FAFSA verification stuck after birthdate correction - will aid still process?
I'm so frustrated with this FAFSA nightmare! My daughter completed her portion of the 2025-2026 FAFSA without issues and sent it to me. I filled out my contributor section, got verified through the IRS portal, and submitted everything about 10 days ago. But NOTHING has shown up in my daughter's StudentAid.gov account yet! We finally figured out the problem - she accidentally entered her birth year as 2003 instead of 2004 (making her 21 not 20). When she logged in to fix it yesterday, the system locked her out completely! She had to call and they said she needs to go through identity verification AGAIN for her Social Security number because of the birthdate change. This is driving me crazy! Does anyone know if we'll still get her SAI score and aid package information once this verification clears? Or does the whole application need to be reprocessed from scratch? Her college priority deadline is coming up in 3 weeks and I'm panicking that she'll miss out on grants because of this stupid typo. 😫
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Natasha Volkova
the exact same thing happened with my son! he put wrong birth month (march not may) and whole account got flagged. took 18 days to get it fixed and get sai score. just keep calling every day until they fix it!!!
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Oliver Zimmermann
•18 days?? That's going to be too late for us! Did they at least backdate his application to when you originally submitted it? Or did you lose your place in line for aid?
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Javier Torres
This is a common issue with the new FAFSA system. The verification after a birthdate correction is a security feature, but it shouldn't affect your original submission date. Once verification is complete, your application will continue processing from where it left off, so you shouldn't lose your place in line for aid consideration. To answer your specific question: yes, once the identity verification clears, the system will generate her SAI score and schools will be able to access her information. The good news is that it's not a complete reprocessing - just a verification hurdle. For the school deadline coming up, I recommend: 1. Have your daughter contact the financial aid offices at her schools to explain the situation 2. Ask for a short extension if needed based on the FAFSA processing delay 3. Document all communication with Federal Student Aid regarding this issue Most schools understand these FAFSA system issues and will work with students facing technical problems.
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Oliver Zimmermann
•Thank you, this is really helpful! I'll have her contact the schools tomorrow. Do you know if there's any way to speed up the verification process? She's attempted to verify her identity through the online portal twice now but it keeps erroring out.
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Emma Davis
ugh this whole fafsa system is such a joke. my daughter had to get verified THREE TIMES for the same info. i swear they do this on purpose so less people get aid. just wait till you see what they offer anyway - probably like $500 when tuition is $30,000+ 🙄
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CosmicCaptain
•While the system definitely has flaws, the verification process is actually a security measure, not a way to deny aid. The Department of Education has to verify identity to prevent fraud, especially when there are discrepancies in the application. And your SAI calculation (which determines aid) isn't affected by verification delays - it's based on your financial information once processed.
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Malik Johnson
Try Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA agent faster - https://claimyr.com. I was stuck in verification hell for weeks until someone here recommended it. The service got me connected to an actual FSA agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent I spoke with was able to manually push my verification through the system and I got my SAI score 2 days later.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Does this actually work? I've been trying to reach someone at FSA for like a week and keep getting disconnected after waiting 40+ minutes!
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Malik Johnson
•Yes! It saved me hours of frustration. They connect you with a real FAFSA agent who can actually fix things in the system. My daughter's verification hold was fixed the same day after weeks of getting nowhere.
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Ravi Sharma
I'm a financial aid counselor, and I can tell you that birthdate correction verification is taking 7-14 days right now. The good news is that your original submission date IS preserved for aid consideration purposes. This is important because many schools award aid on a first-come, first-served basis for certain funds. Here's what you need to know: 1. The identity verification is just confirming your daughter's correct information 2. Your FAFSA submission date doesn't change despite the verification 3. Your daughter's SAI calculation will proceed once verification clears 4. Your application will NOT start over from scratch For the school deadline, have her email the financial aid office with: - Her name and ID number - FAFSA confirmation number (from your original submission) - Brief explanation of the birthdate correction issue - Request for accommodation regarding the deadline Most institutions have procedures for FAFSA processing delays that are beyond the student's control.
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Oliver Zimmermann
•Thank you so much for this detailed explanation! This makes me feel much better. Just to clarify - will she get an email when the verification is complete, or does she need to keep checking her account?
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Ravi Sharma
•She should receive an email notification when the verification is complete, but I always recommend checking the StudentAid.gov account every 2-3 days as well. Sometimes the emails get filtered or delayed.
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Natasha Volkova
my neice had something similarr with fafsa and she just went to the finacial aid office in person and they fixed everything right there!! maybe try that?
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CosmicCaptain
•The financial aid office can help with many things, but they can't directly fix FAFSA account verification issues - that has to be resolved through Federal Student Aid directly. However, going to the financial aid office is still a good idea because they can note the account issue in your file and may extend institutional deadlines while you get it resolved.
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Oliver Zimmermann
Just wanted to update everyone! My daughter was finally able to get through to someone at FSA after using Claimyr (thanks for that recommendation!). The agent confirmed that her original submission date was still preserved, and they were able to expedite the verification process. Her account is now showing the SAI score, and she's already contacted her schools to let them know about the situation. They were all very understanding and said it wouldn't affect her aid consideration. So relieved this is finally resolved!
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Malik Johnson
•That's great news! Glad it worked out for you. It's such a relief when you can finally get through to someone who can actually help.
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Ravi Sharma
•Excellent! This is exactly how it should work. Now that her SAI is showing, the schools can access her information and proceed with her financial aid package. Make sure she checks her school portals regularly for any additional documentation requests.
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