An SAI can go as low as -1500 or go as high as 999,999. Anything 0 or negative qualifies as Full Pell Grant and other opportunities. Then partial Pell Grant is given depending on the SAI number (for example an SAI of 10,000 may or may not qualify for aid depending on your college's cost of attendance). Not all students will qualify for Pell nor partial Pell. However, that's just for the Pell Grant. The FAFSA indicates what student loans and Work-Study aid you'll qualify for from the federal government. Then you may have access to aid and scholarships from your state and from your college. In addition, some private scholarship require the SAI which can only be found from completing the FAFSA.
Nope, plenty of students just put 0 there. However, remember it's not only bank accounts but cash on hand so if you have a physical savings of money at home then you do need to report that. Unless it's a huge amount of money it shouldn't affect your FAFSA.
My contributions FAFSA form is complete and already processed while mine said “Your parent has not granted their consent and approval to share federal tax information, and there may be other errors in their section.” I need help
Sorry for the delayed response. Were you able to find a solution? My guess is 1 of 2 situations. 1. Your parent's selected that they declined to consent for the IRS data to process their information, which means you won't qualify for any aid until they consent. They will just need to login and edit their form and resubmit. If they have already submitted and it won't let them edit, see if you can delete them off the form or you could submit your side with the errors and then make a correction once it's been processed. 2. You may have possibly started a correction. Meaning you already have a finished FAFSA and it has been submitted. However, you are just missing your parent's information.
This is one of the most common issues, here are some ideas: Delete everything off the invitation and reinvite your parents. Sometimes something as small as an extra unseen space after the first or last name could be causing this issue and so we recommend deleting everything and reinviting. An alternative you could do is to delete your FAFSA and start from the beginning, but this time have your parent start the FAFSA and invite you as a student. I've seen this work multiple times.
This is one of the most common issues, here are some ideas: Delete everything off the invitation and reinvite your parents. Sometimes something as small as an extra unseen space after the first or last name could be causing this issue and so we recommend deleting everything and reinviting. An alternative you could do is to delete your FAFSA and start from the beginning, but this time have your parent start the FAFSA and invite you as a student. I've seen this work multiple times.
When you get to minute 17:57 it will say you are an independent student, then it will skip any questions regarding parents, and then you just finish the rest of the FAFSA just like in the video. You'll fill out your student demographics, high school information, financials and assets, select your colleges, and then sign and submit. That's it! Basically your FAFSA is cut in half because you won't need anything from your parent.
All the data from the FAFSA is under strict security and protected under FERPA. That is why there is so many security protocols just to create an account with studentaid.gov. In addition, the IRS has almost all the information shared on the FAFSA so if they file taxes the government already has their information.
I keep on getting an “You have entered an invalid response in the "Social Security Number" field. Delete the response you entered and then select Help (?) for more details." Whenever I try to create a fasfa Id for my parents, and tips? It literally won’t work no matter how much we correct it
I would double check the Social Security Number, have the card out to make sure it is exactly as listed on the card. You could also try creating the account on a different device, a different browser, or different internet. If the problem persists, I would call FSA at 1-800-433-3243. However, it may take you a couple of tries to get ahold of them. They are overworked and not answering.
If the student and the parent created their studentaid.gov accounts and those accounts were verified, the tax questions won't even show up. They will just be automatically transferred from the IRS.
If the student and the parent created their studentaid.gov accounts and those accounts were verified, the tax questions won't even show up. They will just be automatically transferred from the IRS.
90% of the time the following instructions will fix your issue. Login to studentaid.gov, find "My Activity", and select your 2024-25 FAFSA form. Then find your contributors. Select to edit them and then go in and delete every box (name, date of birth, social security number, etc.) and re-enter every box exactly as it is show on your parents studentaid.gov account. Even an extra space after the name could cause this to not work. Then see if they can link to your FAFSA.
It depends on the situation. If they have Social Security Numbers it should only take 1-3 business days. Here’s the order I’ve seen for parent’s without SSNs: 1. They create their studentaid.gov account, at the end it has them answer the knowledge based questions. They answer them correctly and confirm their identity and are good to go! 2. The parents incorrectly answer one of the knowledge based questions or there is an error and the knowledge based questions do not appear. The parent should receive an email from FSA with a case number and the attestation form. They need to fill out that form, attached the required documents (on page 3 of the attestation form), and email back FSA with that information. 3. If the documents the parents provided are not approved or are “rejected” by FSA, they will need to resubmit the needed documents. 4. If the parents don’t have the required documents, or if the documents they provide are not valid, then the student will not qualify for Title IV aid (aid from the FAFSA) because FSA cannot verify the identity of the parent.
It's very similar. The parent may fill out much of the student information and so the student will have less to answer but for the most part, all the questions are the same.
I answered all the beginning questions correctly and put I was in year Junior and beyond. But I’m not 24 and it said I was independent even though I’m not and never had to put my parents info. Do I have to correct this? I already submitted
I would review 15:37 again to make sure you answered all the questions correctly. One question that students are getting stumped on is at timestamp 17:54 that asks about applying for an unsubsidized loan only. Make sure you put "No" here.
@@utahcollegeaccessI was never asked about the unsubsidized question. Even in review it was left blank. I even went back to check to see the question and it wasn’t there. Is it because I gave permission to consent info from IRS?
@@izzyb.6050 No the consent form would not cause you to be independent. Right now you can't make any corrections until your FAFSA is processed, which should happen in the next two weeks. You should receive an email indicating your FAFSA has been processed and at that point you should go in to make a correction. When you make your correction, review the questions at timestamp 15:37 again and double check them all. I'll go through each question in this comment again so you can review these to make sure you answered them correctly. First is the student marital status, make sure you put single. If you are married it would cause you to be independent. Second, school college and career plans make sure you clicked "Other Undergraduate (Junior and beyond)" and then "No" to if you already have a Bachelor's degree. Third, under "Student Personal Circumstances" select "none of these apply" any other selection would make you independent. Fourth, indicate you are not homeless or answer "No" on that question (unless applicable). Fifth, for the "Student Unusual Circumstance" select "No". Double check that your birthday doesn't put you as 24 years old and if it asks, make sure you select that you don't have any dependents. If the situation still persists, I would recommend talking with your college to see if they can help.
If the parent created their account (FSA ID) and it was processed, the FAFSA will actually skip all the tax questions because they have transferred your tax data from the IRS. That's what the consent form is for, if you clicked "approve" you gave them permission to pull that over. Just fill out what is asked of you on the FAFSA and you should be good to go!
Hi All, As usual so appreciative here of your resources!! Gracias and thank you! you all rock! Any news about the Spanish video coming up soon?! That'd be fantastic! Thank you for the consideration!
Why does this sound like this is a government funded video. The reality is that if the government ran their loan program as-is in the private sector, it will be illegal.
Hello, I have a FASFA account for myself (for when I was attending college) and now my son is applying. When I got the email acknowledging my student has invited me to "help complete his form" I have a "get started" blue tab and your example has "log in" when I hit the "get started" tab, it takes me to My activity/Dashboard information and NOT linking me to my son's account. any suggestions to get me to my son's account to complete the parent portion of his FASFAS?
It would be because the invitation your son sent to you from his FAFSA had something incorrect on it. This could be as small as an extra space at the end of your first or last name. I would sit down with your student and both login on separate devices, have him edit his contributor, and make sure everything is exactly the same as you can see on your profile for your account.
Great question, this issue usually happens if your invite to your parent didn't have the EXACT same information (first and last name, date of birth, social security number) that your parent has on their account. Even an extra SPACE at the end of a name can cause this issue. I would go in and delete everything off the parent invite and reinsert it EXACTLY as seen on your parent's FSA ID/student aid account. If your parent doesn't have a Social Security number, this could also be the cause. If this is the case, try in a couple of weeks. Federal Student Aid said that they have an update coming to fix a lot of these issues.
It would be because the invitation the student sent to the parent from their FAFSA had something incorrect on it. This could be as small as an extra space at the end of the parent's first or last name. I would sit down together and both login on separate devices, have the parent open their profile to see the name, date of birth, and Social Security Number (SSN) listed so you can see the exact items listed. Then have the student edit their contributor, and make sure everything is exactly the same as can be seen on the parent's profile and send the invite again. I would delete every item (first and last name, date of birth, and SSN) and reenter that information. Now if the parent does not have an SSN, currently there is no fix for this issue and we are waiting for the March update to possibly fix this issue. That update should happen within the next two weeks.
i had troubles with parent section my parents got the Email, and once we created an account, login does not shows that option to help complete my section, dashbaord is just Blank. is it becase no socail security take awhile to review? is there a difference in parents or student account ?
It would be because the invitation the student sent to the parent from their FAFSA had something incorrect on it. This could be as small as an extra space at the end of the parent's first or last name. I would sit down together and both login on separate devices, have the parent open their profile to see the name, date of birth, and Social Security Number (SSN) listed so you can see the exact items listed. Then have the student edit their contributor, and make sure everything is exactly the same as can be seen on the parent's profile and send the invite again. I would delete every item (first and last name, date of birth, and SSN) and reenter that information. Now if the parent does not have an SSN, currently there is no fix for this issue and we are waiting for the March update to possibly fix this issue. That update should happen within the next two weeks.
I love these simple answers: "call the FSA information center" as if that's easy! I've tried calling and emailing, never got an answer. Never even got past the phone menu--bot just says they are overloaded at this time, call back later.
Question why aren’t they getting back to anyone on any type of communication process? Should I be worried I won’t receive a word back before graduation? I’m planning to leave for college during the summer
My apologies- I don't understand the question. Are you stating that you're having a hard time getting a hold of the FSA customer service? If that's not it, could you please restate the question?
@@tymartin1614 Federal Student Aid will be processing FAFSAs in the next couple of weeks. If your FAFSA is processed without any errors they will send your FAFSA information to your college. Then your college will review your information and see if they need to double check anything from you (called verification), and if not they will send an offer letter outlining the different types of aid you qualify for. However, that offer letter may not be showing up until anywhere between April through the summer.
@@hoboorum4183My achievement coach told me it’s an ongoing problem with student parents that don’t have ssn. We should see this get fix hopefully by march or may.
It would be because the invitation the student sent to the parent from their FAFSA had something incorrect on it. This could be as small as an extra space at the end of the parent's first or last name. I would sit down together and both login on separate devices, have the parent open their profile to see the name, date of birth, and Social Security Number (SSN) listed so you can see the exact items listed. Then have the student edit their contributor, and make sure everything is exactly the same as can be seen on the parent's profile and send the invite again. I would delete every item (first and last name, date of birth, and SSN) and reenter that information. Now if the parent does not have an SSN, currently there is no fix for this issue and we are waiting for the March update to possibly fix this issue. That update should happen within the next two weeks.
I have a question that in the part of Demographic, when I fill the A-number and it said fail to save.I pretty sure my A-number is hundred percent correct. And I tried to email them but no reply, so what should i do, thanks.
Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, some A numbers have not been saving- for example, one known issue in this regard is if the A number ends with a '0'. This is something that the FSA is still working on to remedy. You're right that there has been difficulty in getting help from the FSA, as their phone lines and emails are swamped. One suggestion is to reach out to the FSA through their chat service; you should see a little green owl located on the bottom right hand corner of the screen on studentaid.gov. Beyond the chat service, the next best suggestion is to take screenshots and reach out to your university's financial aid office on next steps.
Will not allow me to create an account! An unknown error keeps popping up. To it said invalid SD#. I have tried to create my account 26 times. I am the parent and need to do my portion! Help! No one answers the fafsa phone line, chat or email
I would double check, to see if you already have an account. Try logging in and selecting, forgot my username or password. The best thing to get access to your account is to call Federal Student Aid at 1-800-433-3243. The only problem is that they are backed up bad. I've had some success getting ahold of someone early in the morning right when they open at 8 AM EST. As a side note: We've seen this issue mainly with parents that don't have a Social Security number. If the parent doesn't have one here is the latest information: There still isn't a solution to this problem. According to Federal Student Aid: "There is currently no workaround for a parent without an SSN. A student may start the application, but the parent will not be able to contribute the parent information. The student and parent will be able to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved." Our recommendation is to get as far as you can and document the places you are stuck with screenshots (without personal information) and make sure there is a timestamp somewhere with the screenshot. Maybe email it to yourself so you have proof. Then talk to your college about next steps.
The student section has been completed and submitted however when i go to parent section it wont let me in. I click access existing form, click on the form, and then it just send me right back to the home page. Been like this for two weeks. Idk if this is the reason as to why its happening but my form in my activity is under a section called "drafts" rather then being in the "open" section. How do I solve this problem? Ive tried calling several times and they just say be patient but I have to have this in by the end of January to be eligible for the eof program at my school of choice.
We've seen this issue mainly with parents that don't have a Social Security number. If your parent doesn't have one here is the latest information: There still isn't a solution to this problem. According to Federal Student Aid: "There is currently no workaround for a parent without an SSN. A student may start the application, but the parent will not be able to contribute the parent information. The student and parent will be able to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved." Our recommendation is to get as far as you can and document the places you are stuck with screenshots (without personal information) and make sure there is a timestamp somewhere with the screenshot. Maybe email it to yourself so you have proof. Then talk to your college about next steps. However, if your parent does have an SSN then I would try a different browser, computer, etc.
@@utahcollegeaccess Thankyou for the help. Would colleges even look at that? I’m trying to apply for an EOF program in New Jersey and the fafsa is necessary. Would they even look at my email?
The institution will still need you to file a FAFSA in order to proceed with eligibility. Your best bet at this point (if you are still stuck in the system's error loop) is to take screenshots (with time stamps) AND reach out to the EOF institution you are applying for. Let them know you are stuck in a system error loop and that you have screenshots as proof that you have been unable to move forward. They will provide you with instructions on how to continue with their application process. Best of luck! @@christian1499
Here are two links to help guide you on whether or not you qualify for Title IV aid. Eligible Non-Citizen: studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements/non-us-citizens International Students: studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/international-students.pdf
Sometimes it can take some time. If the invite worked, they don't need an email invitation. If they have an account (FSA ID) they should be able to login and see your invitation on studentaid.gov.
Hi. I am a parent. my husband and I are married and filled taxes jointly in 2022 But I moved to US from europe to accompany my son .My husband still lives in europe. we all are US citizens. My question is ,do we fill out the fafsa as seperated or married.?İf we file married does my husband need a FSA ID eventhought I am the solo financial contributor for my son because My husband has parkinsons and can not work. thank you very much.
Great question, if you filed your taxes jointly with your husband then the FAFSA should automatically pull over your taxes and you won't have to worry about those questions. Now both you and your spouse are required to provide your information (name, DOB, SSN) on the FAFSA but only ONE of you is required to create an FSA ID, provide consent, and sign the FAFSA.
If the application was submitted accidentally without signing by the student and one of the parents, what should I do? can I edit the application? received a mail that the application is submitted and it says we cant calculate your SAI, as you and one of your parents have not signed the application. what should we do? do we start a new application? Pls help
Try logging in again and see if it gives you the option to sign. It would be found under "My Activity" then click on your 2024-25 FAFSA form and see if it give you an option to sign on the next page. If not, you may have to wait until mid-March when they release the FAFSA Submission Summary and make a correction.
Hello, so im a dependent student and I was apply for Fafsa 24-25, and i think i clicked "yes" for applying for direct unsubsidized loans. is there any way i can correct it or not?
If you haven't signed and submitted you can edit your current FAFSA on the review page, or delete the FAFSA and start over. If you signed and submitted then you will have to wait until mid-March when the FAFSA Submission Summary is available. There is where you can make a correction and fix your FAFSA.
I DONT HAVE ANY PARENTS BUT THEY ARE NOT DEAD.. I DONNO WHERE ARE THEY.. I GREW UP WITH MY AUNT AND UNCLE.. HOW I GONNA GIVE THEM MY PARENT INFORMATION ?
Great question! You can answer the question of if you have an "Unusual Circumstance" at 17:40. That will make you independent and you won't need parental information, but you will have to confirm that with your college.
As usual you all rock! Any news about the Spanish video coming up soon?! That'd be fantastic! So appreciative of your resources!! Gracias and thank you!
@@utahcollegeaccess totally understand! All of your resources throughout the years have helped people everywhere! So appreciative of it all. Can't wait! Muchas gracias!
Hello! I have been having trouble with the parent section. My parent contributor created a FSA account before hand. I send them the invitation and they receive it. However, everytime they try to accept it, nothing happens. They aren't sent to the parent portion. Would you by any chance know how to fix this or know why this is happening?
Hi All, We've seen this issue mainly with parents that don't have a Social Security number. If your parent doesn't have one here is the latest information: There still isn't a solution to this problem. According to Federal Student Aid: "There is currently no workaround for a parent without an SSN. A student may start the application, but the parent will not be able to contribute the parent information. The student and parent will be able to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved." Our recommendation is to get as far as you can and document the places you are stuck with screenshots (without personal information) and make sure there is a timestamp somewhere with the screenshot. Maybe email it to yourself so you have proof. Then talk to your college about next steps. However, if your parent does have an SSN then I would try a different browser, computer, etc.
Great question and hopefully this helps. There is no longer a login or notification for the direct data exchange. It just automatically happens. If you don't see the tax questions: studentaid.gov/help/2425/find-tax-information then it worked. If you have to manually insert these answers then your identification is still processing.
If my mom did her fafsa part and also does taxes with my dad jointly also they both married does my dad need to do A fafsa ID and filled out something for the fafsa?
If your parents filed their taxes jointly then you will need to insert both parents' information (Name, DOB, SSNs), however only one parent will be required to create an FSA ID, approve consent, and sign the FAFSA.
I am a student made less to $2K / year so I did not file the tax returns but I have open Roth IRA for the income I made from working. Do I need to include that Roth IRA balance in "Current Net Worth of Investments, Including Real Estate" Reply
Hi, I have completed my 2024 FAFSA form two weeks ago, but it is still in review. How long it take to get processed. Also, m mom is not sure if she has fully completed his parts and signature, but right now she can not see anything about 2024 FAFSA from from her account. If you have any suggestions, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Great question, Federal Student Aid just delayed the processing period until March. Meaning your FAFSA won't be processed until March. As long as your FAFSA says "In Review" you are as far as possible at this point. I would reach out to your college for further details.
They should be able to, but there are major issues right now on the website for parent's who don't have SSN in the US. There still isn't a solution to this problem. According to Federal Student Aid: "There is currently no workaround for a parent without an SSN. A student may start the application, but the parent will not be able to contribute the parent information. The student and parent will be able to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved." Our recommendation is to get as far as you can and document the places you are stuck with screenshots (without personal information) and make sure there is a timestamp somewhere with the screenshot. Maybe email it to yourself so you have proof. Then talk to your college about next steps.
Hello, I sent my parent an invite, but when they click to join ny invite there is nothing on their activity page that says join form, what do i do we've been stressing.
Great question, this issue is happening because whatever you inserted when you invited your parent isn't EXACTLY the same as their account information. Even an extra SPACE at the end of a name can cause this issue. I would go in and delete everything off the parent invite and reinsert it EXACTLY as seen on your parent's FSA ID/student aid account.
I have one question. If both of my parents are still married, but they don't live together do I have to put both parents tax return? I mean my father doesn't live in America, in fact he has never been in America. It's only me and mom. We haven't seen him for over 18 years and we can't reach him through the phone either. Last time we were in contact he was residing in Colombia.
This is a great question, thank you for reaching out. I would treat your FAFSA as if your parents are "separated". Fill out your portion in a way that your parents are not married, and in you mother's portion have her select "Separated" when it asks about her marital status.
Hello, I was looking for place where we can input the special financial circumstances in the student part of the application? Does Fafsa still have this section?- thank you
No there is no "special financial circumstance" section on the FAFSA. After completing the FAFSA you'll want to ask your college's financial aid office for Professional Judgement to review your special circumstance. They will be able to help.
Having hard time after step 3, address ainformation. Does not allow to proceed, what can I do? Tried to call the 800 number, do live chat and Emailed them, but no answer from any resourse. Greatly appreciate your help. Thank you
Try leaving the address information blank and move forward with creating your account. I would recommend adding in the address information after creating your account.
