FAFSA login error showing 'records don't match' despite multiple attempts - what's going on?

OMG MY SON HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!!! We were freaking out because his preferred school's priority deadline was approaching. Turned out he had an old account from when he did the FSA ID verification process as a high school junior last year, but didn't remember creating it. When we called FSA, they helped us recover that account rather than making a new one. Maybe your daughter already has an account she forgot about?

This is a pretty common issue that can happen for a few different reasons. Here are the most likely causes: 1. Your daughter likely already has an existing FSA ID tied to her SSN (as the previous commenter mentioned) 2. There could be a mismatch between her legal name as recorded with Social Security vs. what she's entering 3. Sometimes there are background verification issues with the Social Security Administration database The solution is to call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. They can verify her identity and either help recover the existing account or resolve whatever verification issue is happening. Just be prepared for potentially long wait times.

I had this happen to me too! Super frustrating. What fixed it for me was realizing that the system is SUPER picky about how names are entered. Like if your daughter's name has a hyphen, apostrophe, or if she has two last names, that might be causing the problem. Also make sure she's not using any nicknames - it has to match exactly what's on her Social Security card.

I work in a university financial aid office and see this issue all the time. Beyond what others have mentioned, there are a few other common causes: - Browser cache issues (try clearing cache or using incognito mode) - Using a VPN (the system sometimes flags these connections) - Special characters in passwords causing system conflicts - Account security lock after too many failed attempts Technically, each person should only have ONE FSA ID tied to their SSN. The system prevents multiple accounts, which is probably why the new email didn't work either. Your best bet is definitely to call the FSA directly to resolve the identity verification issue.

I spent FOURTEEN HOURS on hold with the FSA help center last month trying to fix this exact issue for my son. Kept getting disconnected after waiting 2-3 hours each time. The whole system is broken. What finally worked was using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual human at the FSA. They have this service where they wait on hold for you and call when an agent picks up. Saved my sanity. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent was able to verify my son's identity and unlock his account in like 10 minutes once we finally got through.

There's also another possibility no one has mentioned yet. If your daughter is under 18, there can sometimes be additional verification steps needed since the credit bureaus have less data on minors. Is she 18+ yet?

Alright, I had the EXACT same issue back in October. Turned out I had both a typo in my birthdate (had 1998 instead of 1997) AND I was using a nickname (Alex instead of Alexander). Make absolutely sure all the info matches her Social Security card and birth certificate exactly. If all that checks out, I'd definitely recommend calling FSA directly. Just don't wait until the last minute - phone wait times get crazy as deadlines approach. When I finally got through, the agent was able to help reset everything in about 15 minutes.

any update? did u figure it out? my niece is having the same problem now :

I'm dealing with this same nightmare right now! My daughter has been locked out for over a week and we've tried everything - clearing browser cache, different devices, even had her try from her school's computer lab. The "records don't match" error is so vague and unhelpful. We're planning to call FSA tomorrow but dreading those wait times everyone's mentioning. Has anyone had luck getting through during specific hours? Like is early morning better than afternoon? Really hoping we can get this sorted before her scholarship deadlines start hitting!

I'm a new student going through this process and this thread has been SO helpful! I was about to panic because I got the same "records don't match" error yesterday when trying to create my FSA ID. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like I should check if I already have an account first before calling. My high school counselor had us do some college prep activities last year and I vaguely remember creating some kind of federal student aid account. Does anyone know if there's a way to check if an FSA ID already exists for my SSN before spending hours on hold? I'd rather exhaust the self-service options first if possible. Also wanted to thank everyone for sharing the phone tips - I'll definitely try calling early morning if I can't figure it out on my own!

This thread is exactly what I needed to find! My son has been stuck with the same "records don't match" error for the past few days and we were getting so frustrated. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear this is way more common than we thought. We're going to try the username recovery option first (thanks for that tip!) and if that doesn't work, we'll call FSA early morning. It's reassuring to know that most people seem to get this resolved once they actually reach an agent. The FAFSA process is stressful enough without these technical glitches! Fingers crossed we can get it sorted out soon - these deadlines are no joke.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm a parent helping my daughter with her FAFSA and we've been dealing with this exact same "records don't match" error for the past two days. It's been incredibly frustrating, especially with all the college deadlines approaching. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really reassuring - it sounds like this is a much more widespread issue than I initially thought. Based on all the helpful advice shared here, we're going to start by trying the username recovery option on studentaid.gov to see if she already has an existing FSA ID that we forgot about. If that doesn't work, we'll call the FSA Information Center first thing tomorrow morning (thanks for the tip about early morning having shorter wait times!). It's really comforting to see that most people were able to get this resolved once they actually spoke with an agent, even if the wait times were long. This whole FAFSA process is stressful enough without these technical glitches, but at least now I feel like we have a clear plan of action. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this community has been incredibly helpful!