FAFSA spouse verification error - system says info doesn't match but I've used FAFSA before

same thng happened with me and my wife last month!! the system is SO broken rn, we ended up having to call for 3 days straight to get thru

This is actually a very common issue with the new FAFSA system when there's a significant time gap between your previous application and the current one. The most likely problem is that your information from 2014 is stored in their legacy system, but not properly migrated to the new database they implemented in 2024-2025. A few things to check: 1. Make sure your name exactly matches what's on your Social Security card (including hyphens or spaces) 2. Confirm if you've had a name change since 2014 (marriage, divorce, etc.) 3. Verify your date of birth format (MM/DD/YYYY) 4. Check if your FSA ID is fully verified (look for a green checkmark on the account page) If all these are correct, you definitely need to speak with a Federal Student Aid agent directly. They can manually verify your identity and link the accounts.

Have you tried having your husband completely delete his application and start over from scratch? Sometimes there's just corrupt data in their system and starting fresh can help. Also, make sure you're NOT logged into your FSA ID on the same browser when he's trying to add you - that caused issues for me and my husband.

I had this exact problem with my spouse's info last fall! The solution was completely unexpected - turned out the SYSTEM had my spouse's birthday off by one day in their database. Even though we were entering the correct date, their records were wrong. The only way we fixed it was getting through to an actual agent who could see both sides of the system. Try calling right when they open at 8am Eastern time - that's how I finally got through.

After struggling to reach someone at FSA for nearly 2 weeks about a similar issue, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in under 30 minutes. They have this service where they wait on hold for you and call when an agent picks up. The video on their site shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ My verification issue was fixed during that call - the agent found my spouse's info was actually entered correctly but there was a flag on the account from an old FAFSA submission that needed to be removed. Only an agent could see and fix it.

THE WHOLE FAFSA SYSTEM IS GARBAGE THIS YEAR!!!! I've been trying to get this stupid application done since JANUARY and every single step has some new error. Why did they have to "improve" a system that worked fine before?? Now it's just broken and nobody can reach actual help. My kid might miss out on thousands in aid because of their incompetence!!!

Just wanted to add that when you do speak with an agent, ask them to check for what's called a "contributor record mismatch." This is the technical term for what's happening in your case. They may need to reset your contributor status in the system so it properly connects to your spouse's application. Make sure to write down the name of the agent and get a case number for your records.

update?? did u get it fixed? im having the exact same prob now with my husband's application 😫