Sunsetting Files of Impacted FAFSA Records
The Department is following up on the April 10 Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-24-38) that detailed the school- or state-specific data files delivered to assist schools and states in identifying impacted records due to FPS or IRS FA-DDX reprocessing. In creating those files, the Department initially flagged any record it believed may be impacted by reprocessing. Additional research into the known reprocessing issues determined that some records identified in the data file would not result in a change to the data provided on the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) if the record were reprocessed. To avoid confusion, if reprocessing a 2024-25 FAFSA record would not have resulted in an updated ISIR, we did not reprocess that record or send a subsequent transaction. At this time, these data files should no longer be used to track FAFSA records requiring attention for the known FPS and FA-DDX issues outlined in the April 10 EA.
Researching Potential Issues
As is the norm every year, we have received reports of a small number of potential issues that require research to determine if they are related to user, system, or vendor software issues. The Department continues to prioritize and publish issues that either prevent form submission or result in an inaccurate eligibility calculation. The Department publishes known FSA systems issues that are currently being researched or may require reprocessing in the Technical FAQ and Known Issues Guide.
Starting this week, as we continue to resolve issues for this small number of records, and continuing over the next few weeks, we will deliver subsequent ISIR transactions with the appropriate reprocessing codes.
Update on Blank SAI and Verification Tracking Flags
The Department has been researching reports of a very small number of ISIRs with a blank SAI field and records selected for verification without the verification flag identifying the verification category. We are identifying the root causes of these issues impacting fewer than one-half of one percent of ISIRs and beginning this week will start sending subsequent transactions to resolve the underlying issue. These issues will be identified with either a 03 or 04 reprocessing code as detailed below. In some instances, we have discovered the blank SAI issue is caused by a missing family size value and a student correction is required. The Department will email impacted applicants and contributors with information on correcting this issue. In total, blank SAI and missing verification flags impact a very small number of the more than 9.7 million processed applications.
Identifying Reprocessed ISIRs
During reprocessing, the Department updates the most recent transaction and creates a new subsequent transaction with information to identify that it has been reprocessed and why.
The following fields on an ISIR can help you identify a reprocessed transaction along with the primary reason for the reprocessing:
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Field 9: Transaction Source will be set to “5” to indicate FPS as the source of the transaction.
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Field 16: FPS Correction Reason will be set to “P” to indicate Reprocessing.
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Field 572: Reprocessed Reason Code, a two-digit code allowing for cross-referencing reprocessing reasons with the known issues detailed in the Technical FAQ and Known Issues document.
All currently assigned codes are listed below.
|
Code |
Description |
|
02 |
Pell eligibility and Pell Grant Eligibility Flag |
|
03 |
Comment codes related to a few FPS edits may not be set correctly |
|
04 |
No SAI on non-rejected ISIRs |
|
05 |
Blank “Student Contributions from Assets” (SCA) leading to miscalculated SAIs |
|
06 |
Updated FTI IRS data |
|
07 |
Correct Federal School Code (FSC) order |
Description of Reprocessing Categories
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02 – Pell eligibility and Pell Grant Eligibility Flag: Any record where the Pell Grant flag was set incorrectly. Will cover both the Flag is Yes and should be blank and vice versa.
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03 – There are a small number of ISIRs that may be missing some Comment Codes based on a few FPS edits that may need adjustment.
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04 – No SAI on non-rejected ISIRs: Any record that has no SAI and is not rejected due to SSA Match signature mismatch.
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05 – Blank (SCA) leading to miscalculated SAIs: Any dependent student where the Student Contribution from Assets was calculated incorrectly.
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06 – Updated FTI IRS data: A student or contributor on the FAFSA who has incorrect IRS Federal Tax Information (FTI) that resulted in a change to the ISIR will be included.
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07 – For state agencies, the school codes are not listed in the order the student entered them on the FAFSA.
FAFSA Form Submission and Initial Processing Update
The Department has now transmitted the ISIRs from approximately 9.7 million FAFSA forms to schools, states, and designated scholarship organizations. In addition, over 1.5 million corrections have been successfully processed, addressing the most common issues with FAFSA submission. Whether resulting from a new submission or a correction, applicants’ ISIRs are now being sent to schools and states within 1 to 3 days of submission.
The Department continues to email applicants and their contributors who still need to make a correction to the form or have started but not completed their form. The Department is grateful to states and schools who are continuing their outreach to all students who have not yet submitted a FAFSA form. There is also a sizeable number of students who have started, but not yet submitted, their FAFSA form. The Department is reaching out to these students and their contributors on a weekly basis to encourage them to complete their application.
Get Help
We appreciate the extraordinary efforts being made by schools, vendors, states, and other partners during this difficult year.
For technical issues related to ISIR processing:
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For support with your SAIG agreement and mailbox, or for help with technical issues related to ISIR processing, the FAFSA Partner Portal (FPP), or EDExpress, please contact the FPS Help Desk (formerly CPS/SAIG Technical Support) at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at support@fps.ed.gov.
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For general questions related to the 2024-25 FAFSA, we welcome our partners to continue using the Contact Customer Support form in FSA’s Partner Connect Help Center. To submit a question, please enter your name, email address, topic, and question. When submitting a question, please select the topic “2024–25 FAFSA.”
To request assistance with financial aid management systems configuration or processing applications:
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For schools that need direct technical assistance related to processing applications and packaging aid award offers, please continue submitting your requests to the College Support Concierge mailbox CollegeSupportStrategy-FAFSA@ed.gov.