FAFSA signature missing on student account but parent side shows complete - why?

With the new FAFSA, both the student AND at least one contributing parent need to create their own FSA IDs and sign the application separately. Even though you filled everything out in your parent portal, your daughter still needs to log in with her own FSA ID and electronically sign the application. The FAFSA isn't considered complete until both signatures are submitted.

we had the same problem last month!! spent 3 hrs trying to figure it out. your daughter needs to sign in with her own fsa id and then there should be a button somewhere that says like "review and sign" or something. she doesn't need to fill anything out again, just sign electronically.

I just went through this exact issue with my son. Here's what happened: even though the parent account shows everything is complete, the STUDENT still has to sign. Have your daughter log in with her FSA ID at studentaid.gov, and she should see a dashboard notification about her incomplete FAFSA. She needs to click that and follow the instructions to electronically sign. If she doesn't see it in her dashboard, try having her go directly to the FAFSA form page and select the option to "Continue" or "Return to a FAFSA in progress" - the system will recognize that there's an application waiting for her signature. This is definitely one of the most confusing parts of the FAFSA simplification - they didn't make it clear that both parties still need separate signatures.

wait the FAFSA is due in 2 weeks already??? i thought we had until june??

I've been dealing with this FAFSA nightmare for WEEKS now. Tried calling FSA multiple times but kept getting disconnected after waiting 2+ hours each time! The website is useless and the instructions contradict themselves. Why did they make this "simplified" version even MORE complicated than before??? My son couldn't see the signature page either - turns out there was some weird glitch with his account. We finally had to do a whole account reset for him to get the signature page to show up. The whole system is broken!!

For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, the process is: 1. The parent initiates and completes the FAFSA with their FSA ID 2. After the parent submits their portion, the student must log in with their own FSA ID 3. The student must electronically sign the application (no need to re-enter information) 4. Both signatures are required before the application is considered complete If your daughter doesn't see the application in her account, there might be a few reasons: - Her FSA ID might not be properly linked to your application - There could be a mismatch in the student information you entered versus her account details - The system sometimes takes 1-3 days to update and show pending signatures Have her go to the "Incomplete Tasks" section in her dashboard, not the "Your FAFSA Forms" section, which sometimes doesn't display properly until everything is complete. Also, double-check that you entered her correct Social Security Number when completing the parent portion.

i think the whole "simplified" fafsa is a scam to give less money to students tbh. my cousin got way less aid this year even tho their family situation is the same 🙄

UPDATE: We figured it out! It was exactly what several of you mentioned - I entered her name as "Katie" on the FAFSA but her FSA ID has "Katherine." Once she updated her FSA ID to match, the application showed up in her account and she was able to sign it. We got the confirmation email that the FAFSA is now complete! Thank you all for your help - this forum saved us so much stress!

This is such a common issue! I'm glad you got it sorted out. For anyone else reading this thread who might run into similar problems, here's a quick checklist that might help: 1. Make sure ALL names match exactly between FSA ID and FAFSA (including middle names, nicknames vs full names, etc.) 2. Double-check SSN entry - even one wrong digit will cause linking issues 3. If the student doesn't see the signature page, try logging out completely and back in 4. Look in "Incomplete Tasks" or "To Do" sections, not just the main FAFSA dashboard 5. Give it 24-48 hours sometimes - the system can be slow to sync between parent and student accounts The new FAFSA definitely has a learning curve, but once you know these tricks it gets easier. Good luck to everyone still working through their applications!