Screwed up my Selective Service registration years ago, how do I handle it?

Paying for College
1

I’m transferring from my community college to University of Illinois in the fall. I’ve been waiting forever for my FAFSA to be processed to find out if I’m getting any sort of aid. About two weeks ago, I got a letter in the mail from Illinois saying that they cannot process my FAFSA until I send them proof of SS registration. I’m just dealing with it now, now that finals are done, and I realized what happened. When I did my SS registration when I turned 18, I screwed up my social security number by 2 digits. I’m assuming Illinois just searched for my registration with the correct SSN I gave them and nothing popped up.

I can’t call the SS office until Monday, of course, but now I’m trying to figure out exactly what’s going to happen next. I’m planning on calling Illinois first to see how they want me to handle it, and I’m going to need to call the SS office to correct the error I made a couple years ago. Illinois won’t process my financial aid until this is all sorted out, and I don’t know how long that’s going to take. And the longer it takes for my aid to be processed, the less chance I get anything, right?

I apologize if this isn’t really a direct question, I’m just not familiar with any of this. Does anyone know exactly what’s next? I’m going to the university on May 26th to register for fall classes, is that going to be impacted by this?

2

How old are you? Have you tried reregistering with the Selective Service online with the correct SSN?

https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx

If you have a different address now, maybe just registering online with the correct SSN will do the trick?

3

I’m 20 now, and I don’t think I should register a second time. I already registered a couple years ago, I just had the SSN error. There should be a way to fix that error without registering again, right?

And I do have the same address, the only thing that’s wrong on that registration was the SSN

4

Just select Update for your FAFSA, register for Selective Service on the FAFSA (there is an option for that), and submit it again. Let the university FA office know that you’ve resubmitted your FAFSA after registering for Selective Service.

I have students who are not sure if they registered for Selective Service, and I just suggest that they choose the register me option on the FAFSA; nobody has ever had a problem with that.

5

I don’t see what problem there would be in registering again. Technically you aren’t registered because the SS number was wrong.

Do what @arabrab suggests.

it is no big deal to register twice anyway. It happens all the time. the parent does it for their kid, the kid does it later…happens…no big deal.

6

but isn’t the deadline of FAFSA is over? I screwed up mine too!!!And I just fixed my fafsa, is it too late?Because my school need this in 30 days

7

Your school financial aid deadline may have passed. BUT for federally funded aid like the Pell Grant (if eligible) or Direct Loans, for the 2015-2016 school year, your fafsa can be completed any time before the academic year ends in June 2016.

8

so fixing fafsa is not a huge issue?

9

See https://fafsa.ed.gov/fotw1516/pdf/Deadlines.pdf

10

yes, but I am talking about the selective service

11

It’s not too late to fix the selective service. Just go online and do it.

12

how long does it take?

13

Did you do this:

<<<Just select Update for your FAFSA, register for Selective Service on the FAFSA (there is an option for that), and submit it again. Let the university FA office know that you’ve resubmitted your FAFSA after registering for Selective Service.

I have students who are not sure if they registered for Selective Service, and I just suggest that they choose the register me option on the FAFSA; nobody has ever had a problem with that.
<<<

14

yes