FAFSA duplicate forms - Can I delete incomplete application without affecting submitted one?
I submitted the 2024-2025 FAFSA for both my kids a few weeks ago. Before completing the final one for my freshman, I had actually started a separate FAFSA form but never finished it. Now I'm getting these annoying reminder emails about completing an "unsubmitted FAFSA" even though I already submitted a complete application for my freshman that's currently being processed. My question is: can I safely delete the incomplete form without messing up the one that's already submitted and being processed? Or should I just ignore those emails? I'm paranoid that if I touch anything in the system, it might somehow interfere with the application that's already in progress. Has anyone dealt with duplicate forms like this before? Any advice would be appreciated!
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Hugh Intensity
You can safely delete the incomplete application without affecting the submitted one. Each FAFSA form has its own unique identifier in the system, and they're processed independently. I had this exact situation last year with my twins - had duplicate forms and called FSA to confirm. Just log in, go to your dashboard, and you should see both forms listed. Delete the incomplete one and keep the submitted one.
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Sunny Wang
•Thanks! Did you have to call FSA to delete it or is there a way to do it myself through the dashboard?
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Effie Alexander
DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING!!!! I tried to delete an incomplete form last year and somehow it messed up my daughter's actual submission. Then we had to start the whole process over again and missed priority deadlines. Just ignore the emails - they're automated and don't mean anything if you've already submitted.
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Sunny Wang
•Omg that sounds like my worst nightmare. Did you ever figure out what went wrong with the system? Now I'm scared to touch anything...
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Melissa Lin
The safest option is to call Federal Student Aid directly at 1-800-433-3243 and ask them to remove the incomplete application from your account. They can see exactly which application is which and make sure the right one stays in the system. That's what the financial aid advisor at my son's college recommended when we had this issue.
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Lydia Santiago
•Good luck actually getting through to anyone at that number! I tried calling for THREE DAYS straight about my verification issue and couldn't get past the automated system. Total waste of time.
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Romeo Quest
I had this happen with my daughter's FAFSA last year. The emails are just annoying reminders, they won't affect your submitted application. Each application is processed separately based on the submission date and confirmation number. I just ignored the emails and eventually they stopped coming.
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Sunny Wang
•How long did it take before they stopped sending the emails? It's making me anxious every time I see one pop up in my inbox.
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Val Rossi
I used Claimyr last month when I needed to reach someone at FSA about a similar issue with duplicate forms. They got me connected to an actual person at FSA in about 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. The agent confirmed I could safely delete the incomplete form and showed me how to do it through my dashboard. Check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or go to claimyr.com - seriously saved me hours of frustration.
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Sunny Wang
•Never heard of this service before but I'll check it out! Did they explain why the system keeps sending emails about incomplete applications?
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Eve Freeman
this is super common with the new fafsa system lol. i had like 3 applications going at once for my kid. the incomplete ones just sit there n nothing happens. the only one that matters is the one with the confirmation number that says submitted. dont stress about it
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Hugh Intensity
•This is mostly correct, but to clarify: the incomplete forms can cause confusion if you need to make corrections later. It's better to have a clean dashboard with only your active applications.
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Effie Alexander
Has anyone else noticed that the new FAFSA system is COMPLETELY broken compared to previous years? I've been doing this for 4 kids over 6 years and this is by far the worst experience. My colleague's daughter lost her entire SAI calculation because of a system glitch with duplicate applications.
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Clarissa Flair
•RIGHT??? The 2024-2025 FAFSA is such a disaster. My son's college financial aid office told me they're seeing tons of problems with applications being duplicated, lost, or incorrectly processed. They're telling everyone to take screenshots of EVERYTHING as proof.
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Melissa Lin
To officially answer your question: You have two safe options: 1. Call FSA directly and have them remove the incomplete form (best option) 2. Ignore the emails if the submitted FAFSA shows as "Processing" with a confirmation number What you should NOT do is try to complete the incomplete form or submit a new one. That will definitely cause problems with your existing submission. The system is designed to catch duplicate submissions by the same student for the same aid year.
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Sunny Wang
•Thank you for the clear options! I think I'll try calling them first, and if that doesn't work, I'll just ignore the emails. As long as my submitted form says "Processing" I should be okay, right?
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Lydia Santiago
I spent 2+ hours on hold with FSA last week trying to fix a similar issue. When I finally got through, they told me incomplete applications automatically expire after 45 days anyway. So you could just wait it out if you don't want to deal with their phone system.
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Val Rossi
•This is why I mentioned Claimyr above - 2+ hours on hold is ridiculous when you can get connected in minutes. The 45-day expiration is good to know though!
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