FAFSA processing delay between student and parent sections - normal?

yep this hapnd to me too last week!! took like 4 days before i could do my part. the whole new FAFSA system is so broken lol

4 days?! That's frustrating. Did you do anything to speed it up or just wait it out?

This is unfortunately a common issue with the redesigned FAFSA. The system is verifying your daughter's identity and information through the Social Security Administration and other federal databases before allowing contributors (parents) to complete their sections. \n\nA few things that can help:\n1. Double-check that your daughter's name, DOB, and SSN were entered EXACTLY as they appear on her Social Security card\n2. Make sure her email and phone are verified in the system\n3. Check if she received any error codes via email that might explain the delay\n\nIf you hit day 4 with no progress, you should contact Federal Student Aid directly. Be prepared for long wait times though.

Thank you for the detailed response! Her info should be correct, but I'll have her double-check everything tonight. If we don't see progress by tomorrow, we'll try calling FSA. Wish us luck getting through!

OMG the exact same thing is driving me CRAZY right now!!! My son did his part on Monday and I still can't get in to do mine. The school keeps sending reminder emails about the deadline and I'm FREAKING OUT!! Why did they have to change the whole system this year???

Same boat! Day 5 of waiting and nothing. Called FSA twice but got disconnected both times after waiting 45+ min each time. This new FAFSA is a nightmare.

If you're approaching a school deadline, make sure to contact the financial aid office at your daughter's schools directly. Most institutions are aware of these processing issues and may offer extensions or alternative submission processes while these FAFSA delays are happening. \n\nI've seen verification times ranging from 1-7 days this application season, with most completing in 3-4 days. The system is trying to prevent fraud, which is good in theory, but the implementation has been problematic.\n\nIf you need to speak with someone at Federal Student Aid and are struggling to get through, I recently used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me skip the phone queue. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to resolve a similar verification issue.

Great suggestion about contacting the schools - I hadn't thought of that! I'll email her top choices tomorrow to let them know about our situation. And thanks for the Claimyr tip, might try that if we can't get through the normal channels.

The new FAFSA is completely broken. My daughter's verification took 8 DAYS before I could access my section. Then after I completed it, we got an

omg 8 days?? and then starting over?? thats my worst nightmare rn 😭

Yep, and the worst part was no explanation of what

Hello! I'm a financial aid advisor at a community college, and I can tell you this verification delay between student and parent sections is frustrating but normal with the redesigned FAFSA. \n\nThe system is now performing real-time data matching with SSA, IRS, and other federal systems before allowing contributors to access their sections. While this reduces errors later, it's creating these annoying delays.\n\nSome things worth noting:\n- Processing times tend to be longer during high-volume periods (weekends, evenings)\n- A mismatch between name/SSN/DOB can significantly delay processing\n- Students with no credit history sometimes experience longer verification times\n\nIf you're approaching a school's priority deadline, contact their financial aid office directly. Most schools are being flexible this year given the widespread FAFSA issues.

Thank you for the insider perspective! It's reassuring to hear this is a known issue. Out of curiosity, does time of day matter when submitting? Is there a

Great question! We've noticed that applications submitted weekday mornings (9am-noon Eastern) seem to process a bit faster, likely because federal verification systems have lower volume then. Weekends and late evenings tend to have the longest delays. But this is just anecdotal - no guarantees!