No FAFSA updates for 2025-2026 application - is everyone else still waiting?

same here! 5 weeks no movement, portal says processing. daughter is freaking out bc her first choice school keeps sending emails about completing financial aid steps but we CANT without the stupid sAI!

It's unbelievable! Have you contacted her school's financial aid office? We did and they basically said \

Unfortunately, the FAFSA processing delays are affecting almost everyone this cycle. The Department of Education implemented significant changes to the system this year, and it's causing massive backlogs. Here's what I can tell you:\n\n1. Schools ARE receiving FAFSA data, but much slower than normal\n2. The average processing time right now is 4-8 weeks (up from the usual 3-5 days)\n3. Most schools are aware of these delays and are adjusting their internal deadlines\n\nI recommend contacting your daughter's schools directly to confirm they're extending their financial aid deadlines. Many are automatically extending them, but it's best to verify. Also, make sure your FAFSA doesn't have any flags requiring additional verification - that could further delay processing.

Thank you for this information! How would I know if we have flags requiring verification? The portal doesn't show anything like that - just says \

lol everyone panicking...they do this EVERY year...just wait it out

Actually, no, this year is significantly different. The FAFSA Simplification Act made major changes to the form and calculation system. The delays are unprecedented compared to previous cycles. I work in a university financial aid office, and we're seeing record-breaking processing times.

Try using Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA agent! After 3 weeks of trying to call FSA myself and getting disconnected, I found this service that gets you past the phone queues. You can see exactly how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nI got through to an actual human at FSA in about 15 minutes who explained that our application had a small income discrepancy that was causing the delay. They fixed it right there and our SAI showed up two days later. Seriously, check out claimyr.com - it saved my sanity!

I've never heard of this before - does it actually work? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point. Did they tell you what the income discrepancy was specifically?

I was in the same boat but FINALLY got our SAI score yesterday (after 7 weeks of waiting!). What fixed it for us was discovering there was an issue with how my spouse's income was reported. The FAFSA portal didn't flag any errors, but when I finally got through to an agent, they found the problem.\n\nMy advice:\n1. Double-check that all contributor information is 100% accurate\n2. Verify if your tax info pulled in correctly through the IRS DRT\n3. Contact each school's financial aid office directly - some have ways to move things along\n4. If you amended your taxes for 2023, that could be causing delays\n\nHang in there - the system is definitely overwhelmed this year.

did u have to submit any extra documents? we filed taxes on time and used the IRS data link thing but still waiting forever

No extra documents for us, but that's what was weird - the agent said sometimes there are \

Financial aid administrator here. The delays are unprecedented this year, and we've been telling students to take these steps:\n\n1. Check if your FAFSA shows \

It definitely says \

It wouldn't hurt to submit the CSS Profile as supplemental information, especially for private institutions. Some schools are actually requesting it now from students caught in FAFSA delays. The CSS Profile does have a fee, but you can request a fee waiver if it's a financial hardship. The additional financial details on the CSS might help schools make preliminary aid decisions while waiting for the official SAI.

I just got my daughter's SAI today after 6 weeks of waiting! What finally worked was contacting our local Congressman's office. They have caseworkers who can escalate federal issues, including FAFSA problems. I filled out a privacy release form on the Congressman's website, explained our situation, and within 3 business days, her FAFSA was processed! Try reaching out to your representative's office - they can often cut through red tape faster than we can as individuals.

That's brilliant! I didn't even think about contacting our congressional office. I'm going to look into this right away. Thank you so much for sharing what worked!

update - I called financial aid office at top choice school and they said theyre using CSS profile for now until FAFSA catches up! might be worth asking?

That's actually really helpful to know! I'll ask her schools if they're doing something similar. At least it gives us a backup plan while we wait. Thanks for the update!

After using Claimyr to get thru to FSA, the agent told me they found a mismatch between our reported household size on FAFSA vs what the IRS data showed. We're a blended family situation so it's complicated. They fixed it over the phone! Our SAI finally showed up this morning. So relieved!

Just wanted to update - I tried Claimyr after seeing your comment and it actually worked! Got through to an agent in about 20 minutes. Turns out there was a verification flag on our application because my daughter's social security number had a transposed digit. They fixed it immediately and said our SAI should be available within 3-5 business days. THANK YOU for suggesting this!