Desperate to reach FAFSA customer service - been trying for weeks!
I'm at my wits end trying to contact FAFSA!! I've been calling the Federal Student Aid number every day for TWO WEEKS and either get disconnected or sit on hold for 2+ hours until their office closes. My SAI calculation seems completely wrong (shows $24,600 when our family income is barely $58,000) and I need to get it fixed before my college's May 1st deadline. I've tried emailing through studentaid.gov but just get automated responses. The chat function is always "at capacity" no matter what time I try. Has ANYONE successfully reached a real person at FSA recently??? I'm literally losing sleep over this and ready to break down. My financial aid package depends on getting this fixed ASAP!
19 comments
Join the conversation
Sean Matthews
omg same!!! been calling since monday and cant get thru AT ALL. their system is broken af this year
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
•How is this acceptable?? There should be a law against this or something. Do you have any other ideas on how to reach them?
0 coins
Ali Anderson
Try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM Eastern. That's how I finally got through after trying for days. Also, make sure you're calling the right number: 1-800-433-3243. Some people accidentally call the loan servicer instead of Federal Student Aid directly.
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
•I've tried the 8am thing three times now! I set an alarm and everything. Each time the automated system said "due to high call volume..." and then disconnected me. And yes, I'm definitely calling the right number. I've got it memorized at this point ðŸ˜
0 coins
Zadie Patel
•No offense but the system is literally designed to be impossible to reach anyone. My sister works in financial aid and says they're completely overwhelmed this year with all the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. They just don't have enough staff to handle all the problems.
0 coins
A Man D Mortal
I had the exact same issue with my daughter's SAI calculation last month. What worked for me was using Claimyr to get through to FSA. It's a service that basically waits on hold for you and then calls you when an agent is available. I was skeptical but it worked - got through to an actual human who fixed our SAI calculation in about 15 minutes once I explained the issue. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or watch their demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
•Thank you!!! I'm going to try this right now. At this point I'd try anything. Did they need a lot of personal information to use the service?
0 coins
A Man D Mortal
•Just your phone number so they can call you when an agent is available. It was pretty straightforward. Make sure you have all your FAFSA info ready when they connect you (FSAID, confirmation number, tax info, etc). The agent I spoke with was really helpful once I got through.
0 coins
Declan Ramirez
Financial aid advisor here. Just want to clarify something about your SAI calculation concern. An SAI of $24,600 on a family income of $58,000 is actually within normal range depending on your assets, number in household, and other factors. The SAI formula isn't a straight percentage of income - it considers multiple factors. That said, if there's incorrect information in your FAFSA, you absolutely should get it corrected. In addition to trying to reach FSA directly, I recommend: 1. Contact your college's financial aid office - they can sometimes submit correction requests on your behalf 2. Check if there's a FAFSA correction you can submit through studentaid.gov without calling 3. Make sure you've completed any verification requests if your application was selected for verification The May 1st deadline is for accepting admission, but most schools will continue processing aid adjustments after that date.
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
•Thank you for this information! We have zero assets (renting, no investments, barely any savings) and 3 in our household with my younger sister also starting college next year. Our previous EFC was only around $7,000 so the jump to $24,600 seems impossible. I've tried submitting corrections online but the system won't let me change certain fields - says I need to call. Our school's financial aid office basically said their hands are tied until FSA updates our information. 😢
0 coins
Declan Ramirez
•That is unusual and definitely warrants speaking to FSA directly. The new SAI formula is different from the old EFC calculation, but that's still a significant jump. Based on what you've described, it sounds like there might be an error in how your parent contribution or asset information was processed. When you do reach them, specifically ask them to review your "contribution calculation" and have them walk through the numbers with you.
0 coins
Emma Morales
I gave up on calling and went to my local TRIO office and they helped me file an official correction. If you have a TRIO/EOC/Educational Opportunity Center near you they can sometimes get direct access to FSA support channels. Worth looking into!
0 coins
Katherine Hunter
The whole FAFSA system is GARBAGE this year!!! My son's application has been "processing" for 6 weeks and his college keeps sending threatening emails about losing his aid package. I've called over 20 times and either get hung up on or told "we're experiencing unusually high call volume" NO KIDDING!!! This is affecting MILLIONS of students! I filed a complaint with my congressman's office and they're "looking into it" but that doesn't help us NOW. The entire Department of Education should be FIRED for this disaster. Sorry for the rant but I'm right there with you.
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
•I feel this in my soul. I hope your congressman can actually do something. This is seriously impacting real people's futures. Hope your son's application gets processed soon!
0 coins
Lucas Parker
•contacting ur congressman actually works tho! my roommate did this and mysteriously her fafsa got processed like 2 days later after being stuck for a month
0 coins
Zadie Patel
I don't mean to get off topic but my cousin's FAFSA had the exact same issue last year. Her SAI was way off because the system counted her parents' retirement account as an available asset (which it shouldn't). Took forever to get it fixed. Just mentioning in case that's what happened to yours - might be worth checking the asset portion specifically when you get through.
0 coins
Mikayla Brown
UPDATE: I used Claimyr and got through to a FAFSA agent in about 25 minutes!!! The agent said there was an error in our asset calculation - somehow our small checking account balance of $3,800 got entered as $38,000! They were able to fix it on the spot and said my corrected SAI should update within 3-5 business days. THANK YOU everyone for your help - especially for the Claimyr suggestion. Literally saved my financial aid package!
0 coins
Sean Matthews
•thats awesome! gonna try this too
0 coins
Declan Ramirez
•Great news! Make sure to notify your school's financial aid office that a correction has been processed so they can be on the lookout for the updated information. They may need to manually refresh your aid package once the new SAI comes through.
0 coins