Parent Plus Loan website under maintenance until January 20th - terrible timing!

You're not doing anything wrong - the Federal Student Aid systems go through periodic maintenance, but the timing is definitely inconvenient. I ran into this too when trying to complete my daughter's PLUS loan. According to their website, they typically process PLUS loans within 3-5 business days after the maintenance period, so your son's funding should still arrive before most schools' payment deadlines. Most financial aid offices are familiar with these maintenance windows and will work with you if the timing causes issues with payment deadlines.

Thank you for confirming I'm not going crazy! Do you know if there's any way to start the application process now and just save it until the system is back up? Or should I just wait until the 20th? My son's tuition is due on February 1st and I'm just worried about cutting it close.

OMG SAME!!!! i was literaly up til 2am trying to figure out why i couldn't get thru the parent plus application!!! so frustrating, my kids college is calling me everyday about getting the spring pmnt and now i cant even do anything til the 20th???

I feel your pain!! Have you called your kid's financial aid office to let them know about the delay? I'm wondering if they might extend payment deadlines since this is a federal system issue.

This is common but frustrating timing. Here's some important information that might help:\n\n1. Contact your student's financial aid office immediately to inform them of the delay. Most schools will place a temporary hold on the account knowing there's a Parent PLUS loan in process.\n\n2. The maintenance window is actually for the entire Federal Student Aid system as they update their processing for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, but it affects all current loan processing too.\n\n3. Once the system is back online, submit your application as early as possible on the 20th. You'll need your FSA ID ready and all your tax information.\n\n4. If you're concerned about making the February 1st deadline, ask the school if they offer a payment plan that would allow you to split the balance while waiting for the loan to process.\n\n5. Remember that after your application, the school still needs to certify the loan before funds are released, which can take 3-7 business days depending on their processing volume.

Thank you so much for this detailed info! I'll call my son's financial aid office first thing tomorrow. Do you happen to know if this maintenance will also affect my ability to check on the status of our 2025-2026 FAFSA that we submitted in December? Still haven't received the SAI calculation.

why does anyone even bother with parent plus loans??! the interest rates are RIDICULOUS compared to private loans. we gave up on fed loans last year and just went with Bank of America, way better rates and none of this government website nonsense.

While private loans can sometimes offer competitive rates for borrowers with excellent credit, Parent PLUS loans offer several advantages: fixed interest rates for the life of the loan, income-contingent repayment options, public service loan forgiveness eligibility, and deferment/forbearance options not available with private loans. For many families, especially those with variable income or who work in public service, these protections outweigh potentially lower initial interest rates from private lenders.

I've been having problems even getting through to anyone at Federal Student Aid to ask questions about the maintenance period. After being on hold for over 2 hours yesterday, I found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 15 minutes. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nThe FSA agent confirmed the whole system is down for maintenance, but told me that if you already have an approved Parent PLUS loan from the fall semester, many schools can do a

is this claimyr thing legit? i hate waiting on hold foreverrrr but im also scared of scams

It worked for me! They don't replace the actual FSA service - they just get you through the phone queue faster so you can talk to the real FSA agents. Saved me hours of hold time.

I'm an aid administrator at a community college, and I can tell you this maintenance window is causing headaches for everyone. Here's the insider perspective:\n\n- The maintenance is scheduled during this time because it's when they implement updates for the next academic year's processing system\n- Yes, it's terrible timing for spring semester processing\n- Most institutions (including ours) are being flexible with payment deadlines for students waiting on PLUS loans during this window\n- You should contact your financial aid office and ask for a \

Thank you for this insider perspective! I just called my son's financial aid office and they were very understanding. They put a hold on his account until February 10th to give time for the PLUS loan to process. Such a relief!

I went thru this exact thing last yr with my daughters spring tuition!!! The financial aid office at her school gave us a 2-week extension on the payment deadline after I showed them the maintenance notice. Just email them a screenshot of the maintenance message as proof and theyll probably work with you. Also the website came back a day early last time so maybe check on the 19th too!

thx for the tip about checking early! im gonna try on the 19th for sure

UPDATE: I called my son's financial aid office this morning and they were super helpful! They said they're aware of the FSA system maintenance and are automatically extending payment deadlines for all students with pending Parent PLUS loans. They put a special hold on his account until Feb 15th, which should give plenty of time for processing even if there are delays. For anyone else dealing with this, definitely call your financial aid office - they were way more understanding than I expected!

That's great news! Most financial aid offices are well-prepared for these situations, especially since the maintenance affects students nationwide. Glad you got the extension you needed!

So glad it worked out! one less thing to stress about 😌