FAFSA application stuck in pending status - how long until 'process' phase to fix errors?

They're SUPER behind this year with all the new FAFSA changes. My daughter's app took 12 business days to move to processing last month! And yes, unfortunately they do process it with whatever info was submitted before you can make corrections. It's a terrible system.

The standard 3-5 business day timeline for FAFSA applications to enter the processing phase is based on normal operations, but the system has been experiencing significant delays this application cycle. The errors won't automatically disqualify your student - once the application moves to the "processed" status, you'll be able to submit corrections through the correction portal. These corrections will trigger a recalculation of the SAI (Student Aid Index), but colleges will use the most recent SAI calculation for their aid packages. Regarding the specific errors, income and asset information corrections are standard, while the contributor status may require additional verification. I recommend preparing all correction documentation now so you can submit immediately when the status changes.

my kids FAFSA took 9 days to go from pending to processing so dont worry to much yet. but yeah they will process the wrong info first, super annoying but thats how they do it

I work with financial aid applications, and I can confirm that this year's processing times are significantly longer than normal. The 3-5 business day standard hasn't been realistic since the new FAFSA rollout. Most applications are taking 7-14 business days to reach the processing phase. Regarding your concerns about incorrect information: Yes, they will initially process the application with the errors, but this is actually by design. The system needs to generate an initial SAI calculation before allowing corrections. Once corrections are submitted, they'll recalculate everything. Most schools understand this process and will work with the most recent calculation. One important note: if your son's school has a priority deadline coming up, they typically only care that the initial FAFSA was submitted before the deadline, not that all corrections were completed. However, you should contact the financial aid office to confirm this policy.

I went through EXACTLY the same thing last month!!!! My daughter somehow put that she was independent (she's 19 and definitely NOT independent) and we couldn't fix it forever. We tried calling the FSA hotline like 50 times and either got disconnected or were on hold for hours then got disconnected. SO FRUSTRATING!! It finally went to processing after 8 business days and we fixed everything, but then it took another 10 days for the corrections to process. The whole system is broken!!!

I was in the same endless hold cycle with FSA trying to fix my son's application. After getting disconnected for the 5th time, I tried Claimyr.com and actually got through to a real FSA agent in 25 minutes. They couldn't speed up the processing, but they did note our account that corrections were needed due to errors and gave me some advice about contacting his school. Saved me hours of frustration! They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ if you want to check it out. At least you can get some answers directly from FSA while waiting for the status to change.

This whole new FAFSA is a disaster. My niece had to submit 3 times because the website kept crashing, then it took 2 weeks to process, then she made corrections which took another 2 weeks. Meanwhile her school's deadline passed and they're saying she might not get institutional scholarships now. Complete system failure by the Department of Education!

Update: It finally moved to processing this morning - took exactly 8 business days! Now we're able to make corrections. Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I've already contacted his school to let them know corrections are coming.

Congrats on finally getting through to the processing phase! Eight business days seems to be pretty typical from what I'm seeing here. I'm dealing with a similar situation with my daughter's FAFSA - it's been pending for 5 days now and she also has some errors that need correcting (mixed up our tax info). This thread has been super helpful in understanding what to expect. Did you end up calling your son's school before the status changed, or are you planning to wait until after you submit the corrections?