FAFSA application disappeared after tax consent issue - can't see it in My Activity
I'm seriously stressed about my FAFSA right now. I submitted my application 5 days ago but completely forgot to approve the IRS tax consent (rookie mistake, I know). The status changed to "Action Required" and I was planning to handle it when the online corrections window opened. But now my application has completely disappeared from the "My Activity" section! When I try to start a new application, the system tells me I already have one submitted, but I literally can't find it anywhere in my account. Screenshot shows my empty "My Activity" page. Has anyone else experienced this glitch? How do I get back to my existing application to fix the tax consent issue?
18 comments
Join the conversation
Isabella Silva
This same thing happened to me last month! The FAFSA site has been super buggy since they rolled out the new simplified form. What worked for me was logging out completely, clearing browser cookies/cache, and then logging back in. For some reason that made my application reappear in My Activity. If that doesn't work, try accessing the site from a different browser entirely - Chrome worked better than Firefox for me.
0 coins
Malik Robinson
•Thanks, I'll try logging out and clearing cache right now. Did your application status stay as "Action Required" when it reappeared? I'm worried the system auto-deleted it because I didn't respond to the tax consent issue fast enough.
0 coins
Ravi Choudhury
OMG the exact same thing is happening to me!!! I submitted like 2 weeks ago and then suddenly POOF my application is gone but I cant submit a new one either!!! this is so frustrating im going to miss my school's priority deadline if I cant fix this. has anyone gotten through to a real person at FSA? i tried calling but gave up after 45 minutes on hold....
0 coins
Freya Andersen
•I had a similar issue but with my parents' tax info. Try checking your email - sometimes they send notifications about action needed but the website doesn't show it properly. Mine eventually showed up again after like 3 days.
0 coins
Omar Farouk
This is a known issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA form. When you have an incomplete application with the specific "Tax Data Consent Required" status, it sometimes disappears from the My Activity dashboard but actually still exists in the system (hence why you can't start a new one). You need to take these specific steps: 1. Check your email for any communications from Federal Student Aid about your application 2. Try accessing your application directly through this link: https://studentaid.gov/fafsa-app/ROLES (you'll need to sign in first) 3. If that doesn't work, try accessing through a different device completely 4. Make sure you're looking under the correct year (2025-2026) in the Activity Center If none of these work, you'll need to contact FSA directly, as they'll need to manually restore access to your application.
0 coins
Malik Robinson
•Thank you! I tried the direct link but no luck. I've double-checked I'm looking at the right year too. Looks like I'll need to contact them directly. Any tips on actually getting through to a human being? The phone line seems impossible.
0 coins
CosmicCadet
I used Claimyr last week to get through to FSA when my application showed as "submitted" but my schools couldn't see it. It was AMAZING - I got connected to an agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and the website is claimyr.com. The agent was able to see my application in their system even though it wasn't showing up in my account, and they fixed the visibility issue while I was on the phone.
0 coins
Ravi Choudhury
•omg is this legit?? I'm desperate at this point so willing to try anything but sounds too good to be true. has anyone else used this?
0 coins
Chloe Harris
•It's legit. My financial aid advisor at school actually recommended it to me when I was having issues with my verification process. Saved me hours of frustration.
0 coins
Isabella Silva
Also, something to be aware of - if your application is in this weird limbo state for too long, it could affect your SAI calculation timeline. Once you get it fixed, I recommend submitting any corrections immediately so you don't end up at the back of the processing queue. My SAI took 6 weeks to process because of all the back-and-forth with these technical issues.
0 coins
Malik Robinson
•That's really good to know, thanks. I'm going to try the Claimyr service to get this fixed ASAP. I can't afford any more delays with my school's aid deadline coming up soon.
0 coins
Diego Mendoza
The FAFSA system is COMPLETELY BROKEN this year!!! This is happening to thousands of students and the Department of Education doesn't care!!! My daughter lost her entire application and had to start over, then they claimed she never submitted her verification documents even though we have PROOF of upload. This "simplified" FAFSA is a DISASTER and now they're penalizing students for their own technical failures. SHAMEFUL!
0 coins
Omar Farouk
•While there have definitely been issues with the rollout, most technical problems do have solutions. For verification documents, make sure you're using the Document Upload feature rather than just attaching them to an email. Also keep confirmation numbers for everything you submit - those are crucial for resolving disputes.
0 coins
Freya Andersen
just checking back - did any of these solutions work for you? I'm having the exact same issue now ðŸ˜
0 coins
Malik Robinson
•Yes! I used the Claimyr service to get through to FSA, and the agent was able to see my application in their system right away. Turns out it was flagged for potential identity verification which is why it disappeared from my dashboard. They reset something on their end and my application showed up again within an hour. I was able to complete the tax consent part and now it's processing normally. Hope this helps!
0 coins
CosmicCadet
One more tip - once you get your application back and fix the tax consent issue, make sure you check your SAI calculation carefully. My boyfriend had a similar issue and when they finally processed his application, they somehow didn't include his parents' tax info correctly even though the consent was fixed. This made his SAI way higher than it should have been. You'll want to compare the income figures on your SAI report against what you know was on your taxes.
0 coins
Malik Robinson
•That's a really good point - I'll definitely double-check all the numbers once I get my SAI. Thanks for the heads up!
0 coins
Jamal Edwards
I'm so glad to see this thread because I thought I was going crazy! This exact same thing happened to me last week. My application vanished after I got the tax consent notification, and like everyone else, the system insisted I already had one submitted but wouldn't show it anywhere. I ended up having to escalate through my school's financial aid office - they have a direct line to FSA for these kinds of technical issues. It took 3 business days but they were able to locate my application and get it restored to my dashboard. If you're still stuck after trying the other suggestions here, definitely reach out to your school's aid office. They deal with these FAFSA glitches all the time and have resources we don't have as individual students.
0 coins