Fixed my FAFSA with a dumb SSN mistake - wrong first three digits!
OMG y'all I just figured out why my FAFSA has been stuck in processing for THREE WEEKS! I accidentally used my husband's first three digits of his SSN instead of mine 🤦♀️ Like, how did I even do that?? I've literally known my SSN since I was 16! Just wanted to share in case anyone else is having weird processing delays or getting those cryptic error messages. Double-check your SSN!! Once I fixed it, my application went through in like 20 minutes and I already got my SAI score. Way easier than last year's nightmare application process!
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Andre Laurent
lol ive done stuff like this too. Last year i put my moms birthday instead of mine somehow 😂 the system should rly catch these things better
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Carmen Diaz
•Right?? You'd think they would have some kind of cross-check system. Like, they obviously have my correct SSN on file from previous years!
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AstroAce
This is actually a very common error! The FAFSA system does have validation checks, but they're limited to format checking (right number of digits) rather than cross-referencing previous applications. Since Social Security Numbers are assigned regionally, it can be especially easy to mix up family members' first three digits if you're from the same area. Glad you got it sorted out quickly!
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Zoe Kyriakidou
•wait is that why the first 3 digits can be similar for people from the same area??? i never knew that!
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AstroAce
•Yes, traditionally the first three digits (the Area Number) were assigned by geographic region, though this practice ended in 2011 when they switched to randomized assignment. That's why family members, especially spouses who may have grown up in different regions, often have different first-3 patterns.
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Jamal Brown
The exact same thing happened to me but it took me MONTHS to figure it out! I kept getting error code 113 but nobody could tell me what was wrong. I called FSA like 20 times and got disconnected every single time. FAFSA system is absolute garbage honestly. By the time I finally got it fixed, I almost missed the priority deadline and nearly lost my state grant eligibility.
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Carmen Diaz
•Oh no, that's awful! I got lucky that it hit me randomly or I might have been in the same boat. Did you eventually get your aid sorted out?
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Jamal Brown
•Barely. Had to get my financial aid office to submit a special circumstances form and I ended up with less money than I should have gotten. The whole system is designed to make us fail I swear.
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Mei Zhang
After dealing with FAFSA issues for three years straight, I finally found a way to actually get through to a real human at Federal Student Aid when these weird errors happen. There's this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically holds your place in the phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to pick up. Saved me hours of wait time when I had a similar issue with incorrect info. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Jamal Brown
•Does this actually work? I've tried calling FSA so many times and either wait 2+ hours or get disconnected.
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Mei Zhang
•Yeah it worked for me multiple times. Better than being stuck on hold forever. I was skeptical but my financial aid advisor actually recommended it when I couldn't get through.
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Liam McConnell
Pro tip from someone who's been through this process 4 times now: Take screenshots of EVERY single page as you complete your FAFSA. I create a folder each year with all my screenshots organized by section. Anytime there's an issue like this, I can quickly scan through and find the error. Saves me hours of frustration!
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Amara Oluwaseyi
•This is genuinely brilliant advice! Do you also save copies of all the tax documents and W-2 forms you upload? I'm always paranoid I'll need them again but won't have access.
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Liam McConnell
•Absolutely. I keep a digital folder with scanned copies of ALL documents related to FAFSA - W-2s, 1099s, tax return transcript, bank statements, etc. I also save the confirmation emails and SAI results page as PDFs. Has saved me countless times, especially when verification came up one year.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
im in the middle of my fafsa right now and stuck on the parent info section... my dad refuses to give me his tax info. can i just use fake numbers and then fix it later like you did with your ssn?? or will i get in trouble
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AstroAce
•No, you should NOT use fake financial information on your FAFSA. That's considered fraud and can have serious consequences. If your parent won't provide information, you should talk to your school's financial aid office about a potential dependency override or special circumstances review.
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Zoe Kyriakidou
•ugh thats what i was afraid of. my school said i probably dont qualify for dependency override just bc my dad is being difficult. this whole system sucks
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Carmen Diaz
Update: Got my full aid package today! Even with fixing my dumb mistake, I still got processed faster than last year. My SAI is about $3,500 lower than last year too (which is good!), probably because my husband had some unpaid leave. Just posting to give everyone hope that the 2025-2026 FAFSA really IS working better than before!
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Andre Laurent
•congrats! still waiting on mine... been 2 weeks now 😫
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Carmen Diaz
•Hang in there! Hopefully you'll hear soon. Double-check all your info if you haven't already! Those tiny mistakes can really slow things down.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
I'm actually having a similar issue but with my date of birth. The system keeps rejecting it saying there's a mismatch with SSA records, but I'm 100% certain I'm entering my correct birthdate. Has anyone dealt with this specific error? I've tried calling but can't get through to anyone.
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Mei Zhang
•You might need to contact the Social Security Administration directly to check what birthdate they have on file for you. Sometimes there are clerical errors in their system. I had a friend with this exact issue and it turned out her birth year was recorded wrong by the hospital!
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