FAFSA 'in review' status for weeks - when will SAI be calculated?

This happened with my daughter's application last month. It stayed in review for about 10 days before the SAI was calculated. What I learned is that 'in review' can mean different things - sometimes it's just in the processing queue, other times it means there's a verification flag on your application that needs additional documentation. Have you checked if there are any alerts or messages in the studentaid.gov portal? Sometimes they don't email you about needed documentation.

mine was in review for like 2 weeks and then suddenly calculated the SAI one morning, no explanation for the delay or anything

The 'in review' status is driving me CRAZY this year!! My twins both applied and one got the SAI in 3 days while the other has been 'in review' for OVER A MONTH now!! I've called FAFSA about 20 times and either get disconnected or told 'just keep waiting'... THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! How can they expect us to meet college deadlines when they can't even process our applications???

Financial aid counselor here. The 'in review' status has been particularly problematic this year with the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. Here's what's likely happening: 1. Your application is in a verification queue - about 30% of applications get selected for this 2. There may be a data mismatch between your tax information and what was reported 3. Some applications get flagged for manual review if there are special circumstances My recommendation: Contact each school's financial aid office directly. Explain the situation and ask if they can work with you while waiting for the SAI. Many schools are creating provisional aid packages this year because of the delays. Also, keep detailed records of all your communication attempts with Federal Student Aid - dates, times, reference numbers if you get them.

After dealing with the same issue for weeks, I finally got through to a real person at Federal Student Aid using Claimyr. It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of waiting on hold! They helped me figure out why my son's application was stuck in review (turned out there was a small discrepancy in reported income they needed to verify). Here's their site if you want to check it out: claimyr.com - they also have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

This FAFSA cycle has been the worst in my 15 years helping students with college applications. The good news is that most colleges understand the issues and are being flexible. I recommend: 1. Email your son's financial aid offices explaining the situation 2. Take screenshots of the 'in review' status to document your situation 3. Ask schools if they can provide a provisional aid estimate 4. Check if any verification documents are needed - sometimes this isn't clear in the portal The SAI calculation can take anywhere from 3 days to 6 weeks depending on the complexity of your financial situation and whether any manual review is needed.

i heard if u call really early in the morning like 8am eastern you have better chance of getting through

Update from my earlier comment - I just remembered something important. When my daughter's application was in review, I discovered that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool hadn't properly transferred some information, even though it appeared to complete successfully. This can cause the application to get stuck in a verification queue without any notification. Might be worth checking if all your tax information appears correctly in the application summary.

To follow up on the tax information question - if there's any discrepancy between the IRS data and what's showing in your FAFSA, even a small one, it can trigger a manual review. This might include differences in adjusted gross income, filing status, or even address formatting. The most efficient approach is still to: 1. Contact the schools to explain the delay 2. Keep documentation of your submission and status 3. Reach a Federal Student Aid representative to check for hidden verification requirements Once your son's SAI is calculated, make sure to immediately notify all schools.

Has anyone else noticed that the FAFSA applications submitted in December seem to be getting processed faster than those submitted in January? My neighbor's kid submitted in December and got the SAI in less than a week, while we're still waiting after submitting Jan 10th. Seems like they're prioritizing older applications which makes sense I guess.