FAFSA IRS Data Retrieval Tool not working? My info showing as 'manually entered' despite using DRT

You're not alone - this is happening to thousands of families with the new FAFSA rollout. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool connection has been glitchy for the 2025-2026 FAFSA cycle. Those zeros you're seeing in the submission summary are actually a known technical issue. First, don't panic about verification yet. The schools understand these are system-wide problems. Second, don't resubmit unless specifically told to by the financial aid office - that could actually make things worse. I recommend taking screenshots of your FAFSA submission showing you selected the DRT option. Then contact each school's financial aid office directly (not FAFSA) and explain the situation. They can often override this on their end once they receive your full data. Most schools are developing workarounds for these glitches.

omg same problem here!! i did my fafsa in january and just got an email from my school saying my tax info was manually entered. wtf?? i definitely used the irs tool bc i dont even know half the numbers they ask for! nobody at fafsa helpline picks up and i got midterms next week so cant deal with this rn

Try calling at exactly 8:00 AM Eastern when they first open. That worked for me after trying for days at normal hours.

Technical advisor at a university financial aid office here. I can confirm this is a widespread issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. The Department of Education has acknowledged an intermittent failure in the IRS data transfer system that's affecting many applicants. Here's what's happening: Even though you selected the DRT option, the system sometimes fails to complete the data transfer but doesn't alert you to this failure. The application then proceeds with empty fields or placeholder zeros. For now: 1. Don't resubmit your FAFSA unless specifically instructed 2. Document everything - screenshots showing you selected DRT, copies of tax returns, etc. 3. Be ready to provide tax documentation directly to schools if requested 4. Contact each school's financial aid office directly with documentation Most institutions are aware of this issue and have procedures to handle it. The Department of Education is supposedly working on a fix, but there's no timeline for when it will be resolved.

I had the exact same issue! After trying for WEEKS to reach someone at Federal Student Aid, I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of redial hell. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed there was a system-wide issue with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for some applicants. They put a note in my file and told me to send documentation directly to my schools. Got it resolved within days after that!

anybody know if this affects independent students too? or just parent tax info? i filed independent and used the irs tool but havent heard anything from my school yet...

UPDATE: Finally got through to someone at FSA this morning! The agent confirmed there's a known issue with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool where it appears to work on the user end but doesn't actually transfer the data properly. They've added a note to both my kids' FAFSAs, and I need to contact each school directly to explain the situation. The agent said schools can request the correct information from me directly and override the "manually entered" flag in their systems. For anyone else dealing with this - they also mentioned they're working on a system-wide fix but don't have an ETA. I'll be calling all the financial aid offices tomorrow. Fingers crossed this gets resolved soon!

Quick update from the financial aid office perspective: We're now receiving official guidance from ED on this issue. Schools have been authorized to accept tax return transcripts directly from families affected by the DRT failure instead of requiring the standard verification process. If you're affected, have these documents ready: 1. Copy of your 2023 tax return transcript (can be requested directly from IRS.gov) 2. W-2 forms for 2023 3. Any schedules you filed with your 2023 taxes Contact your financial aid office directly and ask about their process for handling "2025-2026 FAFSA DRT failures" specifically. Using that terminology will help them direct you to the right resources.

Just wanted to add my experience to this thread - I'm a parent of twins both starting college this fall and we hit the EXACT same issue. Used the DRT in January, got the "manually entered" flag from both schools in March. What finally worked for me: I called each financial aid office directly (skipped trying to reach FSA entirely after reading this thread) and explained the situation. Both schools were super understanding and had me email them our tax transcript and W-2s. They overrode the flag within 48 hours and our aid packages were processed normally. The key was being proactive and not waiting for FSA to fix their system. The financial aid officers at both schools said they're dealing with this issue daily and have streamlined processes in place. Don't stress too much - the schools want to help you get this resolved!

This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! I'm dealing with the same DRT issue for my daughter's FAFSA and was starting to panic thinking we'd done something wrong. Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like the best approach is to bypass FSA entirely and go straight to the financial aid offices with documentation. I'm going to request our tax transcript from IRS.gov today and start calling her schools tomorrow. One question for those who've been through this - how long did it typically take from when you submitted the documentation to the schools until they updated your aid package? My daughter's deposit deadline is coming up and we're still waiting on final aid amounts from her top choice school.

This is such a relief to find this thread! I thought I was going crazy - I completed my daughter's FAFSA in late February and was so careful to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool because I didn't want to mess up any numbers. Just got a letter from her college saying the tax information appears to be "manually entered" and they need verification documents. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this is definitely a system-wide issue and not something we did wrong. I'm going to skip trying to call FSA (sounds like a nightmare based on what everyone's saying) and go straight to contacting the financial aid office at her school. Has anyone had success getting this resolved for ED2 admissions? She was accepted Early Decision 2 and we need the aid package finalized soon to make sure we can afford the enrollment. Getting a bit stressed about the timing but this thread gives me hope that schools are being understanding about these technical issues. Going to request our tax transcript from IRS.gov right now and call the school first thing Monday morning. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's so helpful to know we're not alone in this!