FAFSA tax information not populating after 3 days - should I complete manually?
Started my twin daughters' 2025-2026 FAFSA applications on Saturday, and got that pop-up message saying I should wait for my tax info to populate from the IRS. It's now Tuesday and still nothing has populated! Should I just go ahead and manually enter everything? Getting really anxious because I heard the early submission matters for maximum aid. My daughters are supposed to invite me as a contributor but I wanted the tax stuff to populate first. This is our first time with FAFSA and I'm completely lost. Anyone know how long the tax data transfer usually takes? Or should I just bite the bullet and enter everything manually?
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Felix Grigori
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool can take 3-5 business days to work properly, especially during high-volume periods like now. Since you started on Saturday, today (Tuesday) is really only the 2nd business day. I'd recommend waiting until at least Thursday before manually entering information. Entering manually increases your chances of errors that could trigger verification, which can delay your daughters' aid packages by weeks or months.
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Savannah Glover
•Thank you! That makes me feel better. So Thursday would be day 3 of business days... I'll try to be patient. If it doesn't populate by then, is the manual entry process difficult? I have all our tax returns ready.
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Felicity Bud
jst did mine last week and it took 4 days for the tax stuff to show up. hang tight
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Savannah Glover
•Thanks for the data point! Was yours 4 business days or 4 calendar days?
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Felicity Bud
•4 calendar days i think? i started it saturday too and it showed up wednesday morning
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Max Reyes
I WOULDN'T WAIT!!!!! My son's aid got reduced last year because we submitted "too late" even though it was before the deadline. The early batch gets processed first and gets more money. The tax tool thing is CONVENIENT but NOT REQUIRED. Just enter everything manually - it takes maybe 20 extra minutes tops but at least you'll be DONE. Don't risk losing out on thousands in aid!!!
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Felix Grigori
•This isn't accurate. Schools have their own priority deadlines, but submitting a few days earlier won't affect federal aid amounts. The SAI calculation doesn't change based on submission date. Manual entry does increase verification risk, which can delay aid packages by 4-6 weeks.
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Max Reyes
•Tell that to my son's financial aid office! They literally told us we got less because we were in the "second wave" of processing. Different schools DO things differently regardless of what the "rules" say!!!!
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Mikayla Davison
I had a similar issue and finally got through to a FAFSA agent after calling for days. She said their systems are backed up with the new FAFSA format, and the IRS data transfer is taking longer than usual. If you want to bypass the wait times when calling, try Claimyr.com - it literally saved me hours of waiting. They got me connected to a live agent in minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Savannah Glover
•Thanks for the suggestion! Did the agent give you any estimate on how long the tax info transfer should take? Or did they just say it's delayed in general?
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Mikayla Davison
•The agent told me 5-7 calendar days right now, which is longer than the usual 1-3 days from previous years. She also mentioned that if you filed your taxes electronically, it should work eventually, but if you filed by paper, you might need to enter manually regardless.
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Adrian Connor
Financial aid advisor here! A few tips: 1. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is experiencing delays this application cycle due to high volume. Wait at least 5 business days. 2. Your daughters should set up their FSA IDs and begin their portions while waiting. They can complete most sections independently. 3. Once they reach the parent section, they can send you a contributor invitation. The system will save their progress. 4. When you accept the invitation, you'll create your own FSA ID if you don't have one already. 5. Manual entry isn't difficult but increases verification chances by about 30%. For twin dependents, make sure each daughter completes her own separate FAFSA but lists both children in your household on each application.
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Savannah Glover
•Thank you so much for this detailed breakdown! I didn't realize they could start their portions while we wait for the tax info. Great point about the household size too - I would have gotten confused about that with twins.
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Adrian Connor
•You're welcome! And one more tip: When your daughters reach the SAI estimate page, take a screenshot. The official SAI may vary slightly, but this gives you a general idea of your aid eligibility while waiting for official school offers. And don't be alarmed if your SAI seems high - many schools use institutional aid formulas that differ from federal calculations.
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Aisha Jackson
wait the IRS tax thing is supposed to work automatically?? I just spent 2 hours manually entering all our information yesterday... no one told me there was an automatic option lol. fml
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Ryder Everingham
•Same thing happened to my wife! She did the whole thing manually while I was telling her "I think there's a way to connect it to our tax return" but she was like "I'M ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH!
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Felix Grigori
•For future reference (and for others reading this), yes - the IRS Data Retrieval Tool automatically transfers your federal tax return info to your FAFSA. It helps prevent errors and reduces the chance of being selected for verification. There's a link in the financial information section called "Transfer Tax Information" that activates this feature.
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Savannah Glover
Update: It finally populated! Just checked this morning (Thursday) and all the tax info was there. Thanks everyone for the advice and keeping me from panicking. Now I just need to figure out how this contributor invitation works...
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Felix Grigori
•Great news! For the contributor invitation, your daughters will need to go to the parent/contributor section in their applications and enter your email address. You'll receive an email with instructions on how to create an FSA ID (if you don't have one) and complete your portion. Make sure to use the exact same email address for both daughters' invitations so you can access both from the same account.
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Savannah Glover
•Perfect! I'll tell them to send the invites to my main email then. Really appreciate all the help from everyone!
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Sofia Morales
Great to see it worked out! For other parents reading this thread, I wanted to add that if you're still having issues with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool after 5-7 business days, you can also check if your tax return status with the IRS. Sometimes if there were any issues with your return processing, it can prevent the data transfer from working. You can check this on the IRS website or by calling their automated line. Also, make sure the names and SSNs on your tax return match exactly what you're entering in the FAFSA - even small differences can cause the tool to fail.
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Charlee Coleman
•This is really helpful additional info! I didn't know that tax return processing issues could affect the data transfer. Good point about the name/SSN matching too - I can see how even a small typo could mess things up. Thanks for sharing these troubleshooting tips for others who might run into problems!
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