FAFSA parent confusion - why is it asking for BOTH parents to complete sections separately?

This happened to me too! It's a glitch in the new FAFSA system. When you get disconnected or have to restart mid-application, it sometimes defaults to requesting both parents separately even if you selected 'married filing jointly.' Here's what works: have your husband create his FSA ID, log in, and complete his section (it's actually pretty short). Once he submits, your son's application will process normally. The 'application complete' message your son sees is just indicating HIS part is done, not the entire FAFSA.

this is normal for the new FAFSA. both parents have to fill out seperate parts now if ur married. its dumb but thats how they do it now

The WHOLE FAFSA SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I've been dealing with this exact issue for 3 WEEKS and still can't get it resolved! Called FSA 8 TIMES and got disconnected EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. My daughter might lose her scholarship because the deadline is coming up and these incompetent bureaucrats can't fix their own system. The parent contributor section is a complete disaster - sometimes it asks for one parent, sometimes both, sometimes neither! How are we supposed to plan for college when they can't even get the basic application working right?!

this happened to me but then the email for my wife never arrived lol. but then my daughters SAI calculation still came through after like 3 days so maybe it doesnt actually matter?

Financial aid advisor here. This is a known issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA that happens when sessions are interrupted during the parent contribution section. Let me clarify a few things: 1. For married filing jointly households, only ONE parent should need to complete the form 2. When the system glitches after a timeout/disconnect, it sometimes splits into requiring both parents 3. The fastest solution is having both parents complete their sections separately 4. If your husband completes his section, your application will process normally 5. The separate parent sections require: FSA ID login, confirming household size, and agreeing to federal terms You can also contact Federal Student Aid directly to request they reset your parent contributor status, but that often takes longer than just having your husband complete his section.

when I did my sons FAFSA we had a similar issue... the whole process was way more confusing than it used to be! but I guess its better than having to manually enter all the tax info like before?

Update for everyone dealing with this issue: The Department of Education just announced they're releasing a patch next week to fix this specific parent contributor bug. If you can wait, you might not need both parents to complete sections separately. They're also extending the priority deadline by 10 days for students affected by these technical issues. You can check your student's status by logging into studentaid.gov and viewing the application status page.

As someone who just went through this exact same nightmare last month, I can confirm this is definitely a system glitch. What worked for us was having my spouse create his FSA ID immediately and complete his section the same day - don't wait! The longer you delay, the more likely you'll hit other technical issues. Also, make sure to save/screenshot everything as you go because the system has been known to lose progress. Once both parent sections are submitted, your son's application should process within 2-3 business days. The whole "married filing jointly only needs one parent" rule is supposed to be true, but the current system is buggy enough that it's easier to just work around it than fight it. Good luck!

I'm a college sophomore and just helped my younger sister with this exact same issue last week! The FAFSA system is definitely glitchy this year. What we discovered is that even though it shows "application complete" for the student, the parent contributor sections operate independently. When one parent gets disconnected (like what happened to you), the system sometimes defaults to requiring both parents to verify the information separately, even for married filing jointly families. My mom had the same reaction about my dad not checking email regularly, but honestly his section only took about 10 minutes once he sat down to do it. The key is to have him complete it ASAP before the system creates any other weird glitches. Also, pro tip: use an incognito/private browser window to avoid cache issues that might cause more freezing. Once both sections are done, your son's SAI should calculate within 24-48 hours. Hang in there - you're almost done!

This is such a frustrating but common issue this year! I went through the exact same thing with my daughter's FAFSA in February. The session timeout/disconnect bug is real, and unfortunately the quickest solution really is to have your husband complete his section separately. I know it's annoying when you thought you'd selected "married filing jointly" and expected to handle everything yourself. The good news is that his portion is much shorter than what you already completed - mostly just verifying household info and providing his electronic signature. I'd recommend having him tackle it this weekend while the issue is fresh in your mind. Once both sections are submitted, the application processes pretty quickly. Also, keep an eye on your email for any updates about that patch they mentioned - but don't hold up your son's application waiting for it. Better to get it done now than risk missing important deadlines!

New to this community but not new to FAFSA frustration! I'm dealing with a similar issue right now where the system split our parent sections after I had to restart due to a browser crash. Reading through everyone's experiences here is so helpful - it's clear this is a widespread bug affecting many families this year. Based on what I'm seeing, it sounds like the consensus is to just have the second parent complete their section rather than fighting the system or waiting for fixes. My question for those who've been through this: after both parents submit their sections, did you receive any confirmation emails letting you know everything was properly linked? I want to make sure we don't end up with duplicate applications or missing information that could delay processing. Thanks for all the detailed advice in this thread - this community is a lifesaver for navigating these FAFSA technical issues!