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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Update: I finally got through to the financial aid office! They agreed to give me an unofficial estimate by the end of this week (still 5 days before deposit deadline) AND said they'd consider an extension if the estimate doesn't come through on time. The counselor also confirmed that making a deposit doesn't impact aid calculations at their school - she said those numbers are already determined based on our financial information. Feeling much better now!
That's great news! Still be careful though - unofficial estimates can sometimes be more generous than final offers (conveniently). Make sure to get their statements in writing if possible.
Good point - I'll ask them to email me the estimate when it's ready. They seemed pretty transparent, but better to have everything documented.
i paid a deposit last year and then still negotiatied aid when the package came. showed them better offers from other schools and they matched! dont be afraid to ask for more $$$
That's really good to know! I might need to do exactly that. Which school types were more willing to negotiate? Were they all private or did you have success with public universities too?
the private schools were wayyy more flexible. public universities barely budged at all except for one that offered more work study hours.
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One strategy to consider: if you're still able to contribute to an IRA, you could move some of your savings there before completing the FAFSA. For 2025, the IRA contribution limit for someone over 50 is $8,000 ($6,500 base + $1,500 catch-up). This would effectively shelter that amount from FAFSA consideration. Just make sure you're eligible to contribute based on any earned income requirements.
this is smart! my mom did this last yr and it helped. just make sure u do it BEFORE filing fafsa. cant do it after and go back and change it
I want to thank everyone for their incredibly helpful responses. Just to summarize what I've learned: 1. My regular savings accounts DO count as assets for FAFSA, even though I use them for retirement 2. At age 62, I get an Asset Protection Allowance of about $15,500 3. Only about 5.6% of my remaining assets affect the SAI calculation 4. I should look into moving some money to an IRA if possible 5. My Social Security survivor benefits may help qualify my daughter for Pell Grants This community has been amazing - I was so stressed about this, and now I feel like I can approach the FAFSA with much more confidence.
You've got it exactly right! One last tip: when you fill out the FAFSA, take a snapshot of your accounts on that exact day. The FAFSA asks for the value "as of today" when you're completing the form. Good luck with everything!
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We went through something similar with my son. After weeks of no communication, we were told his FAFSA had been selected for verification because of a "data mismatch" between what was reported and his tax information. When we provided the documents, we discovered the FAFSA system had pulled the wrong line from our tax return! Had to submit corrections and now waiting AGAIN for processing. This whole rollout has been a disaster!
That's exactly what I'm afraid of! Did the school tell you which specific line was pulled incorrectly? I'm wondering if we should proactively provide additional tax documentation to all the schools.
In our case, the system apparently confused line 7 (capital gains) with our adjusted gross income (line 11) on the 1040 form. When I called FSA, they admitted there are widespread issues with the "tax data transfer" function that's supposed to pull info directly from the IRS. So the error might be completely different in your case. Super frustrating!
Financial aid advisor here. I'm seeing this issue at multiple institutions. The root of the problem is that the Department of Education launched the new FAFSA without adequately testing the tax line item mapping. For families with anything beyond simple W-2 income (self-employment, capital gains, retirement contributions, business income), the system is inconsistently pulling data. Remember that the SAI formula itself also changed this year, so even if the data was pulling correctly, your expected contribution might be different from previous years. I suggest: 1. Request a manual review of your tax information at all schools 2. Ask each financial aid office for a breakdown of exactly which income figures they're using 3. Keep documentation of all communications 4. Request deadline extensions where needed We're telling families to expect resolution by mid-May, but some institutions may process corrections sooner.
This is extremely helpful, thank you! We do have some investment income and retirement contributions that might be causing issues. Would it be helpful to proactively send copies of our complete tax return to all the schools, or would that just add to their workload?
It's a good question. I'd actually recommend calling each financial aid office first and asking if they would prefer you send the complete tax return. Some offices are implementing streamlined processes for these reviews and may have specific documents they want rather than the entire return. They might just need specific schedules or forms rather than everything. Be prepared to discuss exactly what types of income you have (W-2, self-employment, investments, etc.) so they can tell you what they need to verify the correct figures.
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Great news! Make sure you accept the awards promptly when they appear. Some institutional scholarships have acceptance deadlines.
Maria Gonzalez
i think this is all so unfair!!! my kid studied sooo hard and got 12k in scholarships and then our EFC went up because of it???? like punishing kids for doing well. the whole system is rigged against middle class families who make too much for pell grants but not enough to actually pay these crazy tuition bills
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Elijah Brown
•Just to clarify, outside scholarships shouldn't affect your EFC/SAI calculation at all. They can affect how your aid package is structured, but that's a different issue than your FAFSA-calculated contribution. If your EFC actually increased, there might be a different reason - perhaps income changes or other financial factors.
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Jacob Lee
Update from my advising experience this year: schools are DEFINITELY becoming more accommodating about outside scholarships. Several universities have announced they're implementing a "no loan" policy for families under certain income thresholds, and many are specifically addressing the sibling penalty in their institutional methodology. The landscape is changing rapidly in response to the FAFSA changes. Key tip: when you receive your financial aid packages, compare them side by side with your daughter's outside scholarships listed. Then email each financial aid office with a specific proposal for how you'd like them to integrate the scholarships. Be direct but courteous. Many will work with you if you're specific about what you're asking for.
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Ava Harris
•This is really encouraging! Thank you for sharing this update. I'm starting to feel a bit more hopeful about the process. We'll definitely make specific requests when the time comes.
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