FAFSA error - started in wrong order with spouse + dependent filing joint taxes - can we reset?
I think I totally messed up our FAFSA application process. Instead of starting with my daughter (the student), I created my profile first, then added my daughter. Now my husband (who's the primary income earner) can't connect to our application at all. I indicated that we filed joint taxes when setting up my profile. We also had Medicaid temporarily in 2023 due to a period of unemployment, which complicates things. Neither my daughter nor I have actually submitted the form yet, but I'm panicking about whether we need to start over completely. Should we delete my profile since my husband is the main contributor? If I delete my profile, will the joint tax info cause problems when my husband tries to add his information? Can we keep my daughter's portion and just fix the parent section? I'm so stressed about messing up her financial aid chances!
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Sean Flanagan
Don't panic! This is fixable. The best approach is to not submit what you have now and start fresh. The system doesn't handle parent order switches well once you're midway through. I recommend: 1. Create a new application with your daughter as the starting point (student) 2. Have your husband join as the contributing parent first (since he's primary income) 3. Then add you as the second parent The joint tax information will work fine this way. Make sure you have your 2023 tax return and W-2s ready before you begin. The Medicaid information goes in a separate section, so don't worry about that conflicting with anything.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Thank you so much! I was really worried. So there's no way to salvage what we already started? If we have to start over, should we delete the current application first? I don't want there to be duplicate applications causing confusion.
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Zara Mirza
this same thing hapened to me last month. dont worry about it just start over with ur daughter first. the system is buggy sometimes
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Thanks for sharing your experience! Did you have to contact FAFSA to delete your old application first, or did you just abandon it and start a new one?
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NebulaNinja
The FAFSA system is SUCH a nightmare this year!!!! I've been dealing with the same issue except worse - we submitted before realizing the mistake and now have to get the whole thing deleted. Been on hold with FSA for DAYS and no one picks up! So frustrating how they make this so complicated for families. Just know you're not alone in this mess.
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Luca Russo
•I feel your pain! Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA agent? It finally worked for me after three days of trying to call myself. Their site (claimyr.com) has a service that gets you through the phone queue. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me hours of frustration when I had issues with my daughter's SAI calculation.
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Nia Wilson
Financial aid advisor here - starting over is your best option. Here's why: 1. The 2025-2026 FAFSA specifically looks at the order in which contributors are added to verify income reporting 2. When you file joint taxes, the system needs to understand which parent is the primary filer 3. The Medicaid benefits need to be reported under the correct parent's information You don't need to contact FSA to delete the old application. Just start a new one and let the incomplete one sit - it won't affect anything. Make sure when you restart that you correctly answer the dependency questions for your daughter first, then add parents in the correct order.
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Mateo Sanchez
•So your saying the student shud go first, then the main breadwinner, then the other parent? I thought FAFSA didn't care which parent went first as long as they were both on there?
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Mateo Sanchez
Wait i'm confused. with joing taxes, doesn't the FAFSA see the same income either way? why would it matter which parent goes first if ur filing jointly?
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Nia Wilson
•Great question. While joint tax filers report the same total income to the IRS, the FAFSA system assigns the primary tax filer role to the first contributing parent added. This affects how certain tax benefits and credits are calculated in the Student Aid Index (SAI). Additionally, non-tax income (like Medicaid benefits) needs to be associated with the correct parent. The order doesn't drastically change your SAI in most cases, but it ensures the most accurate calculation.
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Aisha Mahmood
I had the exact same problem two weeks ago and fixed it by starting over. It was actually a blessing in disguise because I realized I made some mistakes in the first attempt. When you restart, make sure to have ALL these documents ready before you begin to make it go smoother: - 2023 tax return - W-2s for both parents - Your daughter's ID - Any untaxed income documentation - Documentation about your Medicaid coverage The process was much faster the second time - took us about 35 minutes total with everything prepared.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•This is super helpful, thank you! I definitely made some errors in our first attempt too. Did you have any issues with the system recognizing that you already had an FSA ID when you started over?
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Zara Mirza
nah u dont need to delete anything just abandon it and start new one. the old one will just sit there incomplete
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Sean Flanagan
•This is correct. The system allows multiple incomplete applications, but only processes completed and submitted ones. Just make sure your daughter only submits ONE completed application.
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Ethan Clark
My sister works in a financial aid office and says this happens ALL THE TIME so don't feel bad lol. But yeah definitely start with student first, that's the proper way.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Thanks for the reassurance! It's comforting to know we're not the only ones getting confused by this process. I wish the system was more intuitive about the correct order.
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NebulaNinja
OMG and another thing - make SURE when you restart that if your husband is the one with Medicaid to report it under HIS section. We had it under the wrong parent and it totally messed up our SAI calculation. The verification process was a nightmare to fix.
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Aisha Mahmood
•Yes! And remember the new FAFSA doesn't consider home equity anymore, so if you're a homeowner, don't worry about including that information. They're only looking at income, liquid assets, and certain benefits like Medicaid. The system is actually simpler in some ways than before, but the contributor ordering is weirdly strict.
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Anastasia Kozlov
Thank you everyone for the advice! I'm going to start over with my daughter's application first, then have my husband join as the first contributor, followed by me. I'll make sure we have all our documents ready to go this time. One last question - approximately how long after submitting should we expect to receive the SAI calculation?
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Nia Wilson
•The Department of Education quotes 3-5 business days for SAI calculations, but the reality this application season has been more like 7-10 days for most families. Make sure your daughter checks both her student aid account AND her email regularly for any notices about verification requests or additional information needed.
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Isabella Silva
Just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I was in a similar situation - when you restart, take screenshots of each page as you complete it. The FAFSA system can be glitchy and sometimes kicks you out, so having those screenshots saved me from having to re-enter everything multiple times. Also, if you run into any weird error messages during the process, don't panic - just close the browser completely, clear your cache, and start that section again. The system seems to have memory issues sometimes. Good luck with the restart!
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