FAFSA confusion - both parents created contributor accounts, did we mess up our application?
I'm so frustrated with the new FAFSA system! My daughter is applying for the 2025-2026 year, and we've been stuck in contributor account hell for weeks. We finally got to the submission stage today, but I think we might have messed up. Both my wife and I created separate contributor accounts (thinking we both needed to), but now I'm seeing posts that suggest maybe only one of us needed to? The application is submitted, but I'm worried we've duplicated information or created some kind of conflict in the system. Has anyone dealt with this? Can we fix it, or will it automatically get sorted out? The whole studentaid.gov interface is absolutely baffling.
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Aisha Rahman
You're fine! The system is actually designed to handle multiple contributors. As long as both you and your wife used the correct FSA IDs linked to your correct SSNs, the system will reconcile the information. Many families have both parents create contributor accounts, especially when they both have income to report. What matters most is that your daughter (the student) was able to submit the application. You can verify everything is processing correctly by checking the status on your daughter's studentaid.gov account in about 3-5 days.
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Mateo Perez
•Thank you for the reassurance! That's a relief. Do you know if there's a way for us to check if our individual contributor parts were properly linked to her application? There's no confirmation email or anything showing our part was received.
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CosmicCrusader
we had the EXACT same problem last month!!! my hubby and i both made accounts and then got super confused about who was supposed to do what part. ended up with my daughter getting all frustrated with us lol
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Mateo Perez
•Haha, sounds familiar! Did you end up having any issues after submission? Did everything process okay with both accounts?
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Ethan Brown
This is a very common issue with the redesigned FAFSA. The system does allow multiple contributors, but the guidance on the website is unclear. Here's what happens behind the scenes: 1. The student initiates the application and identifies contributors 2. Each contributor completes their section independently 3. The system matches contributor data to the student application using the FSA IDs 4. When the student submits, all linked contributor data is included To verify everything was submitted correctly, have your daughter log into studentaid.gov and check the contributor section status. It should show both parents as "Complete" if everything went through. Your SAI calculation will appear in 3-7 days if everything was submitted correctly.
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Mateo Perez
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I'll have her check the contributor section status right now. It's been showing as "Processing" for the past day, so I guess that's a good sign?
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Yuki Yamamoto
I HATE the new FAFSA so much!! Went through this nightmare in January and had to call them SEVEN TIMES to get it sorted out because both my ex-husband and I submitted contributor info and somehow it created a glitch where my son's app got stuck in limbo for weeks. The whole system is broken and nobody at FSA seems to know how to fix it.
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Carmen Ortiz
•Same! Took us 6 tries to submit correctly. What a disaster rollout.
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Andre Rousseau
I had this exact issue last month and spent 3 days trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 20 minutes who confirmed that having multiple contributor accounts is actually fine. They have a video demo of how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that was super helpful. The agent verified all our info was connected properly to my son's application, which gave me peace of mind.
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Mateo Perez
•Thanks for the tip! If we have any issues with the processing, I'll definitely try that service. The thought of waiting on hold for hours is giving me anxiety.
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Zoe Papadakis
wait im confused... i thought only the parent who claims the student as a dependent needs to make an account? thats what my daughters school told us
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Ethan Brown
•That's not quite right. For the redesigned FAFSA, contributors include anyone whose financial information is required for the application. For dependent students, this typically includes both parents if they're married or living together, regardless of who claims the student on taxes. The student identifies which contributors need to provide information during the application process.
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Mateo Perez
UPDATE: We checked my daughter's account this morning, and both our contributor sections are showing as "Complete" and the application status is "Processing." Looks like having both accounts wasn't an issue after all! The SAI isn't calculated yet, but at least it seems to be moving forward. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Aisha Rahman
•That's great news! The SAI calculation typically takes 3-7 business days right now due to high volume. Once you get the SAI, your daughter's information will automatically be sent to the schools she listed on her FAFSA.
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CosmicCrusader
does anyone know what happens if the SAI is wrong because of the contributor stuff? can u fix it after or do u have to start all over??? asking 4 a friend lol
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Ethan Brown
•You can make corrections to a submitted FAFSA! Log into studentaid.gov, go to the FAFSA form section, and select "Make FAFSA Corrections." You don't have to start over. Just be aware that corrections may delay your SAI calculation by a few more days.
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