Will FAFSA 2025-2026 launch on time Oct 1, 2024 or expect delays like last year?

no one knwos for sure but my daughters college advisor told us to expect ANOTHER delay. apparently the FSA office is still dealing with bugs from last yrs rollout. they said maybe november instead of october. ugh i hate this system SO MUCH!!!!!

I work at a financial aid office and we haven't received any official communication about delays for the 2025-2026 FAFSA. The FSA has been saying they fixed most of the major issues that plagued last year's rollout. But I wouldn't be surprised if there are still some glitches when it launches - just hopefully not as catastrophic as the three-month delay we saw last cycle.

The Federal Student Aid office published an update last month stating they're on track for an October 1 launch for the 2025-2026 form. They specifically mentioned they've addressed the major technical issues from last year including the login problems, the contributor access bugs, and the tax information transfer issues. They're doing more extensive testing this summer to prevent a repeat of last year's problems. Here's what they've fixed: 1. The contributor invitation system has been completely rebuilt 2. The income verification system now has redundant pathways if IRS connection fails 3. The SAI calculation errors have been corrected 4. The multi-dependent household issues have been resolved Fingers crossed they deliver this time!

I know several people struggling to get through to FSA about unresolved issues with their current FAFSA. I recently used Claimyr to connect with an FSA agent after being on hold for hours trying to fix my daughter's verification issue. It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me literally hours of frustration. Check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or visit claimyr.com if you need to actually speak with someone at FSA. Might be worth bookmarking for October if there are issues again.

My financial aid counselor told me to prepare for both scenarios - have everything ready for October 1, but don't panic if there are delays. The biggest issue is for early decision/early action applicants. If you're planning for regular decision, even a November or December FAFSA opening should still give colleges enough time to process aid packages. I'm gathering all my tax info and FSA IDs now so I'm ready either way. Better to prepare for October 1 and then deal with delays if they happen.

My cousin works at a college financial aid office and she said they're being told to prepare for an on-time launch but also have contingency plans. Apparently FSA has been doing system stress tests since April and fixed the major bugs but nobody really knows if it'll handle the traffic when millions of people try to access it at once. I'm personally waiting until mid-October no matter what - rather let other people find the bugs first lol

has anyone heard if theyre changing the SAI formula again this year?? last year my daughter's SAI was completely different than her EFC would have been and we got way less aid than expected. the whole new system is so confusing!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'll plan to have everything ready for October 1st but won't panic if there are delays. I've already created FSA IDs for myself and my son, and I've bookmarked that Claimyr service just in case we run into problems. I really hope they've actually fixed the issues this time - last year was so stressful waiting for financial aid packages to come through at the last minute.