FAFSA phone support hangs up every time - husband can't create FSA ID

omg same here!!!! been trying for a week with my mom's account. the system keeps saying her email is already registered but she NEVER made an account before. called like 20 times and just get hung up on every single time

This is actually a known issue with the new FSA ID system. When they migrated to the new studentaid.gov platform, some social security number verifications started failing even when the information is correct. The best workaround is to try creating the account using a different browser (Chrome works better than Firefox or Safari in my experience). Also, make sure there are NO spaces after the SSN digits when entering them. If that still doesn't work, try having your husband create the account from his own device rather than sharing yours - IP address tracking can sometimes cause verification issues.

Try calling exactly at 8:00:00 am Eastern time. Like literally be dialing at 7:59 and hit the call button exactly when it turns 8:00. That's the only way I got through last month when we had issues with our SAI calculation being wrong. The system always says high call volume but really they just don't have enough staff answering phones.

After dealing with the same issue for my son's FAFSA (couldn't create my contributor account because of "name mismatch"), I discovered a service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a real person at Federal Student Aid. It connects you directly to a representative without waiting on hold. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. After trying for days, I was connected to an agent within 15 minutes who fixed the issue on my account. Just letting you know since you mentioned having a deadline coming up soon.

Financial aid counselor here. This is unfortunately a common issue with the new FAFSA system rollout. A few technical tips that have helped my students: 1. Make sure the name used matches EXACTLY what's on the social security card (including hyphens, suffixes, etc.) 2. Try creating the account very late at night (2-4am) when the system has less traffic 3. If your husband has EVER had any financial aid (even decades ago), he might already have an FSA ID linked to his SSN - in that case you need to recover it rather than create a new one 4. Check if your husband has a credit freeze with any credit bureaus - this can prevent identity verification If you still can't resolve it and your deadline is approaching, ask your daughter's college financial aid office for help. Many schools can grant short extensions for FAFSA submission when there are documented technical issues with the federal system.

the whole FAFSA thing is a JOKE this year!!! my daughter got selected for verification and we uploaded all the documents TWO MONTHS AGO and they still haven't processed them!! now her school is saying she might lose her scholarships if it doesn't get processed soon. the whole system is designed to FAIL students who need aid the most!!

I had the same problem with creating an FSA ID for myself (I'm an independent student). What finally worked for me was using a different email address. I was trying to use my Gmail account but for some reason the verification emails weren't coming through or were being blocked. I created a new Outlook email account and the verification went through immediately. Might be worth trying if you've been using the same email address for multiple attempts.

Has anybody noticed that the FAFSA website works better on mobile than desktop? My daughter was having all kinds of glitches trying to add me as a contributor on her laptop, but when she switched to doing everything on her phone it worked perfectly. Maybe try the mobile version?

One last suggestion - check if your husband has an existing FSA ID by going to https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/recover-username. If the system finds a match with his SSN and DOB, it means he already has an account and just needs to recover the username/password rather than creating a new one. This has resolved the issue for many parents I've worked with.

i mean is it even worth the hassle anymore?? my brother ditched the whole FAFSA thing after trying for weeks and just took out private loans instead. the interest rates suck but at least the application process doesn't make you wanna jump off a cliff lol