FAFSA Beta 2025-2026: Parent contributor disappeared - can't re-add without deleting dad's completed info?
I'm having an urgent issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA Beta application! My son sent contributor invites to both myself and his father (we're divorced), but now my profile has completely vanished from his application. When I log into my studentaid.gov account, I don't see any pending tasks or activity related to his FAFSA on my dashboard. It's like I was completely removed from the system somehow? His father's section shows as "completed" which is great, but when my son tries to add me back using the "manage contributors" option, it warns him that making ANY changes will delete all his dad's submitted information! We don't want to lose the completed data, but I still need to contribute my financial info. Has anyone else dealt with a disappearing parent contributor in the Beta version? Is there any way to add me back without destroying his father's completed section? The priority deadline for my son's top school choices is coming up in just 3 weeks!
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Zara Shah
the exact same thing happened with my stepdad's contribution last week!! idk what's going on with the beta version but it's super glitchy. we ended up having to delete everything and start over which was a total nightmare
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Sean Flanagan
•Oh no, that's what I'm afraid of! Did you try contacting support before restarting? We really don't want to lose his father's information since it took him forever to gather all his tax documents.
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NebulaNomad
This is a known issue with the Beta 2025-2026 FAFSA application. When one parent completes their section, sometimes the system mistakenly removes the other parent's account access. There are two solutions you can try: 1. Have your son log in, go to the "Parent Information" section, and look for a small "Restore Contributor" link at the very bottom of the page (easy to miss). 2. If that's not visible, do NOT use the "Manage Contributors" option. Instead, have your son call the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly and explain the situation. They can manually restore your access without deleting his father's information. This is definitely a Beta version bug that they're working to fix for the official release.
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Sean Flanagan
•Thank you so much! We'll check for that "Restore Contributor" link first. I didn't even notice that might be an option. If we can't find it, we'll try calling... though I'm worried about how long that might take with all the call volume they must be getting during FAFSA season.
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Luca Ferrari
Call the FSA ppl ASAP!!! I had this EXACT problem and ended up waiting too long - missed my kid's school priority deadline because we had to restart the whole process!! The beta version has so many bugs it's ridiculous. They should never have released it without proper testing first.
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Sean Flanagan
•That's terrible! I'm sorry you missed your deadline. We'll definitely call right away. Did you try calling the main FAFSA number? I've heard it's nearly impossible to get through.
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Nia Wilson
I tried calling the FSA hotline for a different issue last week and was on hold for literally 2.5 hours before getting disconnected. Then I tried again and waited another hour. Total waste of time. The Beta system is completely broken IMO.
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Mateo Martinez
•I had the same awful experience trying to call them about my dependent verification issue. But then I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual FAFSA agent in about 10 minutes! You can see how it works in their demo video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It basically holds your place in line so you don't have to listen to that awful hold music. When I finally got through, the agent was able to fix the contributor issue I was having without deleting any information. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. It seriously saved me hours of frustration.
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Aisha Hussain
Actually, there's another solution that might work. This is a workaround I discovered after having a similar issue with the Beta system: 1. Have your son use a different browser completely (if using Chrome, switch to Firefox or Edge) 2. Log in to studentaid.gov from the new browser 3. Navigate to the FAFSA application 4. Click on "Application Settings" (not Manage Contributors) 5. There should be an option to "Review Contributors" 6. From there, you can select "Restore Removed Contributor" The reason this works is because the Beta version has a browser caching issue that sometimes doesn't show all available options in your primary browser. This worked for us without deleting any information.
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Sean Flanagan
•Thank you!! We're going to try this right now. I never would have thought about using a different browser. Really appreciate the detailed steps. I'll report back if it works!
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Ethan Clark
my daughter got hers in no problem with both parents. maybe your son just made a mistake when entering ur email? beta worked fine for us.
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Aisha Hussain
•The Beta version is working perfectly for some families but causing major issues for others. It seems to depend on specific family situations - especially with divorced parents, it has more trouble handling multiple contributors. Glad it worked well for your family though!
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Sean Flanagan
UPDATE: We tried the different browser trick and IT WORKED!!! I can't believe it was that simple. The "Restore Removed Contributor" option appeared exactly where you said it would be. My access has been restored and I can now see my son's FAFSA on my dashboard without losing his father's information. I'm so grateful for everyone's help here. For anyone else having this issue, definitely try the different browser solution first before calling or starting over!
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Aisha Hussain
•So glad it worked for you! It's amazing how many of these Beta FAFSA issues have simple technical solutions that the support agents don't even know about. Make sure to submit your section as soon as possible in case any other glitches pop up before the deadline.
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Nia Wilson
that claimyr thing sounds like a scam tbh... why would u pay money to call a govt agency? they're just exploiting a broken system imo
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Mateo Martinez
•I was skeptical too, but after wasting 3+ hours on hold and missing work, I decided it was worth trying. It's just a time-saving service - you still talk directly to the official FSA agents. But everyone's situation is different - if you have unlimited time to wait on hold, no need to use it!
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Luca Ferrari
The whole FAFSA system is a disaster this year!! First they delay the application release, then they put out a buggy Beta version, then the main release has all these glitches... My daughter missed out on thousands in first-come-first-served state grants because of these delays and now we're stuck with more loans. So frustrating!!!!
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StarStrider
•I feel ur pain. We're deaing with verification now and it's a nightmare. They flagged our application for "unusual income changes" that aren't unusual at all! Just retired last year but the system doesn't understand that. Going on 6 weeks waiting for resolution...
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Sean Flanagan
Quick follow-up: For anyone else with this problem, make sure you complete your section IMMEDIATELY after being restored. I waited a few hours after getting access back, and when I tried to log in again, I was removed a second time! Had to go through the whole browser trick again. Don't delay once you get access back!
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