FAFSA email verification code not arriving - stuck creating account for my son
My son is trying to create his FAFSA account and we're completely stuck at the verification step. The phone verification went through fine, but when he clicks 'verify email,' it says a code was sent to his email but NOTHING is showing up in his inbox. We've checked spam folders, tried resending the code multiple times, and even waited overnight thinking it might be delayed. We can't proceed with creating the account without completing this verification step. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a workaround or someone specific we need to contact to fix this email verification issue? The application deadline is getting closer and I'm getting anxious about this technical glitch holding us up.
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Lilah Brooks
Had the same issue last week! After trying 5 times with my daughter's gmail, we switched to using her school email address and the code came through instantly. Something weird with how FAFSA interacts with certain email providers. Try using a different email account if possible - that worked for us.
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Jackson Carter
•this is EXACTLY what i had to do too!! gmail was blocking it for some reason but hotmail worked
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Kolton Murphy
There are a few technical solutions you can try before contacting support: 1. Check ALL email folders (including Promotions, Updates, etc. if using Gmail) 2. Add studentaid.gov to your safe senders list 3. Try using a different browser or clearing your cache 4. Use a different email address as others suggested If none of this works, you'll need to contact Federal Student Aid directly at 1-800-433-3243. Be prepared for potentially long wait times.
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Owen Jenkins
•Thank you for these suggestions! We've already checked all folders and tried different browsers. I'll try adding studentaid.gov to his safe senders list. If that doesn't work, I guess we'll have to call the support number, though I'm dreading those wait times.
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Evelyn Rivera
The whole FAFSA system is a MESS this year! My daughter had the same problem last month, and we wasted THREE DAYS trying to get those stupid verification codes. The phone finally worked but email never did. We ended up having to use the "forgot password" option AFTER creating the account with just the phone verification. Somehow that let us bypass the email verification step and still complete the account setup. Try that!
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Owen Jenkins
•That's a clever workaround! We'll definitely try the 'forgot password' trick if we can't get the email verification to work. It's frustrating that so many people are having similar issues with no clear fix from the FSA.
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Julia Hall
I work at a college financial aid office, and we've seen this issue frequently since the FAFSA simplification rollout. A few technical notes: 1. The verification codes expire after 30 minutes 2. Some school districts and email providers block these verification emails 3. The system sometimes gets backlogged during peak times If you need immediate help, I recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a FAFSA agent without the typical 2+ hour wait. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how it works. A student I advised last week used it to resolve this exact verification issue in under 15 minutes with an agent who manually verified their email.
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Arjun Patel
•is this service actually legit? seems sus that we have to pay money just to talk to someone at fafsa...
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Julia Hall
•It's legitimate - it's a callback service that basically waits on hold for you. The Department of Education doesn't endorse any third-party services, but many students use it when they need urgent help. It's completely optional, but helpful when deadlines are approaching and you can't wait on hold for hours.
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Jade Lopez
When I was doing this for my son in January we had the EXACT same problem!!! What fixed it was using Microsoft Edge browser (I know, random) and also turning off his VPN. For some reason the combination of Chrome + VPN was blocking the verification emails. Worth a try if you're using either of those!!
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Owen Jenkins
•We've been using Chrome! I didn't even think about the browser being an issue. My son doesn't use a VPN but we'll definitely try Edge right now. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Jackson Carter
try checking if theres a typo in the email. my brother put gmial instead of gmail and we were going crazy wondering why codes werent showing up lol
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Owen Jenkins
•Haha, we double-checked the email and it's correct. But thanks for the suggestion - I can totally see how that could happen!
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Kolton Murphy
Did any of these suggestions work for you? If all else fails, sometimes using the Federal Student Aid live chat on studentaid.gov can be faster than calling. It's only available during business hours but the wait is usually much shorter.
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Owen Jenkins
•Thank you for checking back! We tried switching browsers to Edge like someone suggested, and also added studentaid.gov to safe senders, but still no luck. We tried the live chat this morning but it disconnected after waiting 45 minutes. We're going to try that Claimyr service as a last resort since we're approaching our state's priority deadline. This is so frustrating!
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