FAFSA 2025-2026 contributor section looping error - both profiles can't submit simultaneously

I had the exact same problem last month with my son's FAFSA! The issue is actually that even though you see the balloon page, there's a hidden step that isn't completing properly. Here's what worked for us: 1. Both of you log out completely 2. Have your daughter log in first and go to the application 3. Then you log in as the contributor again 4. After you log in, don't just check that everything is complete - you need to actually click through each section again (even though it shows checkmarks) 5. On the very last screen of your contributor section, there should be a final "Submit" button that's different from the one that gave you the balloon page For us, it turned out there was a glitch where the system thought I'd completed everything but hadn't actually recorded my final submission. The hot air balloon is misleading because it appears before the data is fully processed.

This is a common problem with the new FAFSA system. I work at a college financial aid office and we see this all the time. The most likely issue is that one of your sections APPEARS complete but isn't actually finalized in the system. Do either of you see any yellow triangle warnings anywhere on your dashboard or within the application? Sometimes there are hidden validation errors that prevent submission but don't show up clearly.

UGH I'M DEALING WITH THIS EXACT PROBLEM RIGHT NOW!!!!! Been stuck in this loop for 3 DAYS with my son's application!! The FSA ID system is completely broken. I've called the helpline 8 times and each time I wait 2+ hours only to get disconnected before talking to anyone. This is ridiculous - how are families supposed to get financial aid when the system doesn't even work?? Has anyone actually managed to talk to a human at student aid who fixed this? I'm about ready to drive to my son's school and beg the financial aid office to help us.

I finally got past this issue after dealing with it for a week. The solution that worked for me was actually using Claimyr to connect with a real FSA agent (claimyr.com). They have this service where they hold your place in line and call you when an agent is ready to talk to you. I was skeptical but watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) and decided to try it. The FSA agent was able to see that there was a data mismatch between my contributor profile and my daughter's application. Apparently, even though I had completed everything, there was a backend issue preventing the system from recognizing it. The agent manually forced a refresh on our application statuses and we were able to submit within an hour. Saved us days of more frustration!

i had this problem to. theres actualy another problem they dont tell u about. if u use auto-import for ur taxes sometimes it doesnt fully transfer all the data even tho it LOOKS like it did. try going back to the tax section in ur contributor part and manually check every single field. for me i had to manual enter something that didnt transfer right and then it worked

This is a known issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA system that has to do with how contributor data is processed. I've been helping families with FAFSA applications for years, and the new system has several technical bugs like this one. Here's what's happening: The hot air balloon screen actually just indicates you've SAVED your contributor information, not that it's been fully PROCESSED and LINKED to the student's application. There's an internal verification step that happens on the backend that can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 24 hours depending on system load. The most reliable solution is: 1. Wait at least 2 hours after seeing the balloon screen 2. Both parties log out completely and clear browser cache 3. Have the student log in first and check their dashboard 4. If it still shows the contributor section as incomplete, then the contributor should log in again and check for any fields marked with asterisks or yellow triangles 5. Pay particular attention to the household size section and tax information - these are common areas where the system fails to properly validate If none of that works, unfortunately you'll need to speak with an actual FSA representative who can check the backend status of your application and resolve data synchronization issues.

my daughter and i had the same thing happen last week!! what ended up fixing it was both of us using the SAME device (we used her laptop). For some reason when we used different devices the system couldn't sync properly. might be worth a try if nothing else is working!

UPDATE: We finally got it to work! For anyone who finds this thread later, here's what solved it for us: 1. We both logged out completely 2. Cleared browser cache and cookies 3. I logged in as the contributor first and went through each section again (even though everything showed complete) 4. Found that in the household section, even though all fields were filled and had green checkmarks, there was a hidden validation error that only appeared when I clicked the "Continue" button again 5. After fixing that and seeing the balloon page AGAIN, my daughter waited about 30 minutes before logging in 6. This time the system recognized my submission and she was able to complete the application Our SAI calculation came through about 4 hours later. Thanks to everyone for your help! The new FAFSA system definitely has some serious technical issues.