FAFSA issue finally resolved after weeks of frustrating dead ends - what worked!

This is unfortunately very common with the new FAFSA system. The problem is that the verification process between the studentaid.gov systems and university portals can get stuck in what's called a "processing loop" where small errors prevent the data from transferring correctly. The most common causes are: 1. SSN mismatches (exactly what happened to you) 2. Name discrepancies (even middle initials matter) 3. Birthdate format inconsistencies 4. Parent contributor information that doesn't match tax records The best approach is to download your full SAI calculation report from studentaid.gov and compare EVERY field with your original documentation. I've helped several students through this exact issue this application cycle.

exact same thing happened with my son's application!!!!! been stuck for almost a month and no one would help. called fafsa like 12 times and got different answers every time. so frustrating!!!

I work in financial aid at a community college, and I can tell you this is incredibly common with the new FAFSA system. The studentaid.gov portal and the institutional systems don't always communicate properly. What I advise my students to do is: 1) Always save a PDF copy of your entire completed FAFSA submission 2) Download your SAI calculation report once available 3) Contact your school's financial aid office first before FAFSA 4) If you need to reach Federal Student Aid, call early in the morning (7-8am Eastern) for shortest wait times When there are discrepancies like you experienced, it can take multiple calls to resolve. The key is getting to someone who can actually compare all fields between systems.

If you're having trouble reaching anyone at FAFSA, I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that saved me HOURS of waiting on hold. It basically holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. It worked perfectly when I needed to sort out my Parent Plus loan verification issue last week - check out their demo video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The processing loops that happen between FAFSA and schools are incredibly frustrating. In my case, my daughter's application was stuck for 3 weeks because my name on her FAFSA had my middle initial, but my tax return didn't. Such a trivial thing but caused so much stress!

the whole fafsa system is DESIGNED TO FAIL!!!!! they make it complicated on purpose to deny aid to people who deserve it. my daughter had perfect grades and we still got almost nothing because of these "errors" they claim we made. the whole thing is rigged against middle class families while rich kids get fake scholarships. wake up people!!!

What exactly was the process for correcting the SSN error? My son's FAFSA has been stuck for two weeks and I'm suspecting something similar might be happening. Did you have to submit a formal correction through the portal or was there a specific department you needed to reach? Did they require any documentation to verify the correct SSN?

anyoen know if this affects pell grant amounts?? my daughters app is stuck too and im worried shes gonna lose her pell

omg this happened to my cousin too!! they had to call like 50 times and then finally someone actually looked at her application properly instead of just saying "everything looks fine on our end" when it clearly wasn't fine!!!

So glad you finally got it figured out! I had a similar nightmare situation with my FAFSA two years ago when I was applying. Started panicking because my SAI score wasn't showing up correctly and the school kept saying they couldn't see my application. Turned out my birthday was entered with the wrong year (1990 instead of 1999) and nobody caught it through multiple reviews. I actually lost a scholarship opportunity because it took so long to fix. The whole system needs a complete overhaul honestly.