FAFSA status suddenly changed to 'under review' after showing completed - now pulling tax returns again?

This exact thing happened to my daughter's FAFSA last year. The "under review" status usually means they're doing a random verification check or found some discrepancy between your tax info and what was entered. Don't panic - it's actually pretty common this year with all the FAFSA changes. The system is pulling your tax return again because something likely flagged during their review process. In our case, there was a $420 difference between what I manually entered for my retirement contributions and what showed on my actual tax documents. You should contact the financial aid office at your son's school directly and let them know about the delay. Most schools have contingency plans for FAFSA delays this year and can offer provisional aid packages based on last year's information while you wait for the official SAI calculation.

THE ENTIRE FAFSA SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY BROKEN THIS YEAR!! They've had ENDLESS technical issues since the "simplified" version launched. My son applied in January and we're STILL dealing with random status changes and verification requests in May! Call your school's financial aid office ASAP and explain the situation. They might be able to hold your son's spot without the full deposit if they know you're waiting on FAFSA. And good luck actually reaching anyone at Federal Student Aid to fix this. I spent 14 HOURS on hold over 3 days trying to get someone to explain why our "completed" application suddenly needed corrections again. It's absolutely ridiculous!

i had same problem last week. turns out they do random verification things even after it says complete. my cousins application got flagged cuz her mom's W-2 numbers were off by like $50 from what she typed. its stupid but u just gotta wait it out. took like 10 days for them to finish reviewing hers.

While random verification selections are normal, the timing of yours is concerning since it changed from completed to under review. Here's what's likely happening: 1) The Department of Education is running additional verification checks on applications that were processed during the early system issues 2) There may be discrepancies between the IRS data and what was entered manually 3) You may have been randomly selected for verification (about 18% of applications are) I recommend taking these steps immediately: - Contact your son's school's financial aid office and request a professional judgment review based on the FAFSA delays - Ask if they can provide a provisional aid package while you wait for final SAI - Check your Student Aid account for any specific requests for documentation - Look for an official verification selection email which would contain specific instructions The good news is that most schools have procedures in place for this year's FAFSA delays and won't penalize students for federal processing issues.

My daughter got verified last yr and it took FOREVER!!! They kept asking for more n more papers! First tax stuff then bank statements then explanation of income for my side business... total nightmare! Make sure u respond to everything super fast. And be ready for them to ask for weird stuff nobody would ever think to have ready lol

After dealing with this exact issue for both my kids (twins) this year, I finally found a solution that worked when I couldn't get through to anyone for weeks. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an actual FAFSA agent within 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent was able to explain that our application got flagged for verification because my ex-husband and I filed taxes with different addresses but both claimed our twins as dependents (which was correct based on our custody arrangement). They fixed it right away once I explained. Honestly, after three weeks of busy signals and disconnections, it was worth it to finally get a straight answer and resolution.

This is my fourth time through the FAFSA process (last kid finally heading to college!), and I've noticed something about the "under review" status that might help explain what's happening. First, the under review status doesn't necessarily mean verification - it often means they're running an automated check on tax info that was already submitted. The system sometimes pulls tax data multiple times through the IRS DRT to verify consistency. Second, with the new FAFSA simplification, they're checking for duplicate student entries across multiple applications. If another parent or stepparent also listed your son as a contributor/beneficiary on their FAFSA, it can trigger a review. Third, school deadlines are not set in stone this year! The Department of Education has specifically instructed colleges to be flexible with deposit deadlines due to the FAFSA rollout issues. Your son will not lose his spot because of these federal delays. My recommendation: call the school's financial aid office, ask for the director (not just the front desk), and request a provisional aid estimate based on your tax information while you wait for the official SAI calculation. Most schools can do this now.

anybody else think its crazy we gotta deal with all this just to get some help paying for college?? my parents never even went to college and trying to figure this all out is like reading a foreign language sometimes lol

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid! They explained that my application was flagged because I had a Schedule C business income on my taxes but didn't complete the additional business asset section on the FAFSA. They're expediting the review since we're close to my son's deadline, and should have a final SAI calculation within 3-5 business days. The financial aid office also agreed to give us a preliminary aid package based on our tax returns so we can make a decision about the deposit. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

Congratulations on getting through to someone and finally getting answers! Your experience with the Schedule C business income issue is really helpful for others to know about. It's frustrating that these specific triggers aren't clearly communicated upfront, but at least you got it resolved. For anyone else reading this thread who might have similar issues - business income, rental properties, or other "non-standard" income sources seem to be common flags for additional review this year. Make sure to complete ALL sections of the FAFSA that relate to your tax situation, even if they seem optional. Hope your son gets a great financial aid package and can move forward with his college plans! 🎓

As someone who went through this exact nightmare last year, I can tell you that the "under review" status after showing completed is unfortunately becoming more common with the new FAFSA system. In most cases, it's either a random verification selection or the system detected some inconsistency in the data. A few things that might help while you wait: - Check if your son's college has a "FAFSA delay" form you can submit to extend deadlines - Ask the financial aid office about their appeals process for late aid applications due to federal processing delays - Consider applying for private scholarships as a backup plan while this gets sorted out The business income flag that caused your review is actually really common - the FAFSA system is much more sensitive to Schedule C income this year. At least you know what caused it now! Hopefully other parents reading this will double-check those business sections before submitting. Fingers crossed you get that final SAI calculation quickly! 🤞