FAFSA contributor form won't accept spouse info despite multiple attempts - getting conflicting advice

I just submitted our FAFSA last week and ran into the EXACT same issue with my wife's info. The trick is you need to make sure both you and your spouse have created separate FSA IDs first. Then when you're filling out the contributor form, use your spouse's email (not yours) for their section. If you use the same email for both, it creates that validation error. As for signing - they gave you incorrect information. If you file jointly, only ONE spouse needs to actually sign/submit the FAFSA. I'm the one who submitted ours (we file jointly) and my wife didn't need to do anything after I completed it. The whole system is incredibly confusing this year with all the changes.

lol welcome to fafsa hell 2025 edition! same thing happened to me last month, thought i was going crazy

Financial aid counselor here. This is a very common issue with the new FAFSA system. To clarify the signing requirements: If you file taxes jointly, only ONE spouse needs to sign the FAFSA. The representative you spoke with was incorrect. For the contributor form specifically, here's a systematic approach to fix the error: 1. Each contributor MUST have their own FSA ID linked to their own unique email address 2. The tax information entered must match exactly what's on your tax return (even spacing/punctuation matters) 3. If you're still getting validation errors, check if your spouse has a middle initial on their SSN card but you entered their full middle name (or vice versa) 4. Try completing your spouse's section first, then yours If all else fails, there's a specific process to request manual review by submitting Form 122-P for contributor information errors.

Its rediculous how bad the new fafsa system is, took me 6 tries to get my husbands info accepted lol. Have you tryed using the MOBILE app? For some reason it worked on the app when the website kept giving me errors. worth a shot!!

I experienced the exact same issue and I was ready to give up after spending HOURS on hold with FSA trying to get help. I finally found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. The agent was able to override the system error and manually add my spouse to my FAFSA application. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. I was skeptical at first but honestly it saved me so much frustration. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. Definitely worth it considering how impossible it is to reach anyone at FSA these days.

my cousin works in finacial aid and she says this happens all the time with married students. the fafsa people dont know there own rules half the time. only 1 person needs to sign if filing jointly but BOTH need fsa id's. good luck!!!!

UPDATE: You all are amazing! I tried several of your suggestions last night and FINALLY got it to work. The issue was exactly what @practical_solution said - I had accidentally used my email for both my section and my husband's section. Once I updated his section with his actual email, the validation error disappeared. Also, I downloaded the mobile app as suggested and weirdly enough, the interface there made it much clearer what information was needed where. And yes, I confirmed with my daughter's financial aid office that only ONE signature is needed for joint filers. The FSA rep gave me completely wrong information! Thanks again to everyone who helped!

So glad you got it working! This gives me hope - I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now. My spouse and I both have FSA IDs but I think I might have made the same email mistake you did. Going to check that tonight along with trying the mobile app. It's crazy how confusing they've made this whole process, but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for sharing your solution!

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare right now! Been stuck on the contributor form for 2 days and getting the same validation errors. Reading through all these responses is super helpful - I had no idea about the email issue or that the mobile app might work better. Going to try those solutions tonight. It's honestly ridiculous how broken this new FAFSA system is, especially when families are under so much pressure to meet college deadlines. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

I just went through this exact same frustration two weeks ago! The email mix-up is definitely the most common culprit - my husband and I both had FSA IDs but I accidentally used my email for both sections. Once I fixed that, the validation error disappeared immediately. One additional tip that helped me: if you're still getting errors after fixing the email issue, try logging out completely and clearing your browser cache before logging back in. Sometimes the system holds onto the old incorrect information even after you've updated it. Also confirming what others have said - only ONE spouse needs to sign if you file jointly! That FSA rep gave you completely wrong info. The new system is definitely a mess but these workarounds do help. Good luck getting it sorted out!

Just wanted to add another data point for anyone still struggling with this - I had the exact same issue last month and it turned out to be a combination of the email problem AND a formatting issue with my spouse's Social Security Number. I had entered it with dashes (xxx-xx-xxxx) but the system wanted it without any formatting (xxxxxxxxx). Once I fixed both the email (made sure each of us used our own unique emails) and removed the dashes from the SSN, it went through immediately. It's crazy how picky the system is about these tiny details, but hopefully this helps someone avoid the days of frustration I went through! Also want to echo what others said about the mobile app - for some reason it seems to handle these validation issues better than the desktop site. Worth trying if you're still stuck!

Just wanted to share another solution that worked for me after dealing with this same nightmare for over a week! I tried all the suggestions here (email fix, mobile app, SSN formatting, etc.) but was still getting validation errors. What finally worked was completing the FAFSA form in a very specific order: I filled out ALL of my information first and saved it, then went back and added my spouse as a contributor in a completely separate session. For some reason, trying to do both at the same time kept triggering errors, but doing them sequentially worked perfectly. Also, make sure you're not rushing through the form - I noticed the system seems to have issues if you move between fields too quickly. Take your time on each section and let it fully load before moving to the next field. Hope this helps someone else who's tried everything else and is still stuck! The new FAFSA system definitely has some weird quirks but there are workarounds if you're persistent enough.

I'm currently going through this exact same issue and reading through everyone's solutions has been incredibly helpful! I've been stuck on the contributor validation error for 3 days now and was starting to panic about missing my son's college deadlines. It sounds like the email mix-up is the most common culprit - I'm pretty sure I made that same mistake since my husband and I share an email for most things. Going to try fixing that first, then the mobile app approach if needed. The tip about completing sections sequentially rather than all at once is really smart too. It's honestly shocking how broken this new FAFSA system is, especially when so many families are dealing with tight college application deadlines. But I'm grateful for this community sharing all these workarounds - way more helpful than the official FSA support! Will report back if I find any other solutions that work.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! I've been banging my head against the wall for the past two days trying to get my wife's contributor information to go through. The validation errors are so vague and unhelpful. After reading through everyone's solutions, I'm pretty sure I made the classic email mistake - I think I used my email address for both sections without realizing it would cause problems. Going to try switching her section to use her actual email tonight, along with double-checking the SSN formatting (no dashes) that someone mentioned. It's ridiculous that such small technical details can derail the entire process, especially when families are already stressed about college deadlines. But I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their workarounds here - way more useful than the official FSA help resources! Will definitely try the mobile app approach too if the website keeps giving me trouble.

I'm currently experiencing this exact same frustrating issue! Been trying to add my husband's contributor information for the past week and keep hitting the same validation errors. After reading through all these helpful responses, I'm now realizing I probably made the classic mistake of using the same email address for both our sections. It's incredible how such a small oversight can cause so much grief, especially when college deadlines are looming. I'm going to try tonight: fixing the email addresses (each using our own), removing dashes from SSN formatting, and using the mobile app instead of the website. The tip about completing sections sequentially rather than all at once is really smart too. Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions and workarounds! This community has been infinitely more helpful than the official FSA support. It's reassuring to know so many others have successfully navigated through these same technical hurdles. Fingers crossed these fixes work!

I'm going through this exact same issue right now! Just spent the last 4 hours trying to get my spouse's information added to our FAFSA and keep getting those cryptic validation errors. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful - I had no idea about the email issue being such a common problem. I'm pretty sure I made the same mistake as many others here - used my email address for both my section and my husband's section since we typically share one email for everything. Going to try switching his section to use his actual email address tonight, along with the SSN formatting fix (removing dashes) and trying the mobile app instead of the website. It's honestly mind-boggling how such small technical details can completely derail the process, especially when families are already stressed about meeting college deadlines. But this community has been a lifesaver - way more useful than the official FSA support! Thanks to everyone for sharing your solutions and giving the rest of us hope that there's light at the end of this FAFSA tunnel!