Is starting a new FAFSA application better than fixing mistakes on submitted one?
I'm absolutely losing my mind trying to correct all the mistakes my son made on our FAFSA submission. He thought he was being helpful by filling it out himself (without telling me!) and now the SAI calculation is completely wrong. He mixed up our assets, left out some income sources, and somehow listed himself as providing more than half of his own support (he doesn't). The corrections process is so complicated and each fix triggers more verification requests. Has anyone just abandoned a messed-up FAFSA and started fresh with a new application? Is that even allowed? Or am I stuck trying to fix this disaster piece by piece? Seriously regretting letting him have access to my FSA ID.
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Lucy Taylor
There is technically no way to "abandon" a submitted FAFSA and start a new one for the same academic year. The system identifies applications by student SSN and aid year, so a new submission would be rejected as duplicate. However, there are two potential approaches to consider: 1. Submit comprehensive corrections through the correction portal on studentaid.gov. Rather than fixing issues one by one (which often triggers multiple verification cycles), document all errors, gather all supporting documentation, and submit corrections all at once. 2. In extreme cases with numerous significant errors, you can contact Federal Student Aid directly and request what's sometimes called an "application reset" - this isn't widely advertised, but FSA reps have the ability to clear certain fields while maintaining your original submission date. Either way, I strongly recommend contacting your student's college financial aid office to alert them to the situation. They can often place a hold on processing until corrections are complete.
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Isaac Wright
•Thank you for the detailed explanation. I didn't know about the "application reset" option - that sounds like exactly what I need! Do you happen to know if there's a specific department or person I should ask for when I call FSA?
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