FAFSA showing 'processing' status but colleges not receiving info - SAI missing too

This is unfortunately becoming a common issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. The system is experiencing significant delays in sending data to colleges, and the 'processing' status can sometimes get stuck for 2-3 weeks. A few things you can try: 1. Take a screenshot of the "processing" page as proof you submitted before deadlines 2. Contact your schools' financial aid offices directly to explain the situation 3. Check if the confirmation email you received has your SAI listed (sometimes it's there) 4. DO NOT submit a new application as this will likely flag your account for verification The good news is colleges are aware of these issues and many are extending their priority deadlines.

OMG SAME THING HAPPENING TO ME!!!! Been stuck on "processing" for 10 days now. Called 2 of my colleges and they said they dont have anything from me. So frustrating!!!!! Freaking out cause I need to know my SAI to see if I can even afford these schools!!!!

This is why I hate the FAFSA system. Every single year they roll out these "improvements" that just break everything. Last year they lost my W-2 verification documents TWICE and I almost missed out on my Pell Grant. Here's what's probably happening: the system is flagging applications with paid preparers for additional review. They claim it's to prevent fraud but really it's just their broken system. When you hired that consultant, did they log in as you or did they use some kind of professional access? Because if they used professional access, your application might be sitting in a special queue.

I work in a financial aid office, and we're seeing this issue with about 15% of FAFSA submissions this cycle. The problem appears to be on the Federal Student Aid side - the data isn't being transmitted to the ISIR system that colleges use to receive FAFSA data. You should: 1) Print/screenshot everything you can as evidence of timely filing 2) Contact each college individually to explain the situation 3) Call Federal Student Aid directly to check on your application status DO NOT create a new FAFSA as this will definitely cause problems. Most colleges are being flexible with aid deadlines due to these widespread issues.

I had this exact problem last month! Try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then log in using a different browser entirely. For some reason Chrome was causing issues for me but Firefox worked fine. When I finally got in, I was able to see my SAI and the full list of schools. The system is super glitchy this year.

If you're struggling to reach someone at Federal Student Aid about this issue, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual FAFSA agent in less than 20 minutes after spending days trying on my own. They basically hold your place in the phone queue and call you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent I spoke with was able to look up my application, confirm it was in the system, and manually push it through to my schools when I explained the delay situation. Worth considering if you're really stuck.

my daughter had something similar happen but it was because we checked the wrong box about parent marital status. the system didn't tell us there was a problem, it just got stuck in processing. we only found out when we finally got through to someone on the phone. might be worth checking if there's an error in your application that's causing the delay.

Just a heads up - the SAI isn't as important as it used to be. Each college calculates financial need differently now, so even if you had your SAI, it wouldn't tell you exactly what aid you'll get. Focus on getting the FAFSA processed and transmitted to schools. Then you'll need to wait for each school to calculate their own aid package. The whole system is a mess and deliberately confusing if you ask me.

Has anyone tried creating a new FSA ID? My cousin said that worked for her when her FAFSA got stuck.

Update: I tried the different browser suggestion and it worked! I can see our application now, though it still shows as "processing." Our SAI is showing as $14,822 which seems high to me given our income, but at least I can see it now. Still shows only 6 schools received it though. I'm going to try calling FSA tomorrow and will check out that Claimyr service if I can't get through. Thanks everyone for the help!