FAFSA Contributor section stuck loading - student can't complete without me
I'm trying to help my nephew with his FAFSA as a parent contributor but I'm completely stuck! Got the email invite, clicked the link, logged in, and now I'm at a screen that just says "Parent Contributor Details" with a progress tracker showing we're still in step 1. Nothing is loading beyond this screen! I've tried refreshing, closing Safari, even rebooting my Mac (which is giving me that "webpage using significant energy" warning). My nephew needs this done by March 1st for his priority deadline and I'm the only one who can provide my tax info. Has anyone else had this contributor section freeze up? What am I supposed to do next? So frustrating!
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Sean Flanagan
This is happening to a LOT of people with the new FAFSA system. The parent contributor section has specific issues on Safari browsers. I'd recommend switching to Chrome or Firefox first. Also, make sure you have your own FSA ID (not using your nephew's) and that you're using a device that isn't blocking cookies or running heavy ad blockers.
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Anastasia Popova
•Thank you! I only use Safari but I guess I can download Chrome. Do you know if I'll have to start the whole process over again if I switch browsers? Really don't want to mess anything up for my nephew.
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Zara Shah
SAME ISSUE HERE!! Been trying for 2 weeks and the contributor section never loads past that screen. Called FSA 5 times and got disconnected every single time. My daughter is going to lose her scholarship if we don't get this fixed soon. The new FAFSA system is a complete DISASTER!!
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NebulaNomad
•Try using Claimyr to get through to an actual FSA agent - it's the only thing that worked for my situation. The site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. They connected me to an FSA rep in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The agent told me there was a specific bug with parent contributors using Safari that they're working on fixing.
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Luca Ferrari
This is a known technical issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA system. A few troubleshooting steps that have worked for other contributors: 1. Clear cache and cookies in your browser 2. Try a different browser (Chrome or Firefox work better than Safari) 3. Try a different device entirely if possible 4. Make sure you're using the exact same email address that was used for the invitation 5. Check that your FSA ID is fully verified (sometimes there's a 1-3 day verification period) If none of these work, you may need to have the student remove you as a contributor and then re-add you to generate a new link.
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Anastasia Popova
•Thank you for these detailed steps! I'll try them all. One question - if my nephew removes me and adds me again, will that reset any information he's already entered in other sections?
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Nia Wilson
my kid had this problem to. we fixed it by using google chrome and making sure we weren't on the same wifi network. dont ask me why that worked but it did lol
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Mateo Martinez
•Wait what?? Different wifi networks? That makes zero sense but honestly nothing about this new FAFSA process makes sense. My daughter's college financial aid office told us they're seeing like 70% fewer completed FAFSAs this year because of all these technical problems. It's ridiculous.
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Anastasia Popova
UPDATE: I installed Chrome and tried again, still getting stuck at the same screen. Also tried on my phone and that didn't work either. This is so frustrating! My nephew says his part is all done but he can't submit until I complete my section. I'm going to try that Claimyr thing someone mentioned above to see if I can actually talk to a human at FSA.
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Aisha Hussain
•One thing to check - is your email address exactly the same as what your nephew entered when he added you as a contributor? Even small differences like firstname.lastname vs firstnamelastname can cause this issue. Also, make sure your FSA ID has been fully verified and activated before trying to access the contributor section.
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Anastasia Popova
FINAL UPDATE: Got it working! For anyone else having this issue, here's what ended up fixing it: 1. Had my nephew remove me as a contributor 2. Made sure my FSA ID was fully verified (it wasn't!) 3. Had him add me again with EXACTLY the same email as my FSA ID 4. Used Chrome instead of Safari 5. Turned off my VPN Now I can see all the questions and am working through my section. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Zara Shah
•Thanks for sharing what worked! I'm still struggling with this. Did you have to wait after getting your FSA ID verified before it worked? They told me verification takes 1-3 days but my daughter's deadline is tomorrow ðŸ˜
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NebulaNomad
I've been helping families with FAFSA issues all year as a financial aid counselor. The parent contributor section has been particularly problematic. A few technical notes that might help others: - The SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation *requires* complete parent information for dependent students, so this section is critical - The new FAFSA system sometimes doesn't properly sync contributor data to the main application for 24-48 hours - Some schools are extending their priority deadlines because of these widespread FAFSA issues - If all technical solutions fail, contact your student's financial aid office directly - many are accepting alternative documentation
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Mateo Martinez
•Is there any way to check if our information actually got submitted correctly? My daughter submitted her FAFSA last week but hasn't received her SAI yet, and we're worried something went wrong with my contributor section even though it seemed to work.
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