Can't access child's FAFSA account after password reset - stuck on hold with support for hours

yep same thing happened w/ my daughters account last week. the system is just trash rn with all the new FAFSA simplification changes

There's actually a specific issue with the studentaid.gov system right now affecting parent/contributor access to student accounts. I just got through this problem with my nephew last week. Try these steps: 1. Have your son create a completely new FSA ID with a different email address 2. Use the 'Forgot Username' option on the original account 3. Once you get the username reminder email, try logging in with that username but with the new password you created during the reset 4. If that doesn't work, clear ALL cookies and browser data, not just cache 5. Try an incognito/private browser window The system seems to be having trouble syncing password changes between the FSA ID system and the actual studentaid.gov login system. If none of that works, you may need to wait 24-48 hours for their systems to sync properly.

Lol why am I not surprised? I spent 3 DAYS trying to get into my account last month. And then when I finally got in, half my information was missing! The entire new FAFSA process is a complete disaster. Between the delayed rollout and all these technical issues, I'm convinced they're trying to stop us from getting financial aid altogether.

If you've been on hold for over an hour, you might want to try using Claimyr. I was in the same situation last week - couldn't get into my daughter's account and was on hold forever. I found this service at claimyr.com that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is ready. They even have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It saved me literal hours of hold time. Got a call back in about 45 minutes and the agent fixed our account access issue in like 10 minutes. Definitely worth it when you're up against a deadline!

It turned out to be something on their end - the agent had to "reset the account linkage" whatever that means. Apparently there's a bug when parents try to access contributor sections. Just make sure you have your son's FSA ID, your FSA ID, and the case number from any emails you've received about verification. The agent asked for all that info.

Have you tried logging in on the mobile app instead of the website? Sometimes they get out of sync. The mobile app worked for me when the website was giving me the exact same error message last month. Also, when you did the password reset, did you get a confirmation email? If not, the reset might not have actually processed correctly in their system.

This is a known issue with the new studentaid.gov platform. I work in a university financial aid office, and we've been seeing this problem frequently. The technical explanation is that there's a synchronization issue between the FSA ID database and the main FAFSA database after the simplified FAFSA rollout. Important: DO NOT create multiple FSA IDs as some have suggested. This can cause more problems with your account and could potentially flag your application for verification. The fastest solution is to speak with an FSA agent who can manually reset the database connection for your account. If you're up against a verification deadline, make sure to ask the agent to note this in your file. They can add an extension code that will give you additional time for document submission while this technical issue is resolved.

Update: Finally got through to FSA! I used the Claimyr service someone recommended above and got a callback within 30 minutes. The agent confirmed there's a system-wide issue affecting parent/contributor access, especially for accounts that have gone through verification. The fix was that they had to clear some kind of "authentication flag" on our account and then had us do one more password reset while they monitored the system. We're back in now and can access everything! They also added a 14-day extension to our verification deadline because of the technical issues. Thanks everyone for your help! If anyone else runs into this, definitely ask about the authentication flag and request an extension if you're close to a deadline.