FAFSA signature error loop - school says delete application but can't log in

This sounds like a classic FSA ID issue, not the FAFSA application itself. Your daughter's FSA ID is likely disconnected from her application somehow. Instead of deleting, try this: 1. Have your daughter go to studentaid.gov/fsa-id/ 2. Select "Forgot Username" or "Forgot Password" (even if she knows it) 3. Complete identity verification 4. Create new challenge questions 5. Try logging in with the refreshed credentials If that doesn't work, call 1-800-433-3243 and specifically ask for the "FSA ID Technical Support" team. The regular helpline folks often can't solve these deep technical issues.

this happened 2 my brother to. The "unknown error" thing is the WORST!!! he had to make a whole new fsa id bc his old 1 got corrupted or somthing. dont delete the application!!!! thats BAD advice from the school tbh

We went through the EXACT same nightmare scenario! After weeks of frustration, what worked was having my son create an entirely new FSA ID with a different email address. The old one was somehow corrupted in their system. Here's what's weird - when he created the new FSA ID, he could suddenly see his FAFSA application was actually COMPLETE with his signature! The system was showing different statuses to him vs. the school. The school had to refresh something on their end to see the updated status. Don't delete the application - that's a last resort. Ask the financial aid office if they can specifically check the backend status with Dept of Ed first.

Hey there, I've been dealing with FAFSA for several years now (third kid in college) and these signature glitches are unfortunately common. Have you tried having your daughter call the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly? The school can only see what's in their system, but the FSA folks can sometimes see deeper issues. Btw, I recently found this service called Claimyr that helps you skip the hold times when calling FSA. Saved me hours of waiting! Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - basically they wait on hold for you then call you when an agent is ready. Might be worth it since resolving this by phone seems to be your best bet at this point.

Financial aid administrator here. This sounds like a system synchronization issue we've seen several times this cycle. The 2024-2025 FAFSA rollout has been exceptionally problematic. What's likely happening is your daughter's signature IS registered in the Federal Student Aid system, but the status isn't properly syncing with your school's system. The technical term is an "identity validation mismatch." DO NOT DELETE THE APPLICATION YET. Have your daughter: 1. Take screenshots of any errors 2. Create a new FSA ID using a different email address 3. Call 1-800-433-3243 and request to speak with a FAFSA Processing Specialist (not just the frontline support) 4. Ask them to check the "signature status flag" in their system 5. Request they manually push a status update to your school's financial aid office If all else fails, only then consider starting over. But at this point in the cycle, it may be faster to fix the existing application than start fresh.

WHATEVER U DO DONT DELETE!!!! My cousin deleted her application after similar problems and had to START ALL OVER and missed her school's priority deadline for grants!!! The schools financial aid ppl aren't always right about FAFSA stuff they just want a easy fix for THEM not you!!

Have your daughter try logging in using an Incognito/Private browser window. I had weird errors that only happened in regular browser sessions because of cached data. Also, clear cookies specifically for studentaid.gov before trying again. And this may sound silly, but has your daughter tried signing in very late at night or very early morning? The system gets overwhelmed during peak hours and sometimes works perfectly at 5am when nobody's using it.

Quick update: I checked with my son, and what finally worked for us was having the financial aid office submit a case to FSA's "Application Processing Division" - not just regular support. Apparently they can do this through a special school portal. Maybe ask your financial aid office if they can submit a processing case for your daughter specifically about the signature issue?

One other technical troubleshooting step: Make sure your daughter's name, DOB, and SSN are EXACTLY the same between her FSA ID account and the FAFSA application. Even a single missing hyphen or middle initial can cause these signature verification loops. This is especially true with the new FAFSA system rollout for 2024-2025.