FAFSA Issues

Paying for College
1

I have already submitted the FASFA and received multiple financial aid packages from colleges. However, one of the colleges I recently was admitted into sent me an email saying my parent’s SSN did not match their name. I went to to check it and the name is correct and so are the last four digits of the SSN, but since the information is on the parent who turned in my family’s latest tax returns it won’t allow me to see the rest of the SSN or alter his name or the SSN. I have edited my FAFSA before, but not this part of the application, because it has never been a problem.

I have asked the college if it is a mistake and they seem sure it is. They suggested I contact the Social Security Administration, but I suspect they won’t be to helpful. What should I do?

2

Sounds like a scam. Did you do DRT on FAFSA?

3

YOU can’t contact SSA about someone else’s SSN/name mismatch. Only that parent could make the contact with SSA and often it has to be in person.

Did that parent have a FSA ID or is it the other parent? Sometimes there is an issue if the FSA ID parent is the second one listed on the tax return.

What does the school want you to do?

4

I don’t believe it is a scam, becomes it comes from one of the school’s financial aid employees I have emailed before with questions, and it’s from an email that is listed on their website.
Also we did use the DRT to fill out the FAFSA.

The parent does have an FSA ID and is the first one listed on the tax return. The school wants me to correct items 62 and 63 (first name initial and last name), because they don’t match with the SSN.

5

If you have the SS card, copy it and provide it to the school. He might also get SSA to issue a letter or a new card confirming the number matches the name.

6

If the name and social security number for that FSA ID didn’t match, then wouldn’t that have caused an error when the FSA ID was first created?

7

^^ It should, but sometimes the IRS match isn’t exactly right. MANY people filed taxes for years with a name similar to the name on the SS card or even a new name they adopted when they were married and the IRS didn’t care for years, and then suddenly they did care. The name on FSA ID can’t match the SS name exactly in many cases because of the number of letters. My daughter has 3 names and a last name on her card, but the FSA ID only allows for one middle initial. I couldn’t get the FSA ID to match and tried every combo before realizing that it was her birth date that was wrong. The FSA ID name didn’t seem to matter as much as the numbers (DOB, SSN)

One year I typed an incorrect SSN for my daughter and the IRS cared very much and disallowed all the child care/child deductions and sent me a bill for taxes owed.

8

Any chance that parent has a hyphenated last name? Been through this myself (but with the IRS!)

9

Any chance you slipped up at the college level?

We reversed two numbers on a college application. Our SS was correct on the financial aid forms…but did not align with what we put on the college application. Of course, this was back when SS numbers were on the applications.

We never would have figured it out…but the kid got merit awards and Direct Loan from all schools…but one. We contacted the college to findpit what happened…and they were very helpful. Especially since the kid qualified for their presidential scholarship.

So…start with the college. See where the “difference” is. It might be at the college level.

10

The parent logged in and reinputted all the information in question into the FAFSA. Hopefully that will work, the college will let me know in about a week if it did.

I checked if I put in the right college and it is the right one, and the parent doesn’t have a hyphenated name.

It might be that the IRS information and SS card information might not be exactly correct. I will look into that.