FAFSA contributor issue for parent without SSN - urgent help needed
I'm in a total panic about my nephew's FAFSA application. He sent the contributor invitation to his mom (my sister) through the system, but she can't access anything in the 'activity' section when she logs in. The problem is she doesn't have an SSN (she's here legally but doesn't have citizenship yet). My nephew called the FAFSA helpline like 5 times and got nowhere - they just kept saying it's probably because she doesn't have an SSN and to "try different browsers" or submit a paper form. He already submitted the paper form TWO WEEKS ago and hasn't heard a single thing back. His classes start in 3 weeks and he has absolutely zero financial aid lined up. His mom is devastated that she's causing this problem. Has anyone dealt with the non-SSN contributor issue before? Is there a specific workaround? I'm desperate for any solution at this point!
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Lara Woods
yes. my bf had similar issue. mom doesnt have ssn either. they had to do the paper form but it took like 4 weeks to process. sorry not helpful but just to let u know timeline. have ur nephew check w school financial aid office they might have emergency options
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Oliver Alexander
•4 WEEKS?? Oh god, that's going to be too late for him. I'll tell him to contact the financial aid office tomorrow. Did your boyfriend's application eventually go through properly?
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Adrian Hughes
This is unfortunately a common issue with the FAFSA system. Parents without SSNs cannot fully participate in the online contributor process - it's a technical limitation they haven't addressed. Here's what your nephew should do: 1. Contact his school's financial aid office IMMEDIATELY and explain the situation 2. Request an enrollment extension or provisional aid package 3. Ask about institutional funds that can be approved while waiting for FAFSA 4. Follow up on the paper application by calling FSA and requesting expedited processing due to the school start date Parents without SSNs should enter 000-00-0000 on the paper form for the SSN field. Was this done correctly?
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Oliver Alexander
•Thank you SO MUCH for these steps. I just texted him your advice. I'm not sure if they used 000-00-0000 on the form - I'll ask him right away. Do you know if it's possible to get any sort of confirmation that the paper form was received? We have no idea if it's even being processed.
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Molly Chambers
My cousin went thru this exact situation!!! The schools financial aid office will probly put a hold on his account which means he CANT REGISTER FOR CLASSES until fafsa is processed. So stressful!!! They should actually make a way for parents without ssn to help there kids!
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Adrian Hughes
•While it can depend on the school, many institutions do have provisions for these situations. The key is proactive communication with the financial aid office. They can often offer institutional aid, payment plans, or conditional enrollment while waiting for FAFSA processing. Your cousin's experience isn't universal, and many schools understand these processing delays.
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Ian Armstrong
Unfortunately, the FAFSA system has significant limitations for contributors without SSNs. The online system simply isn't designed to handle this situation properly, which is why they default to paper applications. Having helped several students through this exact situation, I can tell you that waiting for paper processing is extremely frustrating. If your nephew needs to reach FSA directly to check on status, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that helps you bypass the long wait times to actually reach an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. I used it last month when I needed to check on a paper application status and got through in minutes instead of hours. In addition to what others have mentioned, your nephew should: - Request that the school financial aid office contact FSA directly on his behalf - Ask about a Professional Judgment review for special circumstances - Look into emergency institutional grants that might help bridge the gap
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Oliver Alexander
•Thank you - I've never heard of Claimyr before but I'll definitely check it out! Those hours of waiting on hold with FAFSA are soul-crushing. And the professional judgment review is something I hadn't thought of - I'll add that to the list of things for him to ask about tomorrow.
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Eli Butler
Your nephew NEEDS to contact his school's financial aid office RIGHT NOW!!!! I work at a university and we deal with this ALL THE TIME. We have special procedures for students with non-citizen parents without SSNs. We can do a manual override in many cases but THE STUDENT HAS TO ASK FOR IT!!! Don't wait for FAFSA to figure it out - go directly to the school!!!!!
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Oliver Alexander
•Oh wow, thank you for the insider perspective! I didn't realize the school could do manual overrides. I'm calling him right now to make sure he goes to the financial aid office first thing in the morning.
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Lara Woods
also did u try having his mom use 000-00-0000 for the ssn in the online form? sometimes that works
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Adrian Hughes
•This is important to clarify - the 000-00-0000 workaround sometimes works for the paper form, but typically causes errors in the online system. The 2025-2026 FAFSA specifically requires contributors to have valid SSNs for the online process. Paper forms with 000-00-0000 get specially handled, but online submissions with this placeholder often get rejected by the system validators.
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Marcus Patterson
I'm confused - I thought the new FAFSA allowed for parents without SSNs to be contributors? Isn't that one of the changes they made? Or am I mixing this up with something else?
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Ian Armstrong
•You're partially right, but there's some confusion around this. The 2025-2026 FAFSA does allow for non-citizen parents without SSNs to be listed as contributors, but there are still technical issues with how they interact with the online system. The parent can be listed, but the contributor functionality often fails to work properly in these cases. It's one of several glitches in the new system that hasn't been fully resolved yet.
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Oliver Alexander
UPDATE: My nephew went to the financial aid office this morning and they were incredibly helpful! They're processing an emergency aid package that will cover his first semester while we sort out the FAFSA issues. They also helped him call FSA using their direct line, and it turns out his paper application was received but had been flagged for additional verification because of the missing SSN. The financial aid staff are helping expedite this process. THANK YOU all for your advice - especially about going directly to the financial aid office. They really did have solutions we didn't know about!
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Adrian Hughes
•That's excellent news! I'm so glad to hear they're providing emergency aid. This is exactly why I always recommend going directly to the school's financial aid office - they have institutional tools and processes designed for these exact situations. Make sure your nephew stays in regular contact with them throughout the semester to ensure a smooth transition when the official FAFSA aid eventually comes through.
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Nia Thompson
This is such a relief to hear! Your nephew is so lucky to have you advocating for him through this stressful situation. The emergency aid package is a perfect solution while waiting for the FAFSA mess to get sorted out. It's really encouraging to see how the financial aid office stepped up - they deal with these SSN contributor issues way more than most people realize. Hopefully this will help other students in similar situations know that there ARE options available even when the federal system seems to be failing them. Best of luck with the rest of the process!
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