FAFSA login page keeps going in circles - can't access parent portion

SAME HERE!! Been trying to login since yesterday and keep getting stuck in that stupid loop. Idk what's going on with the studentaid website but its driving me CRAZY

How long has this been happening for you? I'm going on day 3 now. I'm worried we'll miss deadlines because of their technical issues.

This is actually a known issue with the FSA ID system right now. There are two possible fixes:\n\n1. Try logging in between 11pm-5am when server load is lower. The timeout issues happen most during peak hours.\n\n2. Make sure you're using your FSA ID (not your student's) and that your email is verified in the system. Sometimes unverified emails cause the loop.\n\nIf neither works, you'll need to reach FSA directly to have them reset something on their end. This happened during the last application cycle too.

Thank you for these suggestions! I'll try the late-night login tonight. My email should be verified since I've had this FSA ID for a couple years now from when my daughter went to college. If that doesn't work, how do I contact FSA directly? Their phone lines are always busy.

i had this same issue and i waited til like 2 am and it worked! their servers must be overloaded or something. weird that they dont just fix it

Try a different device entirely. The FAFSA website doesn't play nice with certain browsers/devices. I had an issue where it wouldn't work on my laptop at all but worked fine on my wife's tablet. No explanation why 🤷‍♂️

I've tried my desktop, laptop, and phone so far - all with the same issue. But I haven't tried a tablet. I'll see if I can borrow one from a friend. Thanks for the suggestion!

This is a common issue that seems to be affecting many parents this application cycle. Besides the good technical suggestions already mentioned, there's something important to verify: make sure your son actually entered your information correctly when he submitted his portion.\n\nIf he entered a slightly different spelling of your name or an incorrect email address, the system will keep looping you. You'd need to have him log in and check what parent information he entered. \n\nIf you've tried everything and still can't get through, calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center is your best option. However, wait times have been extremely long (2-3 hours) due to the widespread issues with the new system.

That's a good point about checking his application. I'll have him log in tonight to verify he entered my information correctly. The Federal Student Aid phone line has been impossible - I got disconnected twice after waiting over an hour each time.

After dealing with this EXACT problem for days, I finally got through to someone at the Federal Student Aid office using a service called Claimyr. They hold your place in line and call you back when an agent is available. I was seriously ready to give up before trying it. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nTurns out my issue was that my son had entered my email incorrectly by one letter, causing the verification system to get stuck in a loop. The agent fixed it right on the call and I was able to log in immediately after.

That's extremely helpful! I've been trying to call for days. I'll check out that service - at this point I'm willing to try anything to get this resolved before we miss deadlines. Thank you!

Just looked it up and gonna try this today. Im tired of waiting on hold forever just to get disconnected

Is ur son classified as a dependent? My daughter had a similar issue and it turned out there was a mismatch between her dependency status in the system and what we were trying to do. When dependents submit their portion, the parent contribution part is supposed to automatically generate a to-do item for the parent, but sometimes this process breaks. U might need to have him log in and check if the parent contribution section shows as completed, pending, or has an error code.

Yes, he's a dependent student. That's interesting about the mismatch - I'll have him check his dashboard tonight to see if there's any error code or status update on the parent section. Thanks for mentioning this!

Just as a follow-up - one thing I've noticed is that this issue tends to resolve itself after system maintenance, which typically happens on Sundays between 3-7am EST. So if all else fails, try again after their weekly maintenance. Several colleges I work with have been telling students and parents about this workaround while FSA resolves the bigger technical issues with the new FAFSA simplification rollout.

That's great to know about the Sunday maintenance window. If I can't get it fixed through other means, I'll definitely try again early Monday morning. I appreciate the insider info!

UPDATE: For anyone having similar issues, I finally got this resolved! Turns out there were two problems: 1) My son had entered my email with a typo as someone suggested, and 2) The system was getting confused because I had an old FSA ID from when my daughter applied years ago that used a different email. \n\nI used the Claimyr service that someone recommended here to get through to an agent quickly. They fixed both issues and now I can log in normally. Just submitted my parent portion today - what a relief! Thanks everyone for your help.

Wow, glad you got it sorted out! The multiple FSA ID issue is something I hadn't heard about before but makes total sense - the system probably didn't know which account to authenticate. Thanks for sharing the resolution, this will definitely help other parents who run into the same problem. The FAFSA rollout has been such a mess this year with all these technical glitches!