid reinstated gives me hope for your situation. Please keep us updated - I'm sure other families could really benefit from hearing how this gets resolved. Hang in there over the weekend!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress right before the holidays! As a parent who's new to navigating the college financial aid system, this thread has been both terrifying and educational. It's shocking how common these mid-semester Pell Grant revocations seem to be, but also somewhat reassuring that most families eventually get them resolved. Based on all the experiences shared here, it really sounds like verification issues or email communication breakdowns are the usual suspects. I'd definitely recommend having your son check both his email spam folder AND his student portal - it seems like notifications don't always get sent to the right places or might get buried in different systems. When you call Monday, the advice about asking for specific reason codes, verification timelines, and which email addresses they used sounds really smart. Also requesting to speak with the verification department directly rather than just general financial aid staff seems like it could save time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is just an administrative mix-up that can be quickly sorted out once you get the right person on the phone. The fact that so many people here have shared success stories of getting their aid fully reinstated gives me hope for your situation. Please update us when you hear back - I'm sure your experience will help other families who might face this same nightmare. Hang in there!

I'm new to this community and just stumbled upon this incredibly helpful thread! I'm dealing with the exact same TAP situation right now - my daughter got accepted to multiple NY schools and I made the same mistake of only selecting one school on the original TAP application. I was absolutely panicking about how to get her TAP award information ($4,200) to all the other schools before decision deadlines. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences has been such a relief! I just logged into my HESC account and successfully found the "Change My College Choice" option - it was actually much easier to navigate than I expected. I'm updating her list right now to include all 6 schools she's considering, putting the most expensive private school first as Hassan suggested. Thank you to everyone who shared their real-world experience and practical tips here. This thread has transformed what felt like an impossible situation into a manageable process. I'm also planning to call each financial aid office tomorrow with our TAP ID number to speed things along. So grateful for this supportive community during such a stressful time!

I'm new to this community and just discovered this amazing thread while frantically searching for help with my TAP situation! I'm in the exact same boat - my son was accepted to 5 NY schools and I only listed one on the original TAP application. I was completely panicking about getting his TAP award ($5,165) to all the other schools before decision deadlines. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a lifesaver! I just successfully updated his college list through the "Change My College Choice" option in my HESC account - it really was much easier than I expected after reading all your helpful tips. I followed Hassan's advice about listing the most expensive private school first, then the others in order of cost. I'm also planning to call each financial aid office tomorrow morning with our TAP ID number and email them a screenshot of the award letter as backup. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences here - this thread should definitely be pinned for other families! It's incredible how this supportive community has turned what felt like a crisis into a totally manageable process. So grateful to have found this place during such a stressful time in the college decision process!

As someone who just went through this process with my son this year, I want to echo what everyone else is saying - definitely create your own FSA ID! I was in the exact same situation where my son asked for my SSN and I had that gut feeling that something wasn't right about just handing it over. Here's what I learned: the FSA ID is basically your digital signature for all federal student aid documents, not just the FAFSA. You'll potentially need it for years if your daughter continues to need financial aid, loan documents, etc. Having your own account gives you control and visibility into everything. The process is really simple - took me about 5 minutes on studentaid.gov. Just make sure you have your SSN, full legal name (exactly as it appears on your Social Security card), and a reliable email address that your daughter doesn't use. One tip: write down your username and password immediately! I almost forgot mine by the time we were ready to submit the FAFSA a few days later. Your instinct to be cautious about your SSN is absolutely right - stick with that instinct and create your own account.

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here! I'm in the exact same boat with my daughter starting college next year, and I was completely confused about this whole FSA ID thing. Reading through all these responses has been so educational - I had no idea that parents needed their own separate accounts or that the old PIN system was replaced years ago. I was definitely about to make the mistake of just giving my daughter my SSN, but now I understand why that's not the right approach. I feel much more confident now about going to studentaid.gov and creating my own FSA ID. It's reassuring to hear from so many parents who've been through this process and can confirm it's straightforward once you know what to do. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these financial aid complexities!