Can't complete FAFSA because spouse can't access his FSA ID account - help!

same thing happened to me last year! the system is so annoying. your husband needs to call the FSA ID help desk directly @ 1-800-433-3243. they can verify his identity over the phone and reset everything. took my bf like 40 min on hold but they fixed it

This is a common issue with the new FAFSA system. Your spouse needs to recover his FSA ID through the official account recovery process. Make sure he's using the correct email address that was originally associated with his account. Here are the steps he should follow: 1. Go to studentaid.gov and click on "Forgot Username or Password" 2. He'll need his SSN, DOB, and name exactly as it appears on his Social Security card 3. If he can't remember which email he used, he should try all possible emails 4. Check spam/junk folders for the recovery email If that doesn't work, you'll need to contact FSA directly. Unfortunately, there's no way to bypass the spouse contribution requirement if you're married.

Had the EXACT same problem with my wife's account! The issue might be that your husband created his FSA ID with a different email than what he's trying to use now. When we finally got through to someone, they told us my wife had used her old work email that she no longer had access to. Try having him call the support line - took us forever to get through but they can verify his identity and update his contact info.

I help students with FAFSA issues at our college's financial aid office. Your husband needs to call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. They can help him recover his account or create a new one if necessary. One thing to know - if you're both getting frustrated with the automated phone system, I've had students have success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual FSA agent without the long hold times. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Regarding your application: You cannot submit the FAFSA without your spouse's information if you're married. It's a federal requirement for the SAI calculation. But don't worry about the school's priority deadline - if you explain to your financial aid office that you're having technical issues with FSA ID recovery, they'll usually work with you.

THE ENTIRE FAFSA SYSTEM IS GARBAGE!!! I went through THREE MONTHS of this nonsense trying to help my daughter. Husband couldn't access his account, then when we finally got that fixed, MY account got locked, then the school couldn't see her FAFSA even after we submitted it!!! They make it IMPOSSIBLE to get financial aid on purpose I swear! Good luck because you're gonna need it!!!!

For the contributor section, there's an important distinction to understand. Your spouse needs his own FSA ID to contribute to your FAFSA application, but as the student, you're the one who enters his basic information into your application first. Then he uses his FSA ID to sign and confirm tax information. One workaround while you're waiting for his FSA ID issues to be resolved: You can actually fill out the entire application and get to 95% completion. Save your progress, and then when his account access is fixed, he can simply sign in to complete his portion. This way you don't lose time on your part of the application.

protip: call them RIGHT when they open at 8am eastern time. i got through in like 15 mins when i called early but my roommate called at noon and waited 2+ hours lol

one other thing - when he does call make sure he has his social security card and ID ready. they ask a bunch of verification questions and if he gets any wrong they'll make him start over. ask me how i know 🙄

Just wanted to update you - I actually just used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above to help my brother with his FAFSA issue yesterday. It actually worked pretty well! Got connected to a real person at FSA in about 15 minutes instead of the 2+ hours my brother had been waiting on multiple attempts. They were able to reset his account access on the spot. Might be worth it if you're running up against that deadline.

The verification was all directly with the FSA agent, not with the service itself. My brother just had to answer the usual security questions (SSN, DOB, address, etc.) once he was talking to the agent. The service just helped bypass the hold time.

UPDATE: Success! My husband called FSA this morning (at 8am exactly as suggested) and after about 30 minutes on hold, got through to someone who helped reset his account. Turned out he had created his FSA ID with his old work email that he no longer has access to. They verified his identity and updated everything. We were able to complete and submit the FAFSA this afternoon! Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions!