Can't access my student's FAFSA as parent - need to provide taxes & signature but no access

You need to be added as a contributor to his FAFSA application. He needs to log into his studentaid.gov account, go to the FAFSA form, and add you as a contributor using your email address. Once he does that, you'll get an email with instructions on how to access the application as a parent contributor. Then you'll be able to provide your signature and tax information.

OMG I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!! It's so frustrating that they made this process even MORE complicated!! My daughter's application was stuck for 3 weeks because of this stupid contributor thing. The whole system is broken and they expect us to figure it all out ourselves. I wasted HOURS on hold trying to get someone to explain this to me.

The contributor process is def part of the new FAFSA. Your son needs to log in to studentaid.gov > open his FAFSA > click on "Add Contributor" > enter your email > then you'll get an email invite. Click the link in that email, login to ur FSA ID, and you should see his application ready for your section.

This is a common issue with the redesigned FAFSA system. Here's what's happening: under the new system, contributors (like parents) must be explicitly invited by the student. Once your son adds you as a contributor, you'll receive an email with a link to complete your portion. A few important tips: 1. Make sure your FSA ID is already set up before clicking the invitation link 2. The email sometimes goes to spam/junk folders 3. You'll need to complete the IRS Data Retrieval Tool section to verify your tax information 4. Both student and all contributors must provide signatures before submission is complete If you're still having trouble after being added as a contributor, make sure your browser has cookies enabled and try using incognito/private browsing mode.

i had this exact issue with my daughter's application! turns out she forgot to add me as a contributor. once she added me i got an email and could sign in to do my part. the email came like 2 days later tho so keep checking

If you're having trouble reaching someone at Federal Student Aid for help with this, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual person at FSA in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The agent I spoke with walked me through the entire contributor process step-by-step. You can check them out at claimyr.com - it saved me so much frustration!

One thing to watch out for - after your son adds you as a contributor and you get access, make sure you complete BOTH the tax information section AND the signature page. I made the mistake of just doing the tax part and didn't realize I also needed to sign separately. The application sat there for weeks until we figured it out. Also, both you and your son will need to sign again after you complete your section.

Update to my earlier comment - I forgot to mention that after you complete your portion as a contributor, your son will need to log back into his account and submit the final application. Many families miss this step and think the application is complete after the parent finishes their part, but it's not!

To answer your question about processing time: once all contributors have completed their sections and the student submits the final application, the initial SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation typically takes 3-5 business days. However, during peak periods (January-March), it can take up to 2 weeks. For state grant deadlines, most states consider the application "submitted" once the final submission is complete, even if the federal processing is still ongoing.