This entire thread should be pinned! Just went through this exact same verification loop last week and it was absolutely maddening. The "Information Entered Does Not Match Our Records" error is so vague and unhelpful - like, TELL US what specifically doesn't match! For anyone else dealing with this, here's what I learned from my own 4-day saga: the system is ridiculously sensitive to ANY variation. My husband had entered his name as "Michael" on his FSA ID but his Social Security card says "Michael James" with the middle name. Even though he never uses his middle name, we had to include it to match the SS card exactly. Also discovered that if your spouse has EVER had a name change (even just adding/dropping a middle initial), there might be conflicting records in the system that need to be manually resolved by FSA. The automated verification just can't handle it. @d8b0dab8a774 congrats on finally getting through! Your persistence paid off and this thread is going to save so many people from the same frustration.

Just wanted to add another potential fix for anyone still struggling with this - check if your spouse has any special characters or accents in their name that might not be displaying properly. My partner has an accent in their last name (José) and we discovered the FSA system was storing it differently than how it appeared on screen. We had to try entering it both with and without the accent mark before finding the version that matched their internal records. Also, if your spouse is a naturalized citizen, double-check that you're using the exact name format from their naturalization certificate, as that's what ties to their SSN. The FAFSA verification system seems to cross-reference multiple government databases and any tiny mismatch between documents can cause this error loop. It's beyond frustrating that such a critical system is so brittle, but hopefully these workarounds help others avoid the multi-day headache!

UPDATE: I finally submitted my FAFSA! I reported the account balances as assets but did NOT include the VA disability payments as income. Thanks everyone for your help. Now I just have to wait and see what kind of aid I qualify for...

Congrats on getting it submitted on time! You made the right call - VA disability payments are definitely excluded from income reporting, but the account balances still need to be reported as assets. Just wanted to add that if you ever need to make corrections later, you have that option, but it sounds like you handled it correctly. Good luck with your aid package!

UPDATE: It worked! I followed the advice here and found the option to indicate my stepmom doesn't have an SSN. The system then asked for her A-Number and later gave me a signature page option. Just mailed in the signed form yesterday with tracking as suggested. Thanks everyone for your help! This forum saved me from completely missing out on financial aid because of one confusing technical issue.

As someone who went through this exact same nightmare last year, I'm so glad you got it sorted out! The FAFSA system really needs better instructions for families with non-citizen parents - it's ridiculous how many students get stuck on this. One small tip for anyone else reading this: when you're waiting for the signature page to be processed, you can still submit your FAFSA to schools. They'll just mark it as "incomplete" until FSA processes the signature, but at least you'll be in their system and won't lose your place in line for aid consideration. Most schools are understanding about this delay since it's such a common issue. Fingers crossed your aid package comes through soon! 🤞

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My mom is trying to create her FSA ID from the UK and we keep hitting the same loop you described. It's so frustrating that they claim the system is "simplified" but it seems like it's actually harder for international parents than before. I'm going to try the Firefox browser solution mentioned here - I had no idea that different browsers could cause such different results with government websites. Has anyone had success with the special email address that was mentioned? I'm wondering if that might be faster than waiting for the document verification process.

This thread has been so helpful! I'm a new parent trying to navigate this system for the first time and I had no idea there were so many technical workarounds needed. My husband is from Australia and we've been stuck in this exact same loop for about 3 weeks now. I'm going to try both the Firefox browser method and email the special FSAID.international@ed.gov address. It's really frustrating that these solutions aren't documented anywhere official - thank goodness for communities like this where people share what actually works! Quick question: for those who successfully got through the process, did you need to have any specific documents ready beyond just the passport? I want to make sure I have everything prepared before we attempt this again.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm marking December 1st on my calendar and will look for the renewal option. It's good to know I keep my FSA ID but still need to file a new application. And I appreciate the tips about filing early for priority deadlines and using the Professional Judgment process if our financial situation changes. This has been really helpful!

Just wanted to add one more thing that might help - when you do fill out the 2025-2026 FAFSA in December, make sure you're on the official studentaid.gov website. There are a lot of scam sites that charge fees for "help" with FAFSA when the real application is completely free. I almost fell for one of those sites my first time around! Also, if you run into technical issues (which unfortunately happen pretty often with the FAFSA website), don't panic - just try again later or early in the morning when there's less traffic on the site.