Can't find where to sign FAFSA as parent - son's account not showing up in mine
I'm totally lost on how to sign my son's 2025-2026 FAFSA application. I created my FSA ID yesterday and logged into studentaid.gov, but his application isn't showing anywhere in my parent dashboard. When I log into his account with him, we can't figure out where I'm supposed to go to provide my electronic signature. We've been trying for hours! The website keeps looping us back to the same screens. Do I need to complete the parent contribution section again? Or is there a specific signature page we're missing? This is so frustrating - his college deadline is next week!
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Makayla Shoemaker
same thing happened with me and my daughter last month! so annoying, right? the new FAFSA system is terrible
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Mason Stone
•So frustrating! Did you ever figure it out? I've tried calling the help line but just get disconnected after waiting 40+ minutes.
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Christian Bierman
The parent signature process is confusing with the new system. Here's what you need to do: 1. Log into YOUR account on studentaid.gov using your FSA ID 2. On your dashboard, look for "Tasks" or "Action Items" (not "My Applications") 3. There should be a notification about a "Contributor Request" from your son 4. If you don't see it, your son needs to login to his account and send/resend the contributor invitation to your email 5. Once you complete your section, there's a specific signature page at the end The new FAFSA requires this separate contributor invitation process rather than just having parents sign directly in the student's application like before.
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Mason Stone
•Thank you! I checked my Tasks section and don't see anything about a contributor request. I'll have him resend the invitation when he gets home from school. Really appreciate the clear steps!
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Emma Olsen
ugh my nephew had the same problem two weeks ago. these government websites never work right. why cant they just make a simple form like they used to???
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Lucas Lindsey
•The new Better FAFSA was supposed to make things easier but it's actually made everything WAY more complicated. My daughter's SAI calculation was completely wrong because of a glitch in how they imported our tax information. We've been trying to get it fixed for months with no luck.
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Sophie Duck
I had this exact issue and there's a specific way to fix it. Your son needs to: 1. Log into his account 2. Go to the FAFSA form (there should be a button that says "Continue 2025-2026 FAFSA Form") 3. Navigate to the "Parent/Contributor" section 4. There should be an option to "Invite Parent/Contributor" where he enters your email 5. You'll receive an email with a link to create/confirm your FSA ID and complete your portion The notification sometimes takes 1-2 days to appear in your account, so after he sends the invitation, check your email AND your studentaid.gov dashboard regularly. If that doesn't work, I highly recommend using Claimyr to reach a live FAFSA agent quickly. When I was dealing with this same problem, I was able to get immediate help rather than waiting on hold forever. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a good demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Mason Stone
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I think we missed the "Invite Parent/Contributor" step completely. Will have him do that tonight. And thanks for the Claimyr tip - I might need that if we keep having issues because his college deadline is coming up fast.
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Austin Leonard
Just to clarify some confusion I'm seeing in this thread - with the new FAFSA Simplification Act implementation for 2025-2026, parents must now complete their sections as "contributors" through their own accounts. The system no longer allows parents to simply sign within the student's application. Here's the official process: 1. Student creates FSA ID and starts FAFSA application 2. Student uses the "Add Contributor" function to invite parent(s) via email 3. Parent creates their own FSA ID (if they don't have one) 4. Parent completes their contributor section independently in their own account 5. Both student and parent must sign their respective portions If you're not seeing the invitation, check your spam folder and have your student verify they used the correct email address for you. Also, make sure your FSA ID is linked to the exact same email they sent the invitation to.
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Lucas Lindsey
•Is there any way around this new system? My ex-husband refuses to create an FSA ID but I need his income information for my son's application. In previous years we could just enter his info and have him sign a paper form.
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Mason Stone
UPDATE: We got it figured out! My son had to specifically invite me as a contributor from his account - we completely missed that step. Once he sent the invitation, I got an email with a link to complete my portion. Just submitted everything and got the confirmation. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Makayla Shoemaker
•Great!! so glad you figured it out! the whole system is so unnecessarily complicated
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Christian Bierman
•Excellent! Glad to hear you got it resolved. This is definitely one of the most confusing parts of the new FAFSA system that many families are struggling with.
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Anita George
bro my mom had the EXACT same issue when we did our FAFSA last month!!! the new system is so stupid. we ended up having to make her a whole new FSA ID because the first one somehow got linked to my account wrong?? made no sense
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Sophie Duck
•The system is definitely glitchy. Sometimes clearing your browser cache and cookies can help too. I've seen several cases where the FSA IDs get cross-linked incorrectly and cause all sorts of weird problems.
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