Accidentally submitted FAFSA for 2024-25 instead of 2025-26 - can it be fixed?

Unfortunately, you can't convert or transfer a FAFSA from one academic year to another. Each year's application has different formulas for calculating the SAI (Student Aid Index). Your daughter will need to complete a new application for 2025-26 when it becomes available (usually October 1st of the year prior). The good news is that she already has experience filling it out, so the second time should be faster!

This happned to mee to!! I filled out 2023-24 when I needed 2024-25 and had to do the whole thing again. Its anoying but at least you know what info you need the second time around.

Financial aid counselor here - this is actually a pretty common mistake! You'll need to complete a new FAFSA for 2025-26 when it becomes available. The 2024-25 application won't affect her 2025-26 aid as long as you don't actually accept any aid for 2024-25. If you're really concerned, you can actually contact Federal Student Aid to have them delete the incorrect application, but it's typically not necessary unless your daughter is somehow enrolled in courses for 2024-25 and might accidentally receive aid for that period. Pro tip: Keep a folder with all the tax documents and information you used for the first application. It will make completing the correct one much faster!

why does FASFA have to make everything SOOO COMPLICATED?? like seriously if they know somone isn't in collage yet why even let them fill out the wrong year???? the whole system is broken and its like they want students to fail. i spent 3 days trying to figure out if i filled out the right year too 🙄

To answer your follow-up question - unfortunately, there's no direct way to transfer information between application years. You'll need to start from scratch when the 2025-26 FAFSA becomes available. A small silver lining: the new FAFSA has more direct data transfer from the IRS, so some of the tax information may populate automatically in the new application, reducing the manual entry needed. Just make sure your daughter uses the same FSA ID when she applies for 2025-26.

Hey, if you do need to contact Federal Student Aid to clear up any confusion about the applications, I had a great experience using Claimyr when I needed to talk to someone about my verification issues. It helped me skip the hours-long phone queue and got me connected to an agent in like 3 minutes. Saved me so much frustration! Their site is claimyr.com and they have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

Yeah, it really does! I was skeptical too but it connected me right away. Completely worth it when you're dealing with FAFSA deadlines and need answers quickly.

To answer your timing question: The 2025-26 FAFSA will likely open on October 1, 2024. This is the standard opening date, though there were delays with the 2024-25 form due to system redesigns. I recommend setting a calendar reminder for late September to prepare all necessary documents and then apply as early as possible in October. Also, as others mentioned, having submitted a 2024-25 FAFSA won't negatively impact your daughter's 2025-26 application as long as she doesn't actually accept any aid for the wrong year. The systems are separate for each academic year.

one thing nobody mentioned - make sure u save copies of ALL the tax documents you used!!!! my parents lost some of there tax papers between my 1st and 2nd FAFSA and it was a NIGHTMARE trying to get copies from the IRS in time for deadline 😭

Good point about the tax documents! Also, something that might ease your mind - the 2025-26 FAFSA will use 2023 tax information, just like the 2024-25 FAFSA. So at least the tax information your daughter already entered will be the exact same for the correct application. The SAI formula might be slightly different, but the base financial information will be identical.

I made this exact same mistake with my son's FAFSA last year! Don't panic - it's more common than you think. Just to add to what others have said, when you do fill out the correct 2025-26 FAFSA in October, make sure to double-check that all the school codes are correct too. I rushed through the second application and accidentally sent it to the wrong campus of his university, which delayed his financial aid package by weeks. Take your time even though you'll be familiar with the process by then!

As someone who works in college financial aid, I can confirm this is one of the most common mistakes we see! Don't worry - you're definitely not alone in this. The good news is that having a 2024-25 FAFSA on file won't hurt your daughter's chances for 2025-26 aid at all. Just make sure when the 2025-26 application opens (likely October 1st), you complete it with the same FSA ID she used for the incorrect one. One tip I always give families: before you submit the new application, take a screenshot of the confirmation page showing the correct academic year. It's a small thing, but it gives peace of mind that you've got the right one this time!

Don't stress too much about this! I literally did the EXACT same thing with my daughter's FAFSA two years ago. She was a high school senior and I filled out the 2022-23 form when she needed 2023-24. I was so embarrassed when I realized my mistake! But like everyone else has said, you just have to start over when the correct year opens up. The silver lining is that you'll already have all your documents organized and know exactly what information you need, so the second time around should go much smoother. Also, pro tip from my experience - when you do fill out the correct one in October, maybe have someone else double-check the year at the top before you hit submit! I actually had my daughter verify it three times because I was so paranoid about making the same mistake again 😅

Just adding my voice to everyone else - this is such a common mistake! I work as a college counselor and see this happen multiple times every year. The important thing is you caught it early and your daughter isn't actually enrolled in classes for 2024-25. When you do fill out the correct 2025-26 FAFSA in October, I'd recommend creating a simple checklist that includes verifying the academic year, double-checking school codes, and confirming your FSA ID. Also, if your daughter is applying to multiple schools, make sure you add all the school codes to the correct application - sometimes families forget to include schools they added to the "wrong" FAFSA. You've got this!

I went through this exact same situation with my oldest son three years ago! The panic is so real when you realize you've filled out the wrong year. But honestly, everyone here has given you perfect advice - you just have to wait for the 2025-26 application to open in October and start fresh. One thing that really helped me the second time around was creating a simple document with all the key info we needed (our FSA IDs, school codes, tax info, etc.) so I wasn't scrambling to find everything again. Also, don't feel bad about the mistake - the FAFSA interface really could be clearer about which year you're applying for. The number of times I've seen parents in our school's financial aid night ask this exact question is honestly ridiculous. You'll get through this and your daughter will get her aid for the right year!

This happened to my daughter last year too! The stress was unreal when we realized our mistake. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - when you do submit the correct 2025-26 FAFSA in October, make sure to print or save a PDF copy of the completed application for your records. I learned this the hard way when we needed to reference something later and had to dig through the online portal to find it. Also, consider setting up email notifications in your FSA account so you'll get alerts about your application status and any required follow-up documents. The whole process is definitely confusing, but you're in good company - so many of us have made this exact same mistake!

This is such a common mistake - you're definitely not the first family to go through this! I made the exact same error with my son's FAFSA two years ago and was absolutely panicking. Everyone here has given you excellent advice about needing to start over with the 2025-26 application in October. One thing that really helped me feel better was calling Federal Student Aid directly (yes, the wait times are brutal, but sometimes talking to a real person helps ease the anxiety). They confirmed that having the wrong year application wouldn't impact his aid eligibility for the correct year at all. Also, when October rolls around, I'd suggest doing the application during off-peak hours if possible - like early morning or late evening - to avoid any system slowdowns. The second time through really is much faster since you'll know exactly what documents you need!

This exact same thing happened to us last year! My daughter accidentally filled out the 2023-24 FAFSA when she needed 2024-25. I was so stressed about it, but everyone here is absolutely right - you just have to start over with the correct year when it opens. The one thing I'd add is to make sure you keep your FSA ID login info somewhere safe between now and October. I almost forgot mine and had to go through the recovery process, which added unnecessary stress. Also, once you submit the correct 2025-26 application, double-check that it shows up in your "My Aid" section under the right academic year. The peace of mind of seeing it listed correctly is worth the extra minute to verify! Don't worry - this mistake is way more common than you think, and it won't affect her aid eligibility at all.

Wow, reading through all these responses has been so reassuring! It's incredible how many families have gone through this exact same situation. I'm a parent who went through something similar with my twins last year (though their mistake was different - they mixed up their Social Security numbers on the application!). One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is to take advantage of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when you fill out the correct 2025-26 FAFSA in October. Since you'll be using the same 2023 tax information, the tool should be able to pull most of your tax data automatically, which will save you time and reduce the chance of typing errors. Just make sure your tax return has been processed by the IRS before trying to use it. Also, consider bookmarking this thread! I know it sounds silly, but when October comes around and you're filling out the correct application, having all these tips in one place might be really helpful. The collective wisdom here from financial aid counselors and parents who've been through this is honestly better than most official FAFSA help resources I've seen! You've got this - your daughter will get her financial aid for the right year, and this mistake will just be a funny story you tell at her college graduation! 🎓