FAFSA 2025-2026 totally confusing me - stuck on parent contribution section

Ya same thing for me last month. The FAFSA site is broken this year. Try entering your dad's info since he provides more $$$ but make sure u check the 'does not live with student' box.

The contributor section is definitely confusing with the new FAFSA. For divorced parents, you need to report the parent who provided more financial support during the last 12 months - regardless of who you live with. Make sure you're using your dad's FSA ID correctly if he's your contributor. The tax verification issue is likely because your dad hasn't completed his 2023 taxes or there's a mismatch between his name/SSN on the FAFSA and his tax return. Has he filed his taxes for last year?

the new fafsa is the worst!!! i gave up and just paid someone to do it for me lol. good luck

The entire 2025-2026 FAFSA system is GARBAGE! I've been working in financial aid for 20 years and I've never seen such a poorly designed rollout. The "contributor" terminology is confusing everyone - they should have stuck with "custodial parent." Here's what you need to do: 1. If your dad provides more financial support, HE is the contributor even if you don't live with him. 2. For the tax verification issue - don't use the IRS tool if he amended his return. 3. You'll need a signed statement from him stating he provides more than 50% of your support. 4. Document EVERYTHING in case of verification. And be prepared for your SAI to change multiple times as they work out the bugs. Print every confirmation page! The system is so broken I've had students' SAI change by $5,000+ overnight with no explanation.

I work at a college financial aid office, and I can confirm the parent contributor section is causing tons of problems this year. For divorced parents, here's the official guidance: 1. List the parent who provided more than 50% of your financial support in the past 12 months 2. If your dad filed an amended tax return (1040X), you CANNOT use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool 3. For the verification document they're requesting, you need a signed statement from your dad that includes: - His name and your name - Statement that he provides more than 50% of your support - Approximate dollar amount/percentage of support provided - His signature and date Most importantly, don't panic about the deadline. Many schools are being flexible with priority deadlines this year due to the FAFSA delays. I recommend calling your school's financial aid office directly to let them know you're having technical difficulties.

The new FAFSA is an absolute DISASTER. My daughter is also in a divorced parent situation and we had to call TWELVE TIMES to get someone who actually understood how to fix our contributor issue. Then they told us the wrong information twice!! Her SAI went from $18,000 to $6,500 after we finally got the right person who knew what they were doing. The system is completely broken and nobody at FSA seems to know how to fix it. I'm filing a formal complaint with the Department of Education because this is affecting students' futures!!!

Quick update based on the most recent guidance: When your FAFSA is finally processed, your Student Aid Index (SAI) will appear on your Student Aid Report (SAR). Review it carefully and if anything looks wrong (especially with the parent contributor information), file a correction immediately. If your dad's tax verification issue persists, you may need to request a special circumstances review from your school's financial aid office. Also worth noting - the official FSA guidance for divorced parents changed slightly this year. The parent who provides more FINANCIAL support is the contributor, regardless of where you live or who has legal custody. This change has been confusing for many families.

Not related to the divorce situation but when I was doing my FAFSA I accidentally put my mom's income as $54,000 when it was actually $45,000 (dyslexia problems lol) and it completely messed up my SAI calculation. Just triple check ALL the numbers you enter!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare with my FAFSA! My parents divorced 3 years ago and I've been stuck on the contributor section for weeks. The system keeps rejecting my mom's info even though she provides more support. I called the FSA hotline 4 times and got different answers each time - one rep told me to use my dad's info, another said my mom's, and the third said I needed some form I'd never heard of. The IRS data retrieval tool crashes every time I try to use it. At this point I'm considering just manually entering everything and hoping for the best. The whole system feels like it was designed by people who have never actually filled out a FAFSA themselves. Really hoping they fix these issues before next year because this is beyond frustrating for families already dealing with financial stress!