Should we file 2025-2026 FAFSA in October or wait? Worried about early submission issues

I FILED THE SECOND IT OPENED LAST YEAR AND REGRETTED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!! My form got stuck in processing for 3 MONTHS and we missed early decision deadlines because the colleges couldn't calculate aid packages without the SAI. The FSA helpline was USELESS - I called 47 times in January alone and either got disconnected or was on hold for hours just to speak to someone who couldn't help. Save yourself the headache and wait at least 2-3 weeks after it opens.

Financial aid advisor here - I'd recommend filing in mid-October rather than day one. The Department of Education has implemented significant backend improvements for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, but their systems tend to be overwhelmed in the first week. That said, don't wait too long either, as many institutions (especially private colleges) distribute institutional aid on a first-come, first-served basis beyond federal programs. The most critical improvements this cycle are: 1) Better handling of blended families in the contributor section, 2) More accurate real-time income verification with IRS, and 3) Streamlined dependency override process. Aim for submission before November 1st for maximum consideration at most schools.

im waiting until thanksgiving tbh... let everyone else deal with the bugs first lol. my kid isnt applying to any schools with super early deadlines tho so we have more flexibility

Just went through this last year with my senior and it was terrible! We submitted on day 3 and our application was stuck in limbo for weeks. Then when it finally processed, they calculated our SAI completely wrong because they couldn't properly read my husband's small business income. We eventually had to submit correction after correction. My advice? File by mid-October but PRINT EVERYTHING and check your SAI calculation as soon as you get it. If I could do it all over, I would've also had all the college financial aid office phone numbers ready before I even started.

After going through FAFSA hell last year trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid when our application got stuck in verification, I discovered a service called Claimyr that saved me hours of frustration. It bypasses the phone queue and gets you connected to an actual FSA agent. Used their service (claimyr.com) and got through in 20 minutes instead of spending all day on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - just sharing because I wish I'd known about it sooner when our SAI calculation was wrong.

Here's my practical advice based on filing FAFSA for three kids over the years: 1) Wait until the third week of October 2) File on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning (less traffic on their servers) 3) Have ALL documents ready before starting (2023 tax return, W-2s, current bank statements) 4) Create and verify your FSA ID at least a week before attempting to file 5) Use the FAFSA preview worksheet from studentaid.gov to prepare your answers 6) File during non-peak hours (9-11am ET is typically best) This strategy has worked well even during the chaotic rollout last year. The key is being fully prepared but not being among the first wave that encounters the inevitable glitches.

My daughter applied to 9 schools last year and we waited until November to file. Biggest mistake ever! By the time our FAFSA was processed, several schools had already allocated their institutional scholarships. We lost out on about $7,000 in potential grants because we weren't in the first batch of applicants. Don't wait too long!

is it true that you need your 2023 tax info for the 2025-2026 fafsa? we had a really good year in 2023 compared to normal so worried that will hurt us

Thanks everyone for the insights! I think I'm going to aim for the third week of October like many of you suggested. Will definitely have all our documents ready beforehand and maybe even use that Claimyr service if we run into problems. The stakes feel so high with college costs being what they are - can't afford to miss out on any potential aid. Will also be prepared to file appeals if needed since our 2023 income doesn't really reflect our current situation (husband took a pay cut this year). Fingers crossed the 2025-2026 rollout goes smoother than last year's disaster!

As someone who works at a college financial aid office, I can't stress enough how important it is to submit by early November at the latest. We start packaging aid offers in December, and students who file later often get less institutional grant money simply because our funds are limited. That said, definitely don't be in the first wave - we always see a spike in correction requests from the earliest filers. My recommendation is to file in the last week of October, make sure you double-check all income figures before submitting (especially if you're self-employed or have multiple income sources), and keep detailed records of everything. Also, create a spreadsheet tracking each of your daughter's schools' priority deadlines - some state aid programs have earlier cutoffs than federal aid. The new FAFSA is supposed to be more user-friendly, but have a backup plan ready in case you encounter technical issues!

Coming at this from a parent who just survived the 2024-25 FAFSA nightmare with twins! We filed in early November last year (after waiting for the bugs to get worked out) and it was still a mess, but manageable. Here's what I learned: 1) The "simplified" process still requires the SAME documents as before, so don't let that fool you into being unprepared. 2) Screenshot EVERYTHING as you go - we had our application mysteriously reset twice and having screenshots saved us hours of re-entering data. 3) If you have divorced parents, start gathering those documents NOW because the contributor determination process was the biggest source of delays last year. 4) Consider filing a practice run on the FAFSA simulator first to catch any weird situations with your family's finances. My twins got into their top choices and we didn't miss out on institutional aid by filing in November, but I'd probably aim for late October this year just to be safe. The anxiety is real, but you've got this!

First-time FAFSA parent here and honestly feeling overwhelmed by all the horror stories! My daughter is a junior now so we have one more year to prepare, but reading through everyone's experiences is both terrifying and incredibly helpful. A few questions for the group: 1) For those who mentioned printing everything - are you literally printing every single page as you fill it out, or just the final submission confirmation? 2) Has anyone tried calling their state's financial aid agency for guidance, or is it better to stick with the federal resources? 3) I keep seeing mentions of "verification" - is this something that happens to everyone or only certain applications? Really appreciate this community sharing real experiences rather than just the official government guidance that makes it sound so simple!