FAFSA signature error despite both signing - how to fix this delay?
I'm so frustrated with this FAFSA signature error! My son and I both definitely signed the 2025-2026 FAFSA last week, but now when I check the status it says "processed with signature error" and that we didn't sign. We both used our FSA IDs and followed all the steps! The confusing part is we both got confirmation screens after signing. Now I'm worried about missing priority deadlines for his college. Does anyone know how to make a signature correction? Is there a specific form or do we have to redo the entire application? I've tried calling the Federal Student Aid number but just get the busy signal over and over.
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Ellie Simpson
This exact thing happened to me last month! The system glitched even though we both signed. Here's what worked for me: sign in to studentaid.gov, go to your FAFSA form, and look for the "Make FAFSA Corrections" button. You'll need to re-sign at the end, but DON'T change anything else or you might reset the whole process. Also when you get to the signature page, make sure you actually click the specific signature checkbox before submitting - that's what we missed the first time.
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AaliyahAli
•Thank you! I didn't realize there was a corrections button. Will try this tonight when I get home from work. Fingers crossed it's that simple. Did it take long to process after you fixed the signatures?
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Arjun Kurti
the website is SOOO buggy this yr!! me & my daughter had 2 try FOUR TIMES b4 our signatures went thru. keep trying!!
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AaliyahAli
•Four times?? That's ridiculous! Did you end up having to submit a whole new application each time or were you able to just fix the signature part?
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Raúl Mora
Same problem here! I think the whole system is messed up. My daughter and I signed but got the same error. I called for THREE DAYS and couldn't get through. Then I tried again at exactly 8:00 AM when they opened and finally got through after 45 minutes on hold. They told me there was a known issue with the signature page not recording properly even when you sign! So frustrating!
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AaliyahAli
•THREE DAYS?! That's insane. I've been trying to call for the past two days with no luck. Did they at least fix it for you once you got through?
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Raúl Mora
•Yes but it took another week to process after they fixed it. The agent had to manually verify our signatures. They said they're getting thousands of these same calls. The new system is such a disaster compared to the old one!
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Margot Quinn
If you're still struggling to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me skip the wait time. You just go to claimyr.com and they'll get an agent to call you back instead of waiting on hold forever. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. It saved me hours of frustration with my daughter's verification issue last month. The agent was able to reset the signature page for me right away.
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Arjun Kurti
•does this rly work?? im gonna try it right now! been trying 2 call for DAYS!!
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AaliyahAli
•Thanks for this suggestion. At this point I'm willing to try anything. Those priority deadlines for financial aid aren't going to wait for the FAFSA system to work properly!
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Evelyn Kim
Financial aid advisor here. This signature error is unfortunately common with the new FAFSA system. Here are your three official options: 1) Use the "Make FAFSA Corrections" button, navigate to the signature page without changing anything else, and re-sign. Wait 3-5 days for processing. 2) Contact Federal Student Aid at 1-800-433-3243 and request a manual signature verification. Have your confirmation numbers ready. 3) If your school's priority deadline is approaching, contact your school's financial aid office directly. Many schools are aware of these system issues and have procedures to accept applications with pending signature corrections. Additionally, take screenshots of your original confirmation pages as evidence you attempted to sign properly the first time.
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AaliyahAli
•Thank you so much for these detailed options! I'll try option 1 tonight and if that doesn't work, I'll contact his school directly. I actually did take screenshots of our confirmation screens thankfully. Do you know if the signature issue affects SAI calculation timing or just the school's ability to access the FAFSA?
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Evelyn Kim
•The signature issue prevents your SAI calculation entirely. The form isn't considered complete until properly signed, so no processing occurs until that's resolved. That's why it's critical to fix this quickly. Once signatures are verified, SAI calculation typically takes 3-5 business days, after which schools can access your information.
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Diego Fisher
I had this happen last year with my son's FAFSA too! So annoying. The whole online signature system is broken if you ask me. Back in my day we just signed paper forms and mailed them in and never had these problems!! When will they fix this system?? This is affecting people's college futures!!! I ended up having to submit a whole new application because the corrections didn't work either. Lost 3 weeks in the process. So ridiculous.
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Henrietta Beasley
Just wanted to update - I tried the "Make FAFSA Corrections" button yesterday for my signature issue and it worked! Took about 24 hours for the status to update to "processing" instead of the signature error. Make sure both you and your son go through the signature process again, and double-check that you're actually clicking the "I agree to sign electronically" checkbox. It's small and easy to miss.
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AaliyahAli
•Thank you so much for sharing your success! I tried the corrections option last night and made sure we both checked those tiny signature boxes. Status still shows the error but I'm hoping it updates by tomorrow. It's reassuring to hear it worked for you!
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Evelyn Kim
Quick update for anyone with this issue: The Department of Education just released a statement acknowledging the signature error affecting thousands of 2025-2026 FAFSA applicants. They're implementing a system fix this weekend. If you've been experiencing this problem, check your status again on Monday - many applications should be automatically corrected without further action needed. They're also extending all internal processing deadlines by two weeks to accommodate these delays.
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AaliyahAli
•This is such a relief to hear! Where did you see this announcement? I've been checking the FSA website but didn't notice anything about this fix. Hoping our application gets automatically corrected!
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Evelyn Kim
•It was emailed to financial aid offices this morning and should be posted on studentaid.gov soon. If your status doesn't update by Tuesday, I'd still recommend calling or using one of the other methods suggested earlier, but hopefully the automatic fix will work for most people affected by this specific signature issue.
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