FAFSA submitted without parent info - need to add myself or start over?

You don't need to start completely over, but you do need to make a correction. Have your son log into studentaid.gov, go to the FAFSA application, and select "Make FAFSA Corrections." From there, he can add you as a contributor and you'll receive an email invitation to complete your section. Make sure he also corrects the free/reduced lunch question while he's in there. Once you both complete your sections, he'll need to resubmit with your electronic signature. The school will automatically receive the updated information.

omg this EXACT thing happened to my daughter last year!!! The financial aid office was so confused. Eventually we got it straightened out but took forever

The FAFSA system is GARBAGE this year!!! They supposedly "simplified" it but made everything more confusing. My kid also skipped steps accidentally and now we're being penalized with a lower SAI score. Been trying to get through to someone at FSA for TWO WEEKS with no luck. The system is rigged against families who don't have professional help filling these out.

Financial aid advisor here - this happens more often than you'd think! Here's what to do: 1. Have your son log in and select "Make FAFSA Corrections" 2. Add you as a contributor (you'll need your FSA ID) 3. Complete your section (taxes, assets, etc) 4. Both electronically sign the corrected FAFSA 5. Email his financial aid office explaining the situation The school will automatically receive the corrected FAFSA in 3-5 business days. Since this is a common error, they'll typically just process the corrected version and disregard the affidavit request. Just make sure you complete this before their priority deadline! If you're having trouble getting through to FSA by phone, check out Claimyr.com - they have a service that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours when helping families. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works.

Not to make things worse but when my son did something similar last year, we had to wait 5-7 days for the corrections to process and then another week for the schools to update their systems. I'd recommend correcting it ASAP and then calling each school to make sure they know corrections are coming.

Wait i'm confused - the free lunch question affects your SAI? my daughter checked no on that even tho she got free lunch in hs. should we fix that too???

try using the FAFSA correction option but TAKE SCREENSHOTS of everything. when my son made corrections they somehow disappeared and we had no proof. ended up having to get our congressperson involved to fix it. the new system has so many glitches

I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid about a similar issue by using Claimyr. After calling the regular number for days and getting disconnected, I tried their service and got through to a real person in about 45 minutes (while I did other things). The agent was able to confirm the corrections would be processed in time. Website is claimyr.com if you're still struggling to reach someone by phone.

Once your son makes the correction and adds you as a contributor, make sure you both check your email regularly. You'll need to create an FSA ID if you don't already have one, then accept the contributor invitation. The system will walk you through entering your financial information. Both of you will need to sign electronically before it resubmits.

after you fix it tell your son about something called READING THE DIRECTIONS lol my daughter did the same thing and i was like did you even look at the screen before clicking next

I went through this exact same situation with my daughter last fall! The good news is that corrections are definitely possible and the schools are used to seeing this mistake. Here's what worked for us: My daughter logged into studentaid.gov, selected "Make FAFSA Corrections," and added me as a contributor. I got the email invitation within minutes and was able to complete my section that same day. The whole correction process took about 2 hours total. The key thing is to email the financial aid office right after you submit the corrections to let them know you're fixing an error, not actually refusing to provide information. Most schools will put the affidavit request on hold once they know corrections are coming. Also, don't stress too much about the timeline - corrections typically process faster than initial submissions. We had our corrected FAFSA processed and sent to schools within 3 business days. You should be fine with 2 weeks to spare!