FAFSA parent info section giving 'system unable to complete action' error - anyone else?

Yes! I had this exact issue yesterday when trying to enter my wife's information as a contributor. The parent/contributor section seems to be glitching for many people right now. After speaking with an FSA agent (took forever to get through), they confirmed they're experiencing some technical difficulties with that specific section. The agent suggested trying during non-peak hours (like very early morning or late evening) when the system has less traffic. I finally got through at 5:30am today. If your SAI calculation is time-sensitive, you might want to contact your school's financial aid office and let them know about the technical issues.

having same issue but with the student section lol. feels like the site is always broken when deadlines r close. tried on my phone too and same error

I had this problem last week and discovered it was because I was using special characters in the additional notes field (I think it was the $ symbol or maybe the % sign). Try removing any special characters from ALL text fields - even ones you filled in previous sections. Something in their validation system is super buggy right now.

this happens literally every year lol. the fafsa system is always garbage around deadline times. my brother had the same issue and just kept trying every few hours until it worked. took him like 2 days to finally get through

The FAFSA parent contributor section errors are typically related to one of three issues: 1) Session timeout - The system may be timing out your session without notifying you properly 2) Data validation errors - Sometimes specific combinations of financial information trigger validation errors 3) System maintenance - FSA occasionally performs unannounced maintenance during low-traffic periods Having worked with financial aid applications extensively, I recommend completely logging out, clearing your browser cache, waiting 30 minutes, then trying again with a fresh session. Also, make sure your parent's AGI doesn't contain any commas or special formatting. If you're approaching your school's priority deadline, contact your financial aid office immediately. Most institutions will accommodate students facing documented technical issues with the FAFSA portal, especially when it's a known system problem.

I've been having the same problem since yesterday! I tried calling FSA but was on hold for over 2 hours before getting disconnected. So frustrating!! I found a service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to an agent. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Basically they hold your place in line and call you when an agent is about to pick up. I was skeptical but it actually worked and I got through to someone who confirmed it's a known issue they're working on fixing. The agent was able to note it on my account that I've been trying to submit before the deadline.

OMG same problem here but with different message! Mine says "temporarily unavailable" when I try to save the parent section. Been trying since Tuesday! So annoying!!!!

UPDATE: It's working now! I tried again at 2:30am and was finally able to submit the parent contributor section. For anyone still having issues, definitely try during the middle of the night when traffic is lower. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

typical fafsa lol always works when nobody's awake to use it

For anyone still experiencing this issue, the FSA office has officially acknowledged the technical problem with the parent contributor section. They've issued a statement that they will honor submission dates for students who attempted to submit during the affected period (Feb 13-15). If your school has a priority deadline during this window, contact your financial aid office with documentation of your attempts. Most institutions are being advised to accommodate students affected by this system issue when considering priority deadlines for the 2025-2026 aid year.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone still dealing with this - I had the same error for 3 days straight and finally got through this morning around 4am. What worked for me was using incognito/private browsing mode AND making sure I didn't have any other tabs open with studentaid.gov. I think there might be some kind of session conflict happening when you have multiple FAFSA tabs open. Also, if you're using a VPN, try turning it off - that seemed to help too. Don't give up! The system is definitely buggy but it does eventually work if you keep trying during off-peak hours.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying for the past two days and getting the "system unable to complete action" error every single time on the parent contributor section. It's so reassuring to know I'm not the only one experiencing this - I was starting to think I was doing something wrong with my dad's tax information. I've tried different browsers, cleared cache, even borrowed my roommate's laptop thinking it might be a computer issue. Nothing works! My school's priority deadline is Monday and I'm getting really anxious about this. Going to try the early morning approach that seems to be working for people - setting my alarm for 3am tomorrow to give it another shot. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!

I'm currently experiencing this exact same issue! Been trying to submit the parent contributor section for my mom's information since yesterday and keep getting hit with that "system unable to complete action" error. It's honestly relieving to see I'm not the only one dealing with this - I was starting to panic that I had entered something incorrectly. I've tried all the usual troubleshooting (different browsers, clearing cache, etc.) with no luck. My school's priority deadline is next Tuesday so I'm definitely going to try the early morning approach that's been working for others. Also going to reach out to my financial aid office tomorrow to document that I've been attempting to submit before the deadline in case this isn't resolved by then. Thanks for posting this - it's so helpful to know this is a known system issue!

I'm also dealing with this nightmare right now! Been stuck on the parent contributor section for three days straight with the same "system unable to complete action" error. It's honestly such a relief to find this thread and realize it's not just me - I was convinced I was entering my mom's tax info wrong somehow. I've tried literally everything: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, cleared cache, restarted router, even tried from the library computer thinking it was my internet. NOTHING works! My school's priority deadline is this Friday and I'm starting to have a full panic attack about missing out on aid. Definitely going to try the 3-4am strategy that seems to be working for people, and I'm also going to email my financial aid office today with screenshots of the error to document that I've been trying. This whole system is such a mess - why does this happen every single year around deadline time?? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, at least now I know I'm not crazy! 🙃

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Started getting the "system unable to complete action" error yesterday when trying to submit my parent's contributor section. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, restarting my computer, even tried from my phone. Nothing works! My dad's tax info is super straightforward too, just basic W-2 stuff. It's such a relief to see this thread and know I'm not doing something wrong. My school's priority deadline is next week and I was starting to panic. Definitely going to try the early morning approach that seems to be working for people - setting my alarm for 3am tomorrow. Also planning to contact my financial aid office to document that I've been trying before the deadline. Thanks for posting this, it's so helpful to know this is a widespread system issue and not just us!

I'm experiencing this exact same issue! Been stuck on the parent contributor section since Monday with that same "system unable to complete action" error. It's such a relief to find this thread and realize it's affecting so many people - I was starting to think I had messed up my mom's tax information somehow. I've tried everything: multiple browsers, clearing cache, different devices, even tried from my work computer. Nothing works! My school's priority deadline is Thursday so I'm getting pretty stressed about this. Definitely going to try the 3-4am approach that seems to be working for others. Also planning to email my financial aid office today with screenshots to document that I've been attempting to submit before the deadline. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips - it's so helpful to know this is a known system-wide issue and not something we're doing wrong! 🙏

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to submit my parent contributor section for the past three days and getting that same "system unable to complete action" error every single time. It's so frustrating because my mom and I have triple-checked all her tax information and everything looks correct. I've tried different browsers, cleared my cache, even tried from the library computers thinking it might be my home internet. Nothing works! My school's priority deadline is next Friday and I was starting to panic that I was doing something wrong. This thread is honestly a lifesaver - it's such a relief to know this is a widespread system issue and not just me messing up somehow. Definitely going to try the 3am approach that seems to be working for people, and I'm also planning to contact my financial aid office tomorrow to document that I've been attempting to submit before the deadline. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions! 🤞

I'm having the exact same problem! Started getting the "system unable to complete action" error three days ago when trying to submit my mom's contributor information. I've tried everything - Chrome, Firefox, Safari, clearing cache, different computers, even tried from my phone using mobile data thinking it was my WiFi. Nothing works! My school's priority deadline is Monday and I'm honestly freaking out about missing financial aid. It's such a relief to see this thread and know it's not just me - I was starting to think I had entered her tax info wrong somehow. Definitely going to try the 3am approach that everyone's mentioning. Also planning to call my financial aid office tomorrow morning to document these technical issues. Thanks for posting this, it's so helpful to know this is a widespread system problem! 🙏

I'm experiencing this exact same issue! Been trying to complete my parent contributor section since yesterday and getting that frustrating "system unable to complete action" error every time. I've tried Chrome, Firefox, clearing cache, different devices - nothing works! My dad's tax info is straightforward (just W-2, standard stuff) so I know it's not a data entry problem. My school's priority deadline is next week and I was starting to panic thinking I was doing something wrong. This thread is such a relief - knowing it's a widespread system issue and not just me! Definitely going to try the 3am approach that seems to be working for everyone. Also planning to contact my financial aid office tomorrow to document these technical difficulties before my deadline. Thanks for posting this and for all the helpful suggestions everyone! Fingers crossed we all get through this system nightmare soon! 🤞

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to submit my parent contributor section for the past two days and getting that same "system unable to complete action" error every single time. It's so relieving to see this thread and know I'm not alone - I was starting to think I had messed up my mom's tax information somehow. I've tried all the usual fixes (Chrome, Firefox, clearing cache, different devices) but nothing works. My school's priority deadline is this Thursday so I'm getting pretty stressed. Definitely going to try the 3am approach that everyone's mentioning - setting my alarm now! Also planning to call my financial aid office first thing tomorrow morning to document these technical issues. Thanks everyone for posting your experiences and tips - it's so helpful to know this is a known system-wide problem and not something we're doing wrong! 🙏

I'm having this exact same problem! Been stuck on the parent contributor section for the past 4 days with that same "system unable to complete action" error. It's such a relief to find this thread and know I'm not going insane - I was convinced I was entering my stepdad's tax info wrong somehow. I've tried literally everything: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, cleared cache and cookies, restarted my computer, tried from different networks, even went to the campus library thinking it was my home internet. NOTHING! My school's priority deadline is this Friday and I'm honestly having panic attacks about this. The error message is so unhelpful too - like just tell us what's actually wrong so we can fix it! Definitely going to try the 3am approach that seems to be working for everyone. Also planning to call my financial aid office tomorrow morning with screenshots to document all my attempts. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - knowing this is a widespread system issue and not our fault makes me feel so much better! Fingers crossed we all get through this nightmare soon! 😭🤞

I'm experiencing this exact same issue! Been trying to submit my parent contributor section since Monday and getting that same "system unable to complete action" error every single time. It's honestly such a relief to find this thread and know I'm not the only one - I was starting to think I had entered my dad's tax information incorrectly somehow. I've tried Chrome, Firefox, clearing cache, restarting my computer, even tried from my school's computer lab thinking it was my home internet. Nothing works! My school's priority deadline is next Tuesday and I'm getting really anxious about missing out on aid. Definitely going to try the 3am approach that seems to be working for everyone - setting my alarm now! Also planning to contact my financial aid office tomorrow morning to document these technical issues before my deadline. Thanks for posting this and for everyone sharing their experiences and solutions - it really helps to know this is a widespread system problem and not something we're doing wrong! 🙏