FAFSA 2025-2026 submission while IRS is still processing tax return - what to do?

Yes, you can still file your 2025-2026 FAFSA even if your tax return is still processing. The FAFSA will use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to import your tax information, but there might be a delay in that data being available. You should go ahead and submit your FAFSA and check the box giving consent for the IRS data pull - this authorizes them to import your data once it becomes available. If your school's priority deadline is approaching, submit the FAFSA with estimated figures based on your filed return, then update it once the IRS fully processes your taxes. Most schools understand these timing issues, especially with the new FAFSA timeline.

i had this exact problem last year!! the irs took FOREVER to process my return (like 6 weeks!!!) and i almost missed my schools priority deadline. just put in your info manually based on what you filed and then you can correct it later when the irs finally gets their act together lol

While the other commenters are correct that you can submit with estimated figures, I want to add some important nuance. When you consent to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you're giving permission for your tax information to be imported, but this can only happen after your return is fully processed. The exact language on the FAFSA authorizes the IRS to disclose your tax return information to the Department of Education. This consent remains valid for the entire processing cycle of your FAFSA application. Here's what I recommend: 1. Submit your FAFSA with your best estimates based on your filed return 2. Check the box giving IRS data retrieval consent 3. Wait 2-3 weeks after IRS processing completes 4. Log back into studentaid.gov and manually initiate the IRS Data Retrieval Tool 5. Verify your SAI calculation after the import is complete This approach ensures you meet priority deadlines while still getting accurate tax data into your application.

I HATE the IRS and FAFSA so much!!!! They make us file this stupid form and then they can't even process our tax returns fast enough to complete it properly!!! This happened to my daughter and then they flagged her for verification because of the "discrepancies" between her estimated numbers and final tax info. We had to submit like 10 extra forms and her financial aid was delayed by MONTHS!!!! The whole system is broken!!

I was in your situation last application cycle and spent HOURS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid to explain what I should do. Such a waste of time with their phone system! I eventually found a service called Claimyr that connected me to an actual FSA agent in about 10 minutes. They walked me through exactly how to handle the tax processing delay situation and what to do after my return was processed. Saved me so much stress! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or check out their website at claimyr.com. Definitely worth it for time-sensitive FAFSA questions.

One thing to remember is that this year FAFSA is using the expanded IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which pulls even more tax info automatically. So once your return is processed, you'll get a more accurate SAI calculation than in previous years. Just make sure you're using your 2024 tax info (not 2023) since they changed the tax year requirements in the latest FAFSA simplification.

Remember that after your IRS return is processed and you use the Data Retrieval Tool, your SAI (Student Aid Index) will be automatically recalculated. This new SAI will be sent to all the schools you listed on your FAFSA. You don't need to contact each school - the updated information is transmitted automatically through the federal system. However, if your SAI changes significantly after the tax data is imported, it's a good practice to email your schools' financial aid offices to confirm they received the updated calculation, especially if you're close to their priority deadlines.

btw i had to go back and use the irs data tool thing manually after my return was finally processed. it didnt just happen automatically for me so dont forget to check back!!

My son just went thru this. We submitted with our W2 info and paystubs since tax return was still processing. His SAI was higher at first but then went down after tax data was pulled. Everything worked out fine!

This is such a common issue this time of year! I went through the exact same thing with my 2024-2025 FAFSA. The key is to not wait - submit your FAFSA now with your best estimates based on what you filed, even if the IRS is still processing. When you check that consent box, you're giving permission for the data retrieval later, but you'll need to manually go back and trigger it once your return is fully processed (usually takes 2-3 weeks after IRS shows "processed"). The system won't automatically pull your data - you have to log back into studentaid.gov and use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool yourself. Don't stress about meeting those priority deadlines! Schools expect this timing issue and would much rather receive your FAFSA on time with estimates than have you miss the deadline waiting for tax processing. Just make sure to update it once your official tax data is available.

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Filed my taxes in early March and the IRS website still shows "processing" - it's so frustrating when you're trying to meet financial aid deadlines. Reading through all these responses has been really helpful. It sounds like the consensus is to go ahead and submit the FAFSA with estimated figures based on what I filed, then come back later to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool once processing is complete. I was worried that checking the consent box wouldn't work if my return wasn't processed yet, but it seems like that just gives them permission for later. Has anyone had issues with schools being understanding about these timing delays? My top choice school has a priority deadline next week and I'm nervous about submitting with estimates, even though it seems like that's the right approach.

You don't need 24 taxes for the 25-26 FAFSA. The 25-26 FAFSA uses 2023 taxes. It is referred to as the prior-prior year.

I just want to echo what others have said - you're definitely not alone in this situation! The timing between tax filing and FAFSA deadlines creates this exact problem for thousands of students every year. What really helped me last year was keeping a simple checklist: 1) Submit FAFSA with estimates NOW (don't wait!), 2) Check the IRS consent box, 3) Set a calendar reminder for 3 weeks after IRS shows "processed" to go back and use the Data Retrieval Tool, and 4) Email financial aid offices if SAI changes significantly. The most important thing is getting that application submitted before your priority deadlines. Schools build these timing issues into their processes - they'd much rather work with estimated figures than have you miss priority consideration entirely. You've got this!

Just want to add my experience as someone who went through this exact situation! I filed my taxes in late February but they weren't processed until mid-April - way after my FAFSA priority deadlines. I was panicking, but I'm so glad I followed the advice to submit with estimates. Here's what actually happened: I submitted my FAFSA in early March with my best estimates from my tax filing, checked the IRS consent box, and met all my school deadlines. Once my taxes were finally processed, I went back and used the Data Retrieval Tool (there's literally a button that says "Transfer Tax Information from the IRS" in your FAFSA account). My SAI barely changed because my estimates were pretty accurate. The schools automatically received my updated info and my aid packages stayed almost the same. Zero drama, and I got to keep my priority consideration at all my schools. Don't let the IRS processing delay stress you out - just get that FAFSA submitted!

I'm a first-generation college student and this whole FAFSA timing thing has been so confusing for me! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful. I filed my taxes about a month ago but the IRS is still processing them, and I've been putting off my FAFSA because I thought I needed the final processed return first. Based on all the advice here, it sounds like I should just submit my FAFSA with my best estimates from what I filed and then update it later with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. My question is - when I'm entering the estimated tax information, should I be using the exact numbers from my tax return that I filed, or should I be more conservative/round up to be safe? I'm worried about being flagged for verification if my estimates are off. Also, does anyone know if there are any differences in how this process works for independent students versus dependent students? I'm 24 so I'm filing as independent, but most of the examples I see online seem focused on dependent students and their parents' taxes.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just wanted to add that I called my school's financial aid office directly about this timing issue and they told me something really helpful - they said that as long as I submit my FAFSA by their priority deadline (even with estimates), they'll hold my place in line for aid consideration while I wait for the IRS data retrieval to happen later. The financial aid counselor also mentioned that they're seeing this delay more frequently this year, so they're definitely prepared to work with students who need to update their information after initial submission. She recommended putting a note in the "additional information" section of the FAFSA explaining that my tax return is still being processed by the IRS and that I'll update with official data once available. This really took the pressure off for me - knowing that schools are actively planning for these delays made me feel so much better about submitting with estimates. Hope this helps ease some of the stress for others dealing with this timing crunch!

As someone who just completed this process last month, I can confirm everything others have said here is spot on! The key thing that helped me was setting up a reminder system. After I submitted my FAFSA with estimates in early March, I set phone reminders to check my IRS account weekly. Once it finally showed "processed" (took about 5 weeks!), I waited another week then logged into studentaid.gov. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool was super easy to find - there's a clear section called "Update Your FAFSA" and then "Transfer Tax Information from the IRS." The whole data import took maybe 2 minutes, and my SAI actually improved slightly because some of my estimates were a bit high. One tip I wish I'd known earlier: take screenshots of your estimated FAFSA before submitting, then compare them to the final version after the IRS data import. This helped me quickly spot what changed and confirm everything looked correct. Don't let the IRS processing delay stop you from meeting those priority deadlines - schools really do understand this timing issue!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in the exact same boat - filed my 2024 taxes about a month ago and the IRS website still just says "being processed." I was getting really anxious about my FAFSA deadlines coming up next week. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief. It sounds like the universal advice is to submit the FAFSA now with my best estimates from what I actually filed, check that IRS consent box, and then come back later to use the Data Retrieval Tool once processing is complete. I love the tip about taking screenshots before submitting and adding a note in the additional information section explaining the tax processing delay. Those are details I never would have thought of but make total sense. One quick question - for those who went through this, about how long after the IRS website changed from "being processed" to "processed" did you wait before trying the Data Retrieval Tool? I want to make sure I don't try too early and run into issues. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this has been incredibly helpful for a stressed out student! 😅

I just went through this exact same situation for my 2025-2026 FAFSA! Filed my taxes in mid-February but the IRS took almost 7 weeks to process them. I was so stressed about missing priority deadlines, but everything worked out perfectly. Here's what I learned: definitely submit your FAFSA NOW with your best estimates based on what you filed. Don't wait for IRS processing to complete - that could take weeks longer and you'll miss those crucial priority deadlines. When you check the consent box, you're just giving permission for future data retrieval, not requiring it to work immediately. The process was actually really smooth once I stopped overthinking it. I submitted in early March with estimates, then went back in late April after my taxes were fully processed. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool was easy to find in my studentaid.gov account - just look for "Transfer Tax Information from the IRS" under the update section. My SAI ended up changing by less than 50 points, and all my schools automatically received the updated information. No verification issues, no delays in aid processing. The financial aid offices I spoke with said this timing issue is super common and they're totally prepared for it. Bottom line: submit with estimates today rather than risk missing priority consideration. You can always perfect the numbers later with official tax data!

I went through this exact same stress last year! The IRS took forever to process my return (almost 8 weeks) and I was panicking about missing deadlines. Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier: 1. Submit your FAFSA TODAY with estimates based on your filed return - don't wait another day 2. The consent checkbox is just permission for later data retrieval, it doesn't need to work immediately 3. Schools would rather receive your FAFSA on time with estimates than have you miss priority deadlines entirely 4. Set a reminder to check back 1-2 weeks after IRS shows "processed" to use the Data Retrieval Tool The whole process ended up being much smoother than expected. My estimates were pretty close to the final numbers, so my SAI barely changed when the official data came through. Most importantly, I kept my priority status at all my schools and didn't lose out on any aid opportunities. Stop stressing about the IRS processing delay - it's completely normal and schools deal with this timing issue constantly. Just get that application submitted with your best estimates and handle the data retrieval later!