@profile1 It took about 15 minutes using that Claimyr service someone mentioned here. Before that I tried calling directly and waited over an hour without getting through. Definitely worth it given our tight timeline with the May 1st deadline!

This is such a relief to see resolved! I'm dealing with a similar signature issue right now for my daughter's FAFSA. The college is saying her parent signature is missing even though I definitely signed it and have the confirmation email. I'm going to try the Claimyr service you mentioned to get through to FSA faster - with decision deadlines coming up, every day counts. Thanks for sharing your experience and the solution that worked!

Yes, that's a key change in the FAFSA Simplification Act. They reduced the number of financial questions by about 60% and eliminated many of the detailed asset questions. They now focus primarily on AGI from tax returns and basic cash/savings balances rather than the detailed investment breakdown from previous years. This should make your completion process faster once you get past the technical issues!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this discussion! I'm dealing with the exact same FAFSA parent contributor issue right now - my daughter sent me the invitation yesterday and I'm getting taken straight to the signature page too. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. I'm going to try having her delete and resend the invitation first, and if that doesn't work, I might look into that Claimyr service that @Jade Lopez mentioned. It's reassuring to know this is a known system glitch and not something I'm doing wrong. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

UPDATE: Success! After several more failed attempts, I followed the advice here about calling FSA directly using that Claimyr service. Actually got through to a real person who fixed the issue on their end! Turns out my account was flagged for "suspicious activity" (probably because I tried so many times from different devices). The agent removed the flag and sent a new verification code while I was on the phone. Finally completed my FSA ID and just submitted my FAFSA application! Thank you everyone for your help!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! Been trying for 4 days now and absolutely nothing comes through. I've tried everything - different browsers, different devices, even had my friend try from their computer with my info. The system keeps saying "verification code sent" but my inbox stays empty. It's so frustrating because I can see other people are getting through somehow, but I'm completely stuck. Has anyone found a pattern with which email providers are working better? I'm using Gmail currently but willing to try anything at this point. My priority deadline is next Friday and I'm starting to panic!

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with the school's testing coordinator. She IS registered!!! Apparently all juniors at her school are automatically signed up. They're taking it on October 16th. Thank you everyone for the reassurance and advice! Now I'll focus on making sure she's prepared - getting those practice tests ASAP.

Congratulations on getting that resolved! What a relief that must be. Since you have some time to prepare now, I'd also recommend having your daughter take a full-length practice test under timed conditions to get a baseline score. This will help identify which areas need the most focus. The official College Board practice tests are free and the closest thing to the actual test format. Also, make sure she gets a good night's sleep before the test - I've seen too many students sabotage themselves by staying up late cramming the night before. Best of luck to her!

For anyone dealing with these kinds of special circumstances, documenting the "unusual nature" of the situation is critical. Financial aid officers have told me they look for: 1. Evidence of abandonment/neglect by biological parents 2. Impossibility (not just difficulty) in obtaining parental information 3. Evidence the student is self-supporting or supported by someone else 4. Letters from professionals (not family friends) who can verify the situation Also, very important: dependency overrides must be renewed EACH YEAR. Don't assume it carries over automatically.

Just wanted to add that you might also want to contact the colleges directly to ask about their specific dependency override policies. Some schools are much more generous with these than others, and it could factor into her final college decision. I've heard that some private schools with large endowments are particularly flexible with special circumstances like this. Also, make sure to ask each financial aid office about their timeline - some process these overrides much faster than others, which could be important given those early priority deadlines you mentioned. Good luck!