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this new fafsa is the WORST. why did they have to change everything?? my parents cant even figure out how to link their tax info and now ur saying the birthdate fields dont work either??
The redesign aimed to simplify the process and expand eligibility, which is good in theory. But the implementation has been rocky. For your parents' tax link issues, make sure they're using the exact name as it appears on their tax return (including any middle initials). Case sensitivity matters too.
UPDATE: I got it working!! Combination of using keyboard navigation, disabling my ad blocker, AND clearing cache. Had to do all three for some reason. Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Now onto fighting with the tax information section...
yay!! glad u fixed it! good luck with the rest lol
As a financial aid counselor, I want to add one more important point: If you do need to switch which parent completes the FAFSA, be prepared for questions. Your SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC) will likely change dramatically if you switch from a lower-income parent to a higher-income one, and this can trigger verification flags. The financial aid office may request documentation of your living situation. Be honest and consistent about where you physically resided.
Just wondering - has your son decided where he MIGHT go for community college if he does decide to attend in spring? You should add that school to the FAFSA regardless. We were in this position last year and just added all possible schools, even though our son ended up taking fall semester off.
He's pretty much narrowed it down to our local community college or possibly the state university if he changes his mind about a gap semester. I'll make sure to list both on the FAFSA.
After reading through the replies, I want to clarify something important - when completing the FAFSA for an undecided student, you should: 1. Complete it by your high school's deadline to ensure graduation eligibility 2. List ALL potential schools (up to 20) that your son might attend 3. Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to minimize errors 4. Save a copy of your confirmation page and SAI calculation If he decides to attend in spring 2026, simply contact the school's financial aid office to confirm his FAFSA is on file. If he changed his mind about which school to attend, he can easily add schools to his FAFSA later through studentaid.gov. There's absolutely NO disadvantage to completing the FAFSA now, even if he doesn't attend until spring or not at all.
Thank you! This is super helpful. Will make sure to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and save all confirmation documents. I feel much better about this whole process now.
my dad tried to start mine for me and it was a TOTAL mess because everything was under his name instead of mine and we had to call and get it all cancelled and start over. student HAS to start it!!
One more important detail: If your daughter is applying to any schools that require the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA, she should complete that application separately. Unlike the FAFSA, the CSS Profile process is different - she completes one application and includes information about both parents within it. There's no contributor system for CSS Profile.
Marcelle Drum
This happened to me too and it was because my FSA ID password had expired even though I could still log in!! Try updating your FSA ID password first, then wait 30 minutes, THEN try the signature page again. That's what fixed it for me.
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Anna Xian
•That's a great suggestion! My FSA ID is probably about a year old now, so maybe the password is due for a refresh. I'll definitely try updating it tonight.
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Ev Luca
UPDATE: I tried all of these suggestions and finally got it to work! For anyone else having this problem, here's what fixed it for me: 1. Updated my FSA ID password (thanks @profile9!) 2. Waited 30 minutes 3. Used incognito mode with all extensions disabled 4. Completed the form in one sitting (took about 40 minutes) No more pink error messages and my SAI score showed up immediately after submission! Thanks everyone for your help!
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Anna Xian
•Oh my gosh THANK YOU for sharing what worked!! I'm going to follow these exact steps tonight. So relieved to hear you got your SAI score right away too - that gives me hope I can still make my state deadline.
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