FAFSA parent signature keeps failing for 2025-2026 application - tried everything!

Ugh same issue here! Been trying since Dec 28 and parent signature just won't go through. Called twice and wasted hours on hold just to be told "we're aware of the issue" 🙄

This is definitely a known system glitch affecting the 2025-2026 FAFSA. I work in a college financial aid office, and we're seeing this exact issue with many students. Here's what I can tell you: 1. The FSA is aware of the parent signature problem and working on a fix 2. Many schools are extending priority deadlines because of it 3. DO NOT submit a paper form - it will only complicate things once the electronic system is fixed 4. Continue checking every few days to see if the signature functionality is working Also, check with your school's financial aid office directly. Many are implementing provisional processes to ensure students with this issue don't miss out on aid packages.

why dont you just have your mom sign in herself insted of you trying to do it for her? thats what fixed it for us my mom used her own computer with her own fsa id and it worked fine

I've been dealing with this EXACT same parent signature issue since December 30th! After calling FSA multiple times and getting nowhere, I finally found a solution that worked for me. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with a live FSA agent without the crazy hold times. The agent was able to see that there was a mismatch between my parent's name format in the Social Security database and how we entered it in FAFSA. Apparently even things like having a hyphen vs. space in a last name can cause the signature verification to fail! The agent manually verified my parent's identity and pushed our application through. The whole thing took about 20 minutes once I got connected. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Might be worth trying if you're still stuck!

The parent signature issue is unfortunately a widespread technical problem with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. The FSA has identified three main causes: 1. Data validation errors between the FAFSA form and the Social Security Administration database 2. Browser cookie/cache issues that occur even after clearing 3. Session timeout problems during the multi-step signature process Some students have had success with these additional steps beyond the standard troubleshooting: - Have the parent create a completely new FSA ID (not just resetting the existing one) - Try completing the signature at odd hours (3-5am ET) when server load is lower - Use a mobile data connection instead of wifi - Disable all browser extensions completely If you need to get your SAI calculated urgently, contact your school's financial aid office. Many institutions are now accepting screenshots of the error along with a signed statement as a temporary placeholder.

So frustrating!! 😤 I went through the EXACT SAME THING last week and was pulling my hair out! Called like 6 times and nobody could help. I ended up mailing the paper form even though everyone said not to, but what else could I do?? Now I'm worried I've messed everything up... Did you ever get it to work? Should I try again online?

UPDATE: IT FINALLY WORKED! For anyone still struggling with this parent signature issue, here's what ended up working for us: 1. We waited until 4:30am ET (set an alarm, ugh) when the system had less traffic 2. Used a completely fresh browser (Firefox) in private mode with no extensions 3. My mom created a brand new FSA ID (had to use a different email) 4. We had her write her name EXACTLY as it appears on her Social Security card, including middle name 5. Completed the entire application in one sitting without saving and returning The signature finally went through! My SAI is now processing. So relieved but honestly furious that we had to go through all this. The financial aid office at my school was super understanding and said they're seeing this problem constantly with the new system. Hope this helps someone else!

OMG thank you for the update!! I've been following this thread because I'm having the exact same issue. Going to try your 4:30am method tonight - my mom is NOT going to be happy about the early wake-up call but honestly we're desperate at this point 😅 Quick question - when you say "exactly as it appears on her Social Security card" did that include any suffixes like Jr./Sr. or just the main name? My dad has "Jr." on some documents but not others so I'm not sure which version to use. Really hoping this works because I'm running out of time before my school's priority deadline!

This is SO helpful reading everyone's experiences! I'm a parent who's been struggling with the signature issue for my daughter's FAFSA since mid-January. We've tried everything the support reps suggested but nothing worked. Reading through all these comments, I'm realizing we probably need to check my Social Security card format more carefully. I think I've been using the name format from my driver's license instead of exactly what's on the SS card. Also definitely going to try the early morning approach - if 4:30am worked for you, Santiago, I'm willing to set that alarm! One question for anyone who got it working - did you complete the parent demographic section and signature all in the same session? Or were you able to save and return to just the signature part? My daughter started the application weeks ago and we've just been stuck on the signature step. Thanks for sharing your success story - gives me hope we can finally get this done! 🙏

Just wanted to add another potential solution that worked for my family! We were stuck on the parent signature issue for over a month, and what finally worked was having my mom sign using her phone's mobile browser instead of a computer. We tried Safari on her iPhone at around 2am (following the low-traffic time suggestion from this thread) and it went through on the first try! I think there might be something about the mobile browser that handles the signature verification differently. Also want to echo what others said about the Social Security card name format - we had to remove a middle initial that appeared on other documents but wasn't on the actual SS card. For anyone still struggling: don't give up! The combination of mobile browser + exact SS card name format + off-peak hours seems to be the magic formula. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread was a lifesaver! 🙌