FAFSA spouse section glitch - can't submit despite completing her portion

omg YES!!! same exact thing happened with me and my husband!! the whole system is garbage. they sent us the "completed section" email but then his account kept saying i never finished. we ended up having to completely start over with a brand new FSA ID for me. total nightmare but it finally worked

mine wasnt with a spouse but with my parents contribution. kept saying dad hadnt done his part when he definitely did. i ended up going to my school's financial aid office and they helped me file some kind of override form that let me submit without that section being marked complete in the system. might be worth checking if your school can do something similar if your deadline is that close

This is unfortunately a common glitch in the new FAFSA system. Three specific things to try: 1. Both you and your spouse should log into your separate accounts and check for any yellow triangles or error messages on the dashboard. Sometimes there's a specific form field causing the problem. 2. Have your spouse go back into her section and re-confirm submission - even though it shows complete, have her click through each page again and hit submit at the end. 3. Check that your tax information reconciliation is complete - sometimes the error appears as a spouse section issue but it's actually related to the IRS data retrieval. If none of those work, I recommend using the studentaid.gov live chat feature rather than phone. The wait times are typically much shorter (15-30 minutes vs hours), and they can actually look at your specific application.

ive been having trouble with fafsa too but for different reasons. the new system is such a mess! anyone else notice how it randomly logs you out mid-application? so frustrating

After dealing with similar FAFSA glitches for weeks (mine was with dependent verification), I finally got through to an actual helpful agent using Claimyr.com. It's a service that basically waits on hold for you and calls when an agent is available. Saved me from the endless hold music and disconnects. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how it works. The agent was able to see exactly where the glitch was happening in my application and manually override it. Worth trying if you're running up against that deadline!

This is exactly why I hate the new FAFSA system!! The old one wasn't perfect but at least it WORKED! Did you try having your spouse check if her FSA ID is properly linked to her SSN? Sometimes the system doesn't properly connect those even if everything else looks fine. Also make sure neither of you have any name mismatches between your FSA ID and Social Security card (like middle initial vs full middle name

I work at a university financial aid office, and we're seeing this spouse section problem frequently with the new system. A few technical solutions: 1. Sometimes the system has a backend data synchronization issue. Have your spouse log in, go to her profile settings (not the FAFSA form), and update something minor like adding a middle initial or phone extension, then save. This forces a database update that can resolve the linking issue. 2. Check that both your FSA IDs were created with separate email addresses. Some couples use the same email for both accounts, which creates verification problems. 3. If all else fails, file the paper FAFSA form as a backup. It takes longer to process but ensures you meet the deadline. Your school's financial aid office can provide this form. The priority deadline isn't usually a hard cutoff - most schools will still consider applications submitted within 1-2 weeks after, especially with all the documented FAFSA issues this year.

have u tried using a different device? my fafsa kept glitching on my laptop but worked fine when i switched to my phone for some reason

I went through this exact same nightmare last month! What finally worked for me was having my spouse completely log out of her FSA account, then I logged into mine and there was actually a "request contributor access" button that I had to click again. Even though she had already completed everything, the system needed me to re-send the invitation from my end. After she got the new email and clicked the link, it finally synced properly. Also make sure you're both using the same browser type when you log in - I know it sounds weird but the FSA help desk told me different browsers can cause syncing issues between linked accounts. Worth a try before you panic about the deadline!

I'm going through the EXACT same issue right now! My husband completed his portion weeks ago and we got the confirmation email, but my dashboard keeps showing it's incomplete. I've been trying to reach FSA for days with no luck. Reading through all these responses is both frustrating (knowing how common this is) and helpful (so many potential solutions to try). I'm definitely going to try the profile update trick that @StardustSeeker mentioned - forcing a database sync sounds like it could be the key. Also planning to contact my school's financial aid office tomorrow to see about that override form option. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this mess!

I'm dealing with the same spouse section nightmare! My wife finished her contributor portion three weeks ago and we have the email confirmation, but my account still shows it as incomplete. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, even using incognito mode. The FSA phone line has been absolutely useless - either busy signals or agents who can't help. What's really frustrating is that this seems to be such a widespread issue with the new FAFSA system, yet there's no clear fix from the Department of Education. I'm going to try the profile update trick that @StardustSeeker mentioned tomorrow, and also reach out to my school's financial aid office about that override form option. My priority deadline is next week and I'm getting really anxious about this whole situation. Has anyone had success getting this resolved through their school rather than going through FSA directly? It sounds like some financial aid offices have more tools to work around these system glitches.

I'm a new member here but I've been lurking and reading through all these responses because I'm having the EXACT same spouse section issue! My husband completed his portion over two weeks ago, we got the confirmation email, but my dashboard still shows incomplete. I've been so stressed about this. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring (knowing it's not just us) and informative. I'm planning to try several of the suggestions mentioned here: 1. The profile update trick from @StardustSeeker to force a database sync 2. Having my husband re-submit his section even though it shows complete 3. Contacting my school's financial aid office about override options 4. Using the live chat instead of phone support It's honestly ridiculous that so many people are dealing with this same glitch. The new FAFSA system rollout has been a complete disaster. Thank you everyone for sharing your solutions - it gives me hope that we can get this resolved before our deadlines!

I'm dealing with this exact same spouse section nightmare and it's driving me crazy! My partner completed her contributor section almost a month ago (we have the confirmation email saved), but my account dashboard keeps showing her portion as incomplete. I've tried every browser, cleared cache dozens of times, even tried from different computers and my phone. The FSA phone support has been absolutely useless - I've called 12 times in the past two weeks and either get disconnected after waiting 2+ hours or talk to agents who just tell me to "wait 24-48 hours for the system to update." It's been a MONTH! Based on all the helpful suggestions in this thread, I'm going to try: 1. The profile update trick to force database sync 2. Having my partner re-submit even though it shows complete on her end 3. Using the live chat instead of phone support 4. Contacting my school's financial aid office about override options My priority deadline is in 8 days and I'm honestly panicking at this point. It's ridiculous that this is such a widespread issue with no clear solution from the Department of Education. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - at least I know I'm not going insane and this really is a system-wide problem!

I'm a newcomer here but I've been reading through this thread because I'm experiencing this exact same spouse section glitch! My wife completed her contributor portion three weeks ago and we received the confirmation email, but my account still shows it as incomplete. I've called FSA support seven times with no resolution - either long hold times or unhelpful agents. This thread has been incredibly valuable - it's both frustrating and reassuring to see how many people are dealing with this same system issue. I'm going to try the suggestions that seem to have worked for others: 1. The profile update trick from @StardustSeeker to force a database refresh 2. Having my wife go back and re-submit her completed section 3. Trying the live chat support instead of phone calls 4. Reaching out to my university's financial aid office about override options My deadline is coming up in two weeks and I was starting to panic, but seeing all these potential solutions gives me hope. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's clear the new FAFSA system has major issues but at least we're not dealing with this alone!

I just joined this community because I'm dealing with the exact same spouse section nightmare that everyone here is describing! My husband completed his contributor portion over three weeks ago, we have the confirmation email, but my account dashboard keeps showing his section as incomplete. It's preventing me from submitting our FAFSA and my school's priority deadline is in just 6 days. Reading through all these responses has been both eye-opening and somewhat comforting - it's clear this is a massive system-wide issue with the new FAFSA rollout, not something we're doing wrong. I'm planning to try several of the solutions mentioned here: 1. The profile update trick to force a database sync 2. Having my husband re-submit his already completed section 3. Using live chat instead of the phone support (which has been completely useless for us too) 4. Contacting my university's financial aid office about override options It's honestly shocking that the Department of Education hasn't issued clearer guidance or fixes for what's obviously a widespread technical problem. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - knowing we're not alone in this glitch gives me hope we can get it resolved before the deadline!