when was the FAFSA deadline again? i havent even started mine lol

Just to follow up on this thread: If anyone experiences persistent technical issues with the FAFSA that can't be resolved through the suggestions here, remember to document everything. Take screenshots of error messages, note dates and times of system issues, and keep track of any confirmation numbers if you speak with representatives. This documentation can be extremely valuable if you need to file for a deadline extension or appeal a financial aid decision due to technical issues outside your control.

That's a great first step! If you're preparing documents, make sure you have:\n\n- 2023 tax returns for both you and your spouse (if married)\n- W-2 forms from 2023 for all jobs\n- Current bank statements and investment account information\n- Social Security numbers for you and your son\n- Documentation of any untaxed income like child support or disability\n\nAlso, create a separate folder on your computer to save screenshots of each completed page as you go through the application. This has saved countless families when there are technical glitches. Good luck!

That's a brilliant tip about taking screenshots! I would never have thought to do that. I'll make sure we have all those documents ready. My son's high school is hosting a FAFSA workshop next month too, so hopefully that will help with any remaining questions. I'm feeling much more confident now!

Just to provide some clarity on what happens next: once colleges receive the FAFSA data, they'll create financial aid packages based on your daughter's SAI and their own institutional methodology. You should start receiving these packages starting in March/April for most colleges. If you don't see financial aid information appearing in her student portals by late March, that would be the time to start making calls to confirm everything is on track. And a quick tip - take screenshots of the "processed" status and save copies of the SAR. If there are any disputes later, having documentation of what the system showed you can be very helpful.

Anyone else notice how they changed from EFC to SAI this year and it's COMPLETELY DIFFERENT calculations? My son's number went up by like 8000 even though our income actually dropped! Makes no sense and the financial aid offices just shrug and say "that's the new formula" 🙄

Quick update since this is a common issue: FSA just announced yesterday they're rolling out a fix for this specific problem over the next 10 days. The fix will synchronize account visibility between parent and student FSA IDs for both application years. However, I still recommend having your daughter generate the PDF and sending it to the financial aid office now rather than waiting for the fix. The college needs to finalize aid packages soon, and having the information manually is better than waiting for the system to be fixed.

y does fafsa gotta be so complicated every year its somethin else lol. last yr they wanted my moms tax returns from like 3 diff years

Update: I finally got through to the financial aid office today. They explained that their institutional funds were depleted by the time they processed our application, even though we submitted everything by the priority deadline. Apparently they process in batches and we were in a later batch despite submitting early. They agreed to review our package and put us on a waiting list in case additional funds become available. They also suggested appealing based on the fact that we have another child starting college next year, which wasn't captured in this year's FAFSA. Regarding loans, I'm leaning toward the Parent PLUS for the federal protections, but I'll compare rates with a few private options first. Thank you all for your advice - it really helped me approach this conversation prepared!

wait i'm confused about something... doesn't the FAFSA already tell schools what your SAI is? how can they estimate one amount then give you something completely different if they're using the same formula? something doesn't add up here