As a newcomer to this community, this entire thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently dealing with the same situation - submitted my daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA about 10 days ago and it's still stuck at "received" status. I was getting really anxious because I kept seeing the official "3-5 business days" timeline, but reading everyone's real experiences here shows that 2-3 weeks is actually normal this year. I've already implemented so many of the suggestions from this thread - took screenshots of everything, set up text notifications, and contacted her school's financial aid office about upcoming deadlines. It's frustrating that the official guidance is so outdated, but I'm grateful for this community sharing actual timelines. Definitely helps manage expectations and reduces the stress of constantly checking the portal! Thanks to everyone for being so transparent about their experiences.

As another newcomer to both this community and the FAFSA process, this thread has been absolutely essential! I just submitted my daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA two days ago and was already starting to worry when it didn't process within the "3-5 business days" mentioned on the official site. Reading everyone's real experiences here - with processing taking 2-3 weeks instead of days - is both eye-opening and reassuring that I'm not doing anything wrong. I've already taken screenshots of everything, set up the text notifications based on recommendations here, and reached out to her school's financial aid office about scholarship deadlines (thankfully they'll accept the confirmation email for now). It's honestly shocking how misleading the official timeline is compared to what families are actually experiencing. Thank you all for sharing your honest timelines and practical advice - this community is providing way more accurate and helpful information than any official resource I've found!

As someone who recently went through this exact situation with my own daughter, I wanted to share a few practical tips that might help! First, make sure she keeps a copy of her marriage certificate easily accessible - she'll likely need it multiple times throughout this process. Second, if her school uses a student portal system, have her log in and check if there are any "action items" or notifications about her aid status that might need immediate attention. Third, when she calls the financial aid office, ask them specifically about their timeline for processing dependency status changes - some schools can turn these around in a few days, while others might take 2-3 weeks. Since she's starting her second year soon, timing could be important for fall disbursements. Finally, don't be surprised if she needs to submit additional verification documents beyond just the FAFSA correction - many schools require married students to provide additional income documentation or household composition forms. The good news is that in most cases like yours where the student goes from a higher-income household to a lower-income one, the financial aid outcome is very positive! Congratulations to your daughter on her marriage!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who works at a college financial aid office - you've gotten excellent advice here! One additional tip I'd add is to make sure your daughter saves screenshots or prints copies of her original FAFSA before making any corrections, just for her records. Also, when she contacts the financial aid office, she should ask specifically about their "change in family circumstances" policy. Many schools have special procedures for mid-year changes like marriage that can expedite the review process. Some schools even have dedicated staff members who handle dependency status changes, so asking to speak with that specific person can save time. The fact that both she and her spouse are students with low income should work very much in her favor - you're likely looking at a significant increase in her aid eligibility. Make sure she emphasizes that they're both full-time students when she speaks with financial aid, as this can unlock additional funding opportunities!

As someone who just went through this nightmare process with my own kids last month, I can confirm what others have said - you only need ONE FAFSA per student, but both parents must contribute their information if you're married and living together. The key thing that tripped us up was realizing that the "invitation" to the second parent doesn't happen until AFTER the first parent completely finishes their entire section. Don't make the mistake we did of trying to have both parents work on it simultaneously - the system will lock you out! Also, save yourselves some headache and make sure you have all your tax documents and FSA IDs ready before you start. The whole process took us about 2 hours per kid once we figured out the correct sequence.

Just went through this exact same confusion with my daughter's FAFSA application! What helped us was understanding that the system is designed as a sequential process, not simultaneous. After the first parent (we chose the one with more complex tax situation) completed their entire section, there was indeed an invitation option that appeared. One thing I'd add that others haven't mentioned - make sure to check your email spam folders! My husband's invitation email ended up there and we spent an extra day wondering why he hadn't received it. Also, if you're close to school deadlines, don't panic - most schools understand the new FAFSA system has been causing delays and many have extended their priority deadlines. Good luck with your twins' applications!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to have found this comprehensive discussion! My elderly parents have been insisting they want to help with my son's college costs, but I've been paralyzed with worry about accidentally sabotaging his financial aid eligibility. The information about the 2024-2025 FAFSA changes is such a game-changer - I had no idea grandparent contributions were no longer reportable! This completely changes our family's approach. I'm definitely going to create that spreadsheet someone mentioned to track which schools use CSS Profile versus FAFSA-only. One question I haven't seen addressed - my parents are in their 80s and sometimes forget details about financial transactions. For families dealing with elderly grandparents who want to help, are there any strategies to ensure contributions are properly coordinated and documented? I want to make sure we don't miss any important timing or reporting requirements because of miscommunication. Also, given their age, they're concerned about what happens to any 529 plan they might set up if something happens to them before my son graduates. Does anyone have experience with succession planning for grandparent-owned educational accounts? Thank you all for sharing such detailed, real-world experiences. This community has turned what felt like an impossible puzzle into a manageable plan!

As a newcomer to this community, your concerns about coordinating with elderly grandparents are so important and often overlooked! I dealt with a similar situation with my 82-year-old father-in-law who wanted to help but sometimes got confused about the timing and amounts. Here are some strategies that worked for us: 1. **Create a simple written plan** - We made a one-page document outlining when and how much he would contribute each year, with specific dates tied to our FAFSA filing schedule. We kept copies and reviewed it together every few months. 2. **Set up automatic reminders** - We used his calendar app to set reminders about optimal timing for contributions, and I would call him a week before any planned payments. 3. **Involve their financial advisor or bank** - His bank helped coordinate the direct payments to the school, which took the burden off him to remember details and ensured proper documentation. For the 529 succession planning question - most 529 plans allow you to name successor owners, so your parents could designate you or your spouse to take over the account if needed. The beneficiary (your son) would remain the same, but control would transfer to someone who can continue managing distributions properly. I'd strongly recommend having your parents meet with their financial advisor or estate attorney to set up these protections now while they're still able to make clear decisions. It gives everyone peace of mind! The documentation aspect is crucial too - we created a shared Google doc that tracks all contributions, dates, and purposes so nothing gets lost or forgotten.

Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble finding your SAR on studentaid.gov, make sure your FAFSA has been fully processed first! I made the mistake of looking for it right after submitting my FAFSA, but it takes a few days to a week for processing to complete. You'll get an email when it's ready, and then you can access the full SAR document. Also, some colleges have their own student portals where they'll display your SAI number once they receive your FAFSA data, but that's different from the official SAR document you download from the federal site.

This thread has been so helpful! I just want to add one more tip for anyone still confused - when you're on studentaid.gov, look for the section that says "View and Print Student Aid Report" or something similar. Sometimes the wording changes slightly but it's usually pretty prominent on your dashboard once your FAFSA is processed. Also, if your college's financial aid office is asking for your SAR via their online portal, you can usually upload the PDF directly rather than printing and mailing it. Most schools have moved to digital submission which is way faster. Just make sure the file name is clear (like "LastName_FirstName_SAR_2024-25.pdf") so they can easily identify it in their system. The whole SAI vs SAR confusion is totally understandable - even my college's financial aid counselor had to explain it to me twice before it clicked!