How to fix FAFSA birthday error through paper correction - where to mail form?
I'm at my wit's end with this FAFSA birthday error! The system somehow entered my son's birthdate incorrectly (shows 05/12/2006 when it should be 05/21/2006), even though the Social Security Administration has the correct info. I've tried calling FSA for 3 days straight with no luck getting through. I heard you can submit a paper correction rather than redoing the whole application. Has anyone successfully done this? Did you have to complete the entire FAFSA form again or just fill out the section with the error? And most importantly - WHERE do you actually mail the paper correction form? The FAFSA website is so confusing on this! We need to get this fixed ASAP since his SAI calculation is likely wrong with the incorrect birthdate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Sergio Neal
yea i did paper correction last yr for my income amounts... its way easier than redoing everything. you only need to fill out the student info page + whatever section has the wrong info. dont do the whole thing again
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Leslie Parker
•Thank you! Did they process it quickly? And do you remember where you mailed it to?
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Savanna Franklin
I helped my daughter submit a paper correction in February to fix her citizenship status that somehow got marked wrong. The FAFSA correction form needs to be mailed to: Federal Student Aid Programs P.O. Box 7654 London, KY 40742-7654 Make sure you complete Sections 1, 2, and then only the specific questions that need correction (in your case Section 3 for the birthdate). You'll both need to sign it. Processing took about 3 weeks for us.
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Leslie Parker
•This is EXACTLY what I needed! Thank you so much for the address and the tip about which sections to complete. I'll get this done today. 3 weeks is better than I feared!
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Juan Moreno
•That address is wrong! The Kentucky office closed and now all corrections go to the Iowa office. The correct address is Federal Student Aid Programs, P.O. Box 4222, Iowa City, IA 52245. I made the same mistake and my correction was returned to me after 4 weeks of waiting.
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Amy Fleming
why bother with paper? just make a new fsa id with the right birthday and resubmit the whole thing online. worked for my cousing
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Alice Pierce
•This is actually incorrect and potentially problematic advice. Creating a new FSA ID with different information when you already have one tied to your SSN can create serious verification issues. The system will flag this as a potential fraud attempt since the same SSN would have two different birthdates associated with it. The paper correction is the proper procedure in this situation.
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Esteban Tate
I HATE the FAFSA system errors!!!! My daughter's application had her name completely wrong (added an extra middle name we don't use) and we spent SIX WEEKS trying to get it fixed. Called 37 times and kept getting disconnected. The whole system is BROKEN and they don't care at all about students trying to get aid.
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•I feel your pain! The FAFSA system has so many bugs this year with the FAFSA Simplification rollout. Have you tried using Claimyr to reach an agent? I was getting disconnected constantly, then used claimyr.com to get through to a real person. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - saved me hours of frustration when fixing my daughter's parent contribution error.
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Esteban Tate
•Never heard of that but I'll try ANYTHING at this point! Thanks for the suggestion.
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Alice Pierce
Financial aid advisor here. For birthday corrections specifically: 1. You DO need a paper correction form (available at https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2025-26-fafsa-correction.pdf) 2. Complete only: - Section 1: Student Info - Section 2: Student Eligibility - Section 3: Only question 9 (the birthdate) - Signatures on page 8 3. Include a brief letter explaining the error and that SSA has the correct DOB 4. Make a copy of everything before sending 5. Send via certified mail to the Federal Student Aid Programs P.O. Box in Iowa (NOT Kentucky - that address is outdated) Processing currently takes 2-3 weeks. The student's SAI will be recalculated automatically when the correction is processed.
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Leslie Parker
•Thank you so much for these detailed instructions! I've found the form and will follow your steps exactly. Should I include any documentation from SSA showing the correct birthdate?
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Alice Pierce
•Yes, if you have any SSA documentation showing the correct birthdate, include a copy (not the original). This can help expedite the review. Also, once you mail it, monitor your email daily as they sometimes request additional information.
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Ivanna St. Pierre
When I had to fix my daughter's FAFSA, I tried calling for weeks with no luck. Constantly on hold or disconnected. Finally, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a FAFSA agent who helped process my correction over the phone instead of waiting for mail. Their service held my place in line while I did other things. There's a quick video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Saved me weeks of waiting for the paper correction to process.
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Leslie Parker
•That's interesting! I didn't know you could actually process a birthdate correction over the phone. Was it really that simple? Did they need any verification documents?
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•They verified my identity and my daughter's info, then processed it as a 'data entry correction' since it was obviously a system error. The agent said birthdate corrections are common and don't always require the paper form if it's clearly a typo or system error. Much faster than waiting for mail processing.
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Juan Moreno
BE CAREFUL with paper corrections!!! I spent 5 weeks waiting after sending one, only to find out it never got processed because I didn't fill out Section 1 completely. They want EVERY FIELD in section 1 filled out even if only one thing needs fixing. And don't forget to include your DRN number from your SAR or they'll reject it without telling you.
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Leslie Parker
•Thanks for the warning! I'll make sure to complete all of Section 1 completely. What's a DRN number and where exactly do I find it?
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Juan Moreno
•DRN = Data Release Number. It's on your Student Aid Report (SAR), which you can access on studentaid.gov. It's a 4-digit number in the upper right corner. Write this number on the top of EVERY page of your correction form!
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Sergio Neal
btw the fafsa site has been crashing all day. maybe wait till tomorrow to try and print the correction form
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Leslie Parker
•Thanks for the heads up! I actually managed to download it earlier today before it crashed. At least something went right! 😓
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