FAFSA contributor issue for parent without SSN - need urgent workaround!

I had a similar issue with my husband who doesn't have an SSN. What worked for us was that my daughter had to enter zeros (000-00-0000) for my husband's SSN in the parent section of HER application rather than using the contributor system. Then she entered his ITIN number (if your mom has one) in the separate field for that. The contributor system is broken for non-SSN parents. After she submits with the zeros, she should print a copy of the confirmation page. Then call the Federal Student Aid hotline not for technical support but specifically to confirm they received it properly and can see it's processing.

The entire FAFSA system is GARBAGE this year!!! I work in a high school counseling office and we have over 40 students with similar issues - parents without SSNs, contributor functions not working, paper forms taking MONTHS to process. And the FSA customer service is USELESS - they give different answers each time. The people who designed this new system should be FIRED!!!

This is a common issue with the new FAFSA. Let me explain what's happening and provide some solutions: 1. The contributor function has a technical limitation with non-SSN parents - it's a known bug in the system. 2. When your daughter submitted the paper form, it likely went into a processing backlog. Paper forms are currently taking 3-6 weeks to process due to the high volume. 3. For immediate resolution, your daughter should: - Log into her StudentAid.gov account - Start a new FAFSA application - Use 000-00-0000 for your SSN - Enter your ITIN in the separate field if you have one - Input her demographic information and yours accurately - Submit electronically 4. After submission, she needs to call the Federal Student Aid hotline and specifically request them to verify receipt and prioritize processing due to the approaching school start date. Be sure to mention she previously submitted a paper form that hasn't been processed. 5. Have her contact her school's financial aid office to inform them of the situation and ask if they can work with a preliminary aid package based on the submission confirmation while waiting for official processing.

You're right to be concerned about duplicates. Your daughter should call FSA first to check if the paper form is in their system. If it's not showing as received or in processing, then submit electronically. If it is in their system, ask for the processing to be expedited instead of submitting a new one. One important note: If your daughter is attending college this fall (2025-2026 academic year), make sure she's completing the correct year's FAFSA. The application should be for 2025-2026, not 2024-2025.

I had a similar nightmare trying to reach FSA last month. Try using Claimyr.com - it's a service that waits on hold with FSA for you and calls you when an agent is on the line. It worked great for me after I wasted 3 days trying to get through myself. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ After I finally reached someone, I explained this was my third attempt submitting our application (parent without SSN issue) and that classes were starting soon. The agent was able to locate my application in their system and expedite it. Had my SAI score 3 days later.

my cousin had this SAME problem last yr with her dad (no ssn) and what worked was going to the financial aid office IN PERSON with all the tax documents and stuff. they helped her fill out a special form for parents without ssns and processed it right there. took like 2 hrs but she got her aid package before the semester started.

just bring everything!! like tax returns, w2s, bank statements, id/passport for the parent without ssn, proof of legal residency if u have it. better to have too much than not enough!

i went through the same thing and found out that sometimes the contributor invite emails work but the system itself doesnt update properly. try having your daughter log back into HER account and check if the system shows she sent you an invite. sometimes you have to resend the invite like 3-4 times before it works. also made sure both of you are using the SAME browser (we had issues when she used chrome and i used safari).

Quick update on my earlier comment - make sure when your daughter resubmits, she checks the box indicating you (the parent) are a "non-tax filer" if that applies to your situation. We found that the system handled non-SSN parents better when they were also marked as non-tax filers, even though my husband actually did file taxes with an ITIN. After submission, we uploaded his tax transcript separately through the verification portal, which fixed everything.

We did get selected for verification, but the financial aid office understood the situation. We explained we had to use this workaround because of the system limitations for parents without SSNs. They were fine with it once we provided the actual tax documents. The most important thing was getting the initial application through so they could start processing the aid package.

I'm a financial aid advisor at a community college, and I see this issue frequently. Here's what works consistently: 1. Have your daughter complete the FAFSA again electronically, entering 000-00-0000 for your SSN 2. For the parent without an SSN, you must use the paper signature page instead of creating an FSA ID (which requires an SSN). Have your daughter print the signature page after completing the online FAFSA, sign it manually, and mail it in. 3. Call the school's financial aid office immediately and let them know you've submitted with the signature page due to a parent without SSN. Many schools can work with a preliminary submission while waiting for the signature page to be processed. 4. Request the financial aid office to check if they can see the FAFSA in their system even before it's fully processed. Some schools can see pending FAFSAs and start preparing aid packages. 5. If all else fails, ask the school about emergency aid options or a payment plan while waiting for the official aid package. The good news is that schools understand these issues are common and most have procedures to help students in these situations.