Can't access FAFSA because email already exists - stuck at 'send invite' error

same thing happened to me and my daughter last month! so annoying! we had to call the federal student aid hotline and wait for like 2 hours to get it fixed. apparently you cant have two applications with the same email even if there for different years?? makes no sense to me but whatever 🙄

2 HOURS?! Seriously? That's insane. Did they at least fix it for you right away once you finally got through to someone?

This is actually a common issue with the FSA ID system. The problem is that each email can only be associated with one FSA ID account, so when you started the 2023-2024 application, that email was registered in their system. You have two options:\n\n1. Use a different email address for either you or your son for the new application\n2. Contact Federal Student Aid to have them remove the email association from the old application\n\nIf you choose option 2, you'll need to be prepared with verification information to prove your identity when you call.

Thank you for explaining! We really don't want to use a different email since we want all the notifications to go to our primary emails. Sounds like calling is our only real option. Is there any specific department I should ask for when I call?

I HAAAAATE the FAFSA website 😡😡😡 My daughter and I got stuck in this EXACT SAME LOOP a few weeks ago and it was IMPOSSIBLE to figure out what to do. The worst part is they didn't even EXPLAIN the error properly! Why can't they just say \

That's my biggest frustration too! The error message is so vague. It's like they expect us to be mind readers. Did you eventually get it resolved?

I used Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA agent quickly when I had almost the exact same problem. Normal hold times were 3+ hours, but I was connected in about 15 minutes. They have a video demo of how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nThe agent was able to unlink the email from the old application system so I could use it for the new application. Just have your FSA ID, social security number, and date of birth ready for verification. The whole process took maybe 30 minutes once I got through to someone.

Oh wow, I've never heard of this service but 15 minutes vs 3 hours sounds like a no-brainer. I'll check out that video - thanks for sharing! Did they need both my info and my son's or just the person whose email was having the issue?

have u tried just using a difrent email? thats what i did when i had this problem last yr. just made a new gmail account for my fafsa stuff. took like 2 min

That's actually not a bad idea as a workaround. I was hoping to use our main emails so we don't miss important notifications, but maybe creating a dedicated FAFSA email and just forwarding everything might be easier than dealing with their customer service.

Just to clarify something important: If you're completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA, you're using the new \

That's really helpful context, thank you! I had no idea there was a whole system change happening. Is that why everything seems so glitchy this year? I'll definitely mention the \

After you get this fixed, make sure you have all your tax information ready for the 2024-2025 application! You'll need your 2022 tax return information (not 2023). Also, the new system is supposed to be simpler but I found it actually asks some questions differently than before. The SAI calculation works differently than the old EFC calculation too.\n\nAlso be prepared that they might ask for verification documents later even if you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. It happened to us even though we did everything right.

Thanks for the heads-up! I've got our 2022 tax returns ready to go. I've heard the new SAI calculation can result in different aid amounts than the old EFC system - have you noticed any major differences? I'm worried this might affect how much aid my son qualifies for compared to what we were expecting.

Just called FSA this morning about a different issue - their current wait time is 4+ hours! I'd seriously consider using a callback service or trying very early in the morning (they open at 8am Eastern). Also, when you do get this fixed, take screenshots of EVERYTHING as you go through the application process in case you encounter more errors. I've learned this the hard way with FAFSA!

4+ HOURS?! That's absolutely ridiculous. Thanks for the current update - definitely going to look into that callback service mentioned earlier. Taking screenshots is brilliant advice too - I'll start doing that immediately. The whole system seems so fragile right now.

UPDATE: We got it fixed! For anyone having this same issue in the future, here's what worked: We used the Claimyr service mentioned above to get through to an agent quickly (totally worth it), and they were able to unlink my email from the old application. \n\nThe agent explained that during the transition to the new \

This is incredibly helpful! I'm a college counselor and I've been seeing this exact issue with several families this month. The transition period explanation makes perfect sense - I'll definitely be sharing this thread with parents who are struggling with the same problem. It's frustrating that the system doesn't provide clearer error messages, but at least now we know there are viable solutions. Thanks for taking the time to document what worked for you!

As someone who just went through the FAFSA process for the first time with my daughter, I can definitely relate to the frustration! We didn't have the exact same email issue, but we did encounter several other confusing error messages during the transition to the new system. One thing I learned is that the new FAFSA has some quirks where if you start an application and don't complete it within a certain timeframe, it can cause conflicts when you try to start over. We ended up having to clear our browser cache completely (not just cookies) and also disable any browser extensions that might interfere with the forms. Also, just a heads up - even after you get past this email issue, make sure to save your progress frequently! The new system seems to time out more quickly than the old one, and we lost about 30 minutes of work once because we didn't save often enough. Really glad to see you got it resolved though - that update will help so many other families!