FAFSA signature issues but school got our data? Totally confused about missing signatures
I'm so confused right now. My son and I completed his FAFSA application for 2025-2026 three weeks ago, but we got a notification saying there were 'missing signatures' on his application. We both definitely remember signing electronically with our FSA IDs. Today, he randomly got an email from Portland State University saying they've received his FAFSA financial information... How is that possible with missing signatures?? The status on studentaid.gov still shows 'Action Required: Signatures Needed' but somehow the university has his data? Has anyone experienced this weird contradiction? Should we go ahead and re-sign anyway or is his application actually complete? The deadline for state aid is coming up soon and I'm starting to panic.
15 comments
Join the conversation
StarGazer101
Same thing happened to me last year! The system is so glitchy. My FAFSA showed missing signatures for like a month but my daughter's school got all her info anyway. I think they process it regardless and just flag it?
0 coins
Yara Nassar
•That's so weird! Did you end up re-signing or just leaving it alone? I'm worried about missing out on aid if I don't fix it.
0 coins
Keisha Jackson
This is actually a known issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. What's happening is that even though the system is showing 'signatures needed' on studentaid.gov, the application is still being processed and your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation is being sent to schools. However, you should definitely still complete the signature process. Here's why: 1. Without proper signatures, your FAFSA isn't technically complete 2. Some schools won't process financial aid packages until all FAFSA requirements are met 3. State aid programs often require fully completed FAFSAs with valid signatures Log back into studentaid.gov, go to your application, and complete the signature process again. It should update within 3-5 business days.
0 coins
Yara Nassar
•Thank you! This makes sense. I'll have my son log in tonight and we'll redo the signatures. It's just frustrating because we definitely did this step already. The new FAFSA seems to have so many more glitches than previous years.
0 coins
Paolo Romano
i had this EXACT problem!!! the fafsa website said i was missing signatures but then i got emails from 3 different schools saying they had my financial info. i called the fafsa number and was on hold for like 2 hours and then got disconnected. tried again next day, same thing. eventually i just went ahead and did the signatures again and like 4 days later the message on the website finally went away. the whole system is messed up this year
0 coins
Amina Diop
•When you called, did you try using Claimyr? I had the same issue with endless hold times, but I used claimyr.com to get through to an actual person at Federal Student Aid in about 15 minutes. They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed it was a system error and fixed the signature issue while I was on the phone. Saved me days of waiting.
0 coins
Oliver Schmidt
This signature thing is driving me CRAZY too!!! My daughter's FAFSA has been showing missing signatures for WEEKS even though we did them. Now I'm hearing some school aid deadlines are coming up and I'm freaking out. The whole FAFSA system is BROKEN. Why did they have to change everything this year??? Has anybody actually talked to a real person about this?
0 coins
Keisha Jackson
•I work in a financial aid office, and we're seeing this issue a lot. The signature database and the application processing systems aren't syncing properly. Re-signing usually fixes it, but sometimes it takes multiple attempts. If your state aid deadline is approaching, I recommend: 1. Re-submit the signatures ASAP 2. Take screenshots of your attempts 3. Contact your school's financial aid office to alert them of the issue 4. Contact your state grant agency and explain the situation Most states are aware of the FAFSA issues and are being flexible with deadlines this year.
0 coins
Natasha Volkov
My daughter's application had the same issue, but I figured out why it happens. The problem is that when you create a 'save key' to return to the application later, the system sometimes doesn't recognize the signatures you already completed. I think there's a timing issue if you don't complete the entire form in one sitting. Portland State probably received your son's initial SAI calculation, but the actual FAFSA isn't considered complete without valid signatures. This could affect state aid eligibility, which often has stricter requirements. My advice is to: 1. Re-sign using both FSA IDs 2. Wait 3 business days 3. Check the status again 4. If still showing as incomplete, contact your state grant agency directly Keep in mind that financial aid offices can see more details about your FAFSA status than you can see on studentaid.gov, which is why they might have access to some of your data already.
0 coins
Javier Torres
•yeah my sister had to sign like 3 different times even tho we did it all together the first time. fafsa is a mess this year, feels like nobody tested the system b4 launching it lol
0 coins
Yara Nassar
Update: We logged back in last night and re-signed the FAFSA. This morning the status changed to "Processing" instead of "Action Required" so that seems promising! Thank you everyone for the helpful advice. I'm still annoyed that we had to do this twice, but at least it's moving forward now. I'll update again if we have any more issues.
0 coins
StarGazer101
•Glad it's working now! The whole system is such a mess this year. My nephew is applying for the first time and I told him to expect delays for everything.
0 coins
Javier Torres
when i had signature problems my financial aid advisor told me that the data sometimes gets sent to schools before the signature verification is complete... something about "preliminary data release" vs "official data release" idk the technical terms but thats why portland state got the info early. but u definitely need to fix the signature thing for sure or u might miss out on first-come-first-served aid
0 coins
Keisha Jackson
•This is correct. Under the new FAFSA process, there are two phases of data transmission: 1. Initial Data Release: Basic information and preliminary SAI calculations are sent to schools listed on your FAFSA 2. Official Processed Data: The fully verified application data with confirmed signatures Schools can see your information in their systems during phase 1, but many won't finalize aid packages until they receive the official processed data in phase 2. Some institutional and state aid programs require the fully processed FAFSA with valid signatures.
0 coins
Luca Romano
I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My FAFSA has been stuck on "signatures needed" for over two weeks, even though my parent and I both signed with our FSA IDs when we first submitted. It's such a relief to see I'm not the only one experiencing this glitch. The whole new FAFSA rollout has been a nightmare - I've heard so many horror stories from friends about applications getting lost, signature issues, and processing delays. I'm definitely going to try re-signing tonight based on everyone's advice here. Has anyone noticed if this happens more when you save and return to the application multiple times? I'm wondering if that's what triggered the issue for me since I had to come back to it a few times to gather tax documents.
0 coins