FAFSA parent portal won't let me update husband's incorrect DOB - will phone support fix this?

omg same thing happened with my mom's account! her birthday was off by like 2 days but everything still worked. we just left it since her fafsa contribution part went through ok

You definitely need to get this fixed. The DOB field is locked because it's a primary identifier that was used during account creation and verification. When the system cross-references with Social Security, even if it initially passes verification (which can happen), it could cause problems later in the process. You'll need to call Federal Student Aid at 1-800-433-3243 to request a correction to his date of birth. They will likely need to verify his identity through other means and may require documentation to be submitted. Don't wait on this - it could delay your child's aid package if it gets flagged during verification.

I had to call them about this exact problem last year. The FSA phone lines are absolutely terrible - I spent 3+ hours on hold over multiple days and kept getting disconnected. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent without the wait - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Once I got through, the agent was able to fix the DOB issue in about 5 minutes. They need to unlock that field on their end, and there's no way to do it yourself online.

YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO FIX THIS!!! My daughter's aid was delayed by 3 WEEKS last year because my ex-husband's birth year was wrong (1972 instead of 1971). Even though his account was "verified" initially, when they did the final cross-check, the whole application got flagged for verification and we had to submit paper documentation proving his identity. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. Call and fix it now!!!

You might want to consider whether this is actually a problem that needs fixing. The system accepted his information and verified his identity successfully, so it seems like the data matches what they have on file. Sometimes the DOB field is locked to prevent identity fraud attempts. What could be happening is that the DOB in their system is the "wrong" one (from your perspective), but it's what they have associated with his records. Changing it might actually create more problems if his old Pell grant info is tied to the current DOB in their system. If your son's FAFSA is processed without issues, you might be better off leaving it alone.

btw does ur son qualify for a pell grant too? my sister and i both got them and my counselor said thats cuz my mom had one in the 90s

my friend told me u can jus make a whole new FSA ID with the correct birthday and link that one to the FAFSA instead

Update: I finally got through to FSA after a 42-minute wait (not as bad as I expected!). The agent explained that the DOB field is locked because it's a primary identifier, but they were able to submit a change request on their end. They said it will take 3-5 business days to update in the system, and then I'll need to sign back into the account to re-sign the FAFSA with the corrected information. Thanks everyone for your help!

Glad to hear you got it resolved! This is such a common issue that I think FSA should make the correction process clearer on their website. For anyone else dealing with this, it's definitely worth calling sooner rather than later. I've seen too many students have their aid delayed because of these kinds of data mismatches during verification. The 3-5 business day turnaround sounds pretty reasonable too!

As a newcomer to the FAFSA process, this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea that something as simple as an incorrect date of birth could cause such major delays. It's really helpful to see real experiences from people who've dealt with this exact issue. @StarSeeker, glad you got it sorted out! For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation, it sounds like the key takeaway is don't wait - call FSA immediately if you notice any discrepancies in personal information, even if the system seems to accept it initially. Better to spend an hour on hold now than deal with weeks of delays later when you need your aid package!

This is such valuable information for anyone navigating the FAFSA process! I'm a newcomer here and this thread really highlights how important it is to double-check all the personal information before submitting. It's reassuring to see that FSA can actually fix these issues relatively quickly once you get through to them. @StarSeeker, thanks for sharing your successful resolution - it gives me hope that these bureaucratic hurdles are manageable with persistence. For other newcomers like me, it seems like the main lesson is: if something looks wrong, don't assume the system knows best just because it accepted the information. Trust your instincts and get it corrected early!