FAFSA 'Sign and Submit' button missing - stuck in endless 'Sign and Continue' loop

Yes, this exact thing happened to me last month! The issue is that even though it SAYS everything is complete, there's actually one section that's not registering as finished in their system. For me, it was the parent asset verification page that looked complete but wasn't actually saving properly. Try going back through each section one by one and re-save even if everything looks complete. Pay special attention to the contributor section and make sure all checkmarks are green. When I went back and carefully clicked through each section again, suddenly the 'Submit FAFSA' button appeared on the final review page. Also check that your FSA IDs (both student and parent) are properly linked to the application. Sometimes that connection gets broken and prevents submission.

the same thing is happening to everyone i know!! my cousins tried for 6 weeks before they could submit. try checking the parent asset section - sometimes theres a hidden field thats not marking complete. also try using microsoft edge browser, worked for my roommate when chrome didnt.

OMG I HATE THE NEW FAFSA SO MUCH!!!! Been trying since DECEMBER to submit my daughter's application and kept running into the exact same issue! The Department of Education completely botched this rollout. Three months of our lives wasted on this garbage system. And then they have the NERVE to send emails saying "Don't delay, submit today!" WHEN WE LITERALLY CANNOT SUBMIT BECAUSE THEIR SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! 😡😡😡

I had this exact problem with my son's FAFSA last month! After weeks of frustration, I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid who could help. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to bypass the hold times - they got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes when I'd previously been waiting hours. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained that there's a known bug where if you have certain special characters (like hyphens or apostrophes) in any text field, it can cause the submission button to not appear. They had to manually reset something on their end, and then the submit button finally showed up when I logged back in. Worth trying if you're still stuck!

We had this problem too and believe it or not the solution was incredibly simple but not obvious. You need to click on the "Summary" tab at the top of the page first, THEN the submit button will appear. For some reason going through the regular way never shows the submit button. Don't ask me why, this whole FAFSA redesign is a disaster! But try clicking on Summary and see if that helps.

For those still experiencing this issue: The Department of Education quietly released a patch last week to address the infamous "sign and continue" loop. Make sure you're logging in with the most recent version of the site. Also, a common problem is that even though the application shows as 100% complete, one of the following issues might be occurring: 1. A parent or student hasn't properly linked their FSA ID to the application 2. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool connection failed silently 3. A required signature is missing (even though the system shows everything complete) If you're using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, try manually entering your tax information instead. This resolved the issue for several students I've worked with as a college financial aid advisor.

UPDATE: We FINALLY got our FAFSA submitted! For anyone else stuck in this ridiculous loop, what worked for us was: 1. Clicking on the Summary tab at the top (thanks to @profile6 for this crucial tip!) 2. On the Summary page, we discovered a tiny red exclamation mark next to the parent assets section that wasn't visible anywhere else 3. We fixed that section (had to re-enter some investment information) 4. When we returned to the Summary page, the magical "Sign and Submit" button appeared I'm beyond frustrated that this took 7 weeks of our lives, but relieved it's finally done. My daughter's university financial aid office said they're seeing this issue with about 40% of applicants this year. Absolute disaster of a rollout.

Congratulations on finally getting it submitted! This whole thread is a lifesaver - I've been stuck in the same loop for 3 weeks and was about to give up. The Summary tab tip is genius, I never would have thought to check there. Going to try this right now along with the other suggestions about re-checking the parent asset section. It's absolutely ridiculous that the Department of Education rolled out such a broken system and families are having to crowdsource solutions like this. Thank you everyone for sharing your workarounds!

Just wanted to add another potential solution that worked for my family after we were stuck for almost a month! We discovered that if you have multiple tabs open with the FAFSA site, it can cause the submission button to disappear. Make sure you: 1. Close ALL browser tabs/windows with FAFSA open 2. Clear your browser cache completely 3. Open ONE new tab and log back in 4. Go directly to the Summary tab (as others mentioned) Also, we found that the system seems to work better during off-peak hours - try submitting early morning (6-8 AM) or late evening (after 10 PM) when fewer people are using the system. The server load during regular business hours seems to cause additional glitches. This whole experience has been incredibly stressful but seeing everyone help each other here gives me hope! Don't give up - there IS a way through this broken system!

As someone who just went through this exact nightmare last week, I want to add a few more tips that haven't been mentioned yet: 1. Check your email for any FAFSA notifications - sometimes there are "action required" emails that point to specific issues not visible on the main application 2. If you're using a VPN, try disconnecting it - we found this was causing authentication issues 3. Make sure both student AND parent have completed the "Review and Submit" step in their individual sections, not just filled out the forms The Summary tab trick mentioned by others is absolutely the key! But also pay attention to the progress bars at the top of each section - sometimes they show 100% but there's actually a subsection that's incomplete. I also want to echo what others have said about documenting everything. Take screenshots of error messages, completion percentages, and any weird behavior. Many colleges are being understanding about delays due to these systemic issues, but having documentation helps when you contact their financial aid offices. Hang in there - this community has been incredibly helpful in finding workarounds for what should have been a straightforward process!

Just wanted to share another solution that worked for my nephew after he was stuck for over a month! We discovered that sometimes the issue is with browser compatibility - specifically if you have certain browser extensions enabled. Try this: 1. Open an incognito/private browsing window 2. Make sure all ad blockers and browser extensions are disabled 3. Log into FAFSA and go straight to the Summary tab 4. Look for any tiny warning icons or incomplete indicators that might not show up in regular browsing mode The incognito window seemed to bypass whatever caching issues were preventing the submit button from appearing. We also found that switching between the desktop site and mobile version can sometimes "refresh" the system's recognition of completion status. It's absolutely ridiculous that we're all having to become IT specialists just to submit a financial aid form, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing solutions! The Department of Education should be paying us for doing their troubleshooting work. Keep fighting - there IS a way through this broken system!

As someone who just successfully submitted my FAFSA after being stuck in this exact same loop for 5 weeks, I want to add one more potential solution that hasn't been mentioned yet! After trying literally every suggestion in this thread (thank you all SO much!), what finally worked for me was logging in using Microsoft Edge with ALL cookies and site data cleared, then immediately going to the "Review Your FAFSA" section instead of trying to navigate through the normal flow. From there, I clicked on each contributor's name individually and made sure their signature status showed as "Signed" with a green checkmark. Even though everything appeared complete on the main pages, one of the parent signatures wasn't properly registered in the system. After re-signing that section, the "Submit FAFSA" button magically appeared on the final review page. I also want to echo what others have said about trying during off-peak hours - I finally got through at 6:30 AM on a Sunday when the servers were probably less busy. This whole rollout has been an absolute disaster, but seeing everyone help each other here has been amazing. Don't give up - there really is a way through this mess! The Summary tab trick and incognito mode suggestions from others in this thread are also lifesavers!