FAFSA reprocessing nightmare - now IRS tax verification after already receiving SAI score?!
I'm LOSING MY MIND over this FAFSA disaster!! My daughter and I submitted everything back in January, got processed, and received TWO different SAI scores (first one was 4250, second was 3890). Her college already packaged her financial aid based on the second score. Now we just got notified that we're part of some massive 'reprocessing' affecting 13,000 students?? And TODAY I get this message saying they're requesting my 2022 tax info from the IRS AGAIN?? The message says: 'Based on your consent for the use and disclosure of federal tax information, the U.S. Department of Education's office of Federal Student Aid requested your 2022 federal tax information from the IRS.' I ALREADY DID THE TAX CONSENT THING MONTHS AGO! Will this change her SAI? Will the college have to redo her entire aid package? Classes start in 3 weeks and now I'm panicking that her grants might disappear. Has anyone else been caught in this reprocessing nightmare???
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Alexander Evans
Omg this same thing is happening to my son!!!! We got the EXACT same message yesterday and I'm freaking out. I thought we were DONE with all this. His financial aid is already set up and everything. Why are they doing this to us???
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Ruby Garcia
•It's absolutely infuriating! Have you called the financial aid office at your son's school? I'm planning to do that tomorrow, but wanted to see if anyone here had answers first.
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Evelyn Martinez
This FAFSA rollout has been an absolute disaster. The Department of Education has been forcing reprocessing on thousands of applications due to calculation errors in their system. Your daughter's SAI could definitely change again - I've seen swings of several thousand dollars. You need to contact her school's financial aid office IMMEDIATELY to let them know this is happening.
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Ruby Garcia
•Several THOUSAND dollars?? That could completely change her eligibility for grants! I feel sick to my stomach right now. Why can't they get anything right??
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Benjamin Carter
•Let's not panic yet. I work in a financial aid office (not speaking officially) and we're seeing these reprocessing notices too. In many cases the SAI doesn't change dramatically, maybe $100-200 difference. And for students already packaged, most schools have policies to protect your original offer unless the change is substantial.
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Maya Lewis
The IRS verification request is actually separate from the reprocessing issue. The Department of Education is doing random verification on about 18% of FAFSA applications this year, even for those who used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. This message means you've been selected for verification, and they're pulling your tax info again to compare with what was originally reported. Your school will likely require additional documentation to complete this process.
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Ruby Garcia
•So you're saying this is TWO separate issues happening at once?? The reprocessing AND random verification? This is a nightmare. I don't understand why they need to verify when they're literally pulling the data directly from the IRS both times!
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Isaac Wright
yea this happened to my daughter too last week. we called fafsa and they said it was bcause they found a 'discrepancy' in our info but wouldnt tell us what it was. spent 4 hrs on hold just to get that useless info. financial aid office at the school has no clue either. the whole system is broken
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Ruby Garcia
•4 HOURS on hold??? I don't have time for that with work! Did your daughter's SAI change after all this verification stuff?
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Isaac Wright
•still waiting to find out. its been 8 days since we got that message and nothing new yet. school says they cant do anything until fafsa finishes whatever theyre doing
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Lucy Taylor
I had this exact situation last week. After spending hours trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid with no luck, I tried using Claimyr.com to connect with an agent. It actually worked - got through in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. The agent explained that the reprocessing and verification are indeed separate issues, and they gave me an estimated timeline for when it would be resolved. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ if you're interested. In my case, the SAI only changed by $120, so it didn't affect my daughter's aid package much.
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Ruby Garcia
•Thank you for this! I'll check it out. $120 change wouldn't be the end of the world, but I'm worried about bigger changes. Did they tell you why the verification happened after everything was already processed?
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Lucy Taylor
•They said the random verification is completely separate from the reprocessing. Apparently the system flags applications throughout the cycle, even those that used the IRS data transfer. The agent did confirm that if your SAI changes significantly, you should immediately contact your financial aid office to discuss whether it affects your package.
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Connor Murphy
I work in the financial aid office at a community college, and we're seeing this a lot right now. Here's what's happening: 1. The reprocessing of 13,000 students was due to a calculation error in the FAFSA system 2. The IRS verification message is part of the standard verification process that happens every year The good news: Most colleges have a policy that if your financial aid has already been packaged and your SAI changes by less than a certain amount (usually $500-1000), they will honor your original package. Check with your daughter's financial aid office about their specific policies. You should also ask if they need any additional documentation from you to complete the verification process. Sometimes they need signed statements or additional forms.
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Ruby Garcia
•Thank you so much for this clear explanation! I'll call her school tomorrow and specifically ask about their policy for SAI changes. Do you know how long the verification process typically takes to complete once they've requested the IRS data?
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Connor Murphy
•It really varies. In some cases, it's as quick as 3-5 business days. In others, especially if there are discrepancies that need to be resolved, it can take 2-3 weeks. Make sure you respond to ANY requests from the financial aid office promptly - that's the biggest factor in how quickly it gets resolved.
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Alexander Evans
Just as an update - we talked to my son's school today, and they said they're seeing HUNDREDS of students getting reprocessed. They told us not to panic because they're going to honor the original financial aid packages unless the SAI changes by more than $1200. Hope that helps someone else who's freaking out like we were!
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Ruby Garcia
•Thank you for sharing this! I'm calling my daughter's school tomorrow first thing. It helps to know they might have a policy to protect the original package. This whole process has been so stressful!
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KhalilStar
my son got this message too but we ignored it and nothing bad happened lol. his aid stayed the same and everything went through fine. sometimes i think these are just automated messages that don't actually mean anything
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Connor Murphy
•I would strongly advise against ignoring verification requests. While it might not have affected your son's aid this time, verification is a federal requirement, and schools can't disburse federal aid until verification is complete. You got lucky, but others could have their aid delayed or reduced if they ignore these notices.
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Ruby Garcia
UPDATE: I finally spoke with my daughter's financial aid office. They said they're seeing this verification issue with about 20% of their students right now, separate from the reprocessing. The good news is they have a policy that they won't adjust financial aid packages unless the SAI changes by more than $800. The verification process should take about 7-10 business days to complete once the IRS information comes through. They also mentioned they're prioritizing students with upcoming payment deadlines, so that's at least something. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!
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