FAFSA delay causing zero AGI error - school notified me I'm in the 40% problematic applications

Literally the EXACT same issue here. Filed my taxes early February, FAFSA processed 3/28, and just got an email yesterday from my daughter's top school saying our AGI is showing as $0. Everything looks normal on the studentaid.gov website too! The financial aid officer said it's because of 'backend issues with IRS data retrieval' and we need to submit our actual tax returns to them directly. This FAFSA rollout has been a complete train wreck 🙄

This is happening to a lot of families this year. The issue is that the IRS data transfer system isn't properly connecting with FAFSA, causing your AGI to display as zero even though you filed correctly. You need to: 1. Contact each school's financial aid office directly 2. Let them know you're experiencing the zero AGI glitch 3. Send them your actual tax returns (usually 2023 for 2025-26 aid) 4. Ask them to manually override the incorrect AGI Most schools are aware of this problem and have procedures in place. The Department of Education acknowledged this affects approximately 40% of all FAFSA applications filed this cycle.

I work in a university financial aid office and we're seeing this constantly. The zero AGI issue is affecting thousands of families. Here's what's happening: even though your information looks correct on studentaid.gov, the school's receiving a different dataset with errors. Unfortunately calling Federal Student Aid directly is nearly impossible right now - wait times are 3+ hours and people get disconnected constantly. I've had students use Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through - they've got a service that waits on hold for you and calls when an agent is ready. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ But honestly, your fastest solution is working directly with each school. Send them your tax transcript (you can get it free from IRS.gov) and they can manually adjust your SAI calculation.

FAFSA is a COMPLETE DISASTER this year!!!! This is the 3rd time they've messed up our application. First the website crashed when we tried to submit in January, then they lost my husband's information, and now this zero AGI nonsense when we make well over six figures!!! How do they expect families to plan for college when they can't even get basic tax information right?? My daughter might lose scholarships because of these delays. I've spent literally 40+ hours dealing with FAFSA problems this year. RIDICULOUS!

Financial aid professional here. The zero AGI issue is widespread and well-documented, but there's more you should know: 1. This primarily affects families who filed their FAFSA between mid-January and early March 2. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is functioning inconsistently with the new FAFSA system 3. Your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation is likely significantly lower than it should be, which creates problems when schools try to determine your aid package 4. Some schools are reaching out proactively (like the one that contacted you), but others might be waiting for you to contact them 5. You should immediately upload tax transcripts to every school's financial aid portal, or email them directly if no portal exists The good news: schools are very aware of this issue and have systems in place to make manual corrections. Your son won't lose aid eligibility over this technical error.

Yup add me to the list too lol. My AGI somehow went from $82,000 to $0 in the FAFSA system. Got an email from Purdue yesterday about it. Gonna have to send in all our tax docs manually now I guess??? Why even have the IRS data tool if it doesnt work? Whole thing is stupid. At least my daughter already got an aid package from her top school.

Update for everyone following this thread: The Department of Education just announced they're implementing a fix for the zero AGI issue that will automatically update affected applications. However, they recommend still working directly with your schools rather than waiting for the system-wide correction, which could take several more weeks. Schools have been given guidance on how to manually adjust your SAI calculation.

my daughters AGI is showing as 0 also but we filed taxes back in feb!!! is this going to mess up her pell grant? she was depending on that $$$ for community college 😢

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! Just got notified by my daughter's school that our FAFSA shows $0 AGI when we filed our taxes in early February. It's so frustrating because everything looked fine on our end. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - I had no idea this was affecting so many families. Going to start contacting all the schools on her list today and get our tax transcripts ready to send. It's reassuring to know the schools are aware of this problem and have processes to fix it manually. Fingers crossed we can get this sorted out before decision deadlines!

Just joining this thread as someone who's been lurking and dealing with the same nightmare! My son's FAFSA is also showing $0 AGI when we filed taxes in January. I had no idea this was such a widespread issue until I found this discussion. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both validating and helpful - at least now I know we're not alone and there are actual solutions. Planning to contact his schools tomorrow with our tax documents. Thanks to everyone who shared their advice, especially the financial aid professionals who explained what's happening behind the scenes. It's frustrating that families have to deal with this on top of all the other college decision stress, but it's reassuring to know the schools are aware and working with families to fix it!