FAFSA submission with only one parent contributor - will this affect our SAI?
So my husband and I are in a weird situation with our son's FAFSA application. Our son completed his section and sent parent invites to both of us (we're married filing jointly on taxes). I received my parent invite and was able to login to my FSA ID account and complete my contribution. But my husband never got his invite email. The strange thing is, after I submitted my part, our son's application status changed to "application received and is being processed" without my husband's info at all! Has anyone else had only one parent (out of a married couple) complete the FAFSA and have it still process? I'm worried this might mess up our son's SAI calculation or flag our application for verification later. Should we try to contact someone about this or just leave it alone since it seems to be processing?
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Yuki Ito
Yes, this happened to us last year! Only my wife completed her contributor section (I never received an invite either), and our daughter's FAFSA went through processing fine. The current FAFSA only requires one parent in a married household to complete the contribution section. As long as you indicated you're married filing jointly and included the household income correctly, you should be fine. The system uses the tax information you provided which already includes both your incomes.
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Ethan Taylor
•Oh that's such a relief! I was worried we'd need to start over or something. So I did indicate we file jointly and I included our combined AGI from our 2023 tax return. I guess that's why it processed without needing my husband's separate verification?
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Carmen Lopez
my cousins fafsa went thru with just her mom doing it too but they got flagged for verification later and had to send in tax transcripts for both parents bc the dad never did his part. its probly fine but be ready for extra steps maybe
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Ethan Taylor
•Thanks for the heads up! I'll make sure we have our tax transcripts ready just in case they ask for verification. Better to be prepared.
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Andre Dupont
This happened to my son's application. One parent info is enough - the key is that you indicated you file jointly, so the FAFSA system already has both incomes through your tax return data. The new FAFSA (2024-2025) actually streamlined this process. You'll be fine!
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QuantumQuasar
•Actually, there's a bit of nuance here. While the application may process with just one parent contributor, it's technically supposed to have both parents' info for married filing jointly. The system might be letting it through due to the tax info transfer, but there's still a small chance it could trigger a verification request later. Not trying to worry anyone, just sharing what I've seen working with families on FAFSA applications.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
THE ENTIRE FAFSA SYSTEM IS A MESS THIS YEAR! My daughter's application has been "processing" for EIGHT WEEKS and we can't get anyone to tell us what's happening. Both my husband and I submitted our parts but it doesn't even matter because nothing is moving forward anyway. I wouldn't worry about your husband's missing part - worry about the fact that the whole system is broken!!!
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Jamal Wilson
•Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to an actual FSA agent? I was stuck in processing limbo for weeks and couldn't get anyone on the phone. I used claimyr.com and got through to a real person who fixed our issue in minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Saved me from going crazy with the constant busy signals and hangups.
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Mei Lin
random question but did your husband also create an FSA ID? my brother had this problem where he never got the invite but it was bc he didnt have an FSA ID set up first so the system had nowhere to send the invite. just a thought
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Ethan Taylor
•Hmm, that's actually a good point. My husband did create an FSA ID last year when our daughter applied, but maybe something happened with it? I'll have him check if his account is still active. Though at this point since the application is processing, I'm not sure if we should rock the boat...
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QuantumQuasar
Financial aid administrator here. Don't worry about this situation. For 2024-2025 FAFSA, the system was designed to technically allow either: 1) both parents to contribute separately, or 2) one parent to provide information for both if they file jointly. The key is that your combined household income is correctly reported. Since your application is already processing, I wouldn't recommend trying to fix anything - you'll likely receive your SAI calculation without issues. If you do get selected for verification later (which is random for about 20% of applicants), you'll simply need to provide documentation for both parents' income at that time.
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Ethan Taylor
•Thank you so much for this expert insight! It really helps to hear from someone who works in financial aid. I'll leave the application as is since it's already processing and make sure we have all our documentation ready in case of verification.
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Carmen Lopez
lol this whole new FAFSA is so confusing. i heard they changed it to be "simpler" but everyone i know is having weird problems like this
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•EXACTLY!!! "Simpler" = total disaster. My daughter might miss out on aid because they can't get their act together. I've called 37 TIMES this month alone!
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Yuki Ito
Our SAI came back fine with just one parent contribution. As long as you included your total household AGI correctly, there shouldn't be an issue with the calculation. The system is primarily looking at your tax information rather than who specifically entered it.
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Ethan Taylor
•That's reassuring to hear! Did you happen to get selected for verification afterward? I'm trying to gauge how likely that might be in our situation.
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Mei Lin
i think ur overthinking this tbh. if the system says its processing then its good. my mom did ours by herself and my stepdad didnt do anything and i got my aid package already
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Ethan Taylor
•You're probably right that I'm overthinking this! I just don't want anything to delay my son getting his aid. Thanks for sharing your experience - it helps to know others had similar situations work out fine.
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