FAFSA stuck after contributor invite - can't access parent section but shows in progress

This is a common issue with the new FAFSA. After accepting the contributor invitation, you need to wait about 24 hours for the system to fully process the connection. Then you should see a specific button or link labeled 'Complete Contributor Information' when you log in to your studentaid.gov account. Make sure you're logging in with YOUR FSA ID, not your daughter's. Also, check if you're looking at the 2025-2026 FAFSA and not accidentally viewing a previous year's application.

I had the EXACT same problem last month!! The system is completely broken. I finally got it fixed by calling FSA directly, but I was on hold for over 2 HOURS before talking to someone!!! The agent said there was a glitch where the system wasn't properly linking contributor accounts even though the invitation was accepted. They had to manually reset something on their end to get it working. So frustrating!

I know this is frustrating! Have you tried using a different browser? Sometimes the FAFSA site has weird compatibility issues. Also make sure you don't have any pop-up blockers enabled, as the contributor section sometimes opens in a new window that might get blocked.

Another thing to check - go to the Messages section in your studentaid.gov account. Sometimes the actual link to complete your section is buried in there rather than on the main dashboard. Also, your daughter might need to log in on her end and check if there's something she needs to do to fully activate your contributor access. The system sometimes requires actions from both sides before it works properly.

i had smthing similar happen my sons fafsa got stuck nobody could fix it ended up having to start a whole new application!!! so annoying wasted like 3 weeks

After dealing with similar FAFSA connection issues last month, I discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me reach an actual FSA agent without the insane hold times. It basically holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me so much frustration! Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The FSA agent I spoke with was able to fix the contributor linking problem in about 5 minutes once I actually got through to them.

have u tried just using her login and filling it out yourself? thats what i did with my kid. he gave me his login and i just did the whole thing myself way easier than this contributor nonsense.

Update: I used the Claimyr service that was suggested and got through to an FSA agent in about 30 minutes (instead of waiting on hold for hours). The agent said there was indeed a glitch with my contributor access. They had to unlink my account from my daughter's application and then have her send a new invitation. After that, it worked properly! Just wanted to update in case anyone else runs into this issue. Thanks everyone for the help!

For anyone else reading this thread with similar issues, here's what's happening technically: The new FAFSA system uses a different authentication system for linking contributor accounts than previous years. When the linking process breaks, it creates an orphaned permission in the database that shows up as 'in progress' but doesn't actually provide access. Only an FSA agent can fix this on the backend. This is why starting a new application sometimes works - it creates fresh database entries without the corrupted permissions.

I'm so glad you got this resolved! I'm dealing with a similar contributor access issue right now where my parent accepted the invitation but can't see any way to complete their section. Based on your experience and what others have shared here, it sounds like calling FSA directly (possibly using that Claimyr service to avoid the long hold times) is really the only reliable solution when the system glitches like this. It's frustrating that such a critical system for college funding has these technical issues, especially with financial aid deadlines looming. Thanks for updating the thread with your solution - this will definitely help other families who run into the same problem!