FAFSA stuck in 'in progress' status for twins - can't get to 'submitted'
Help! I filled out FAFSA applications for my twin daughters last week, but both of their accounts are still showing 'in progress' status. I thought I completed everything correctly - entered all our tax info, signed the forms electronically, everything! But I can't figure out how to actually get them SUBMITTED to the schools. When I log into studentaid.gov, both applications just say 'in progress' with no option to finalize or submit. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do I need to do something different for twins, or is there a special step I'm missing? Their college deposit deadlines are coming up next month and I'm starting to panic!
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Isaac Wright
same thing happened with my kids last year. did u actually click the SUBMIT button on the confirmation page? its easy to miss
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Maya Lewis
•I thought I did! But maybe not? When I go back in, I don't see any submit button anywhere. Just says 'in progress' on both accounts. Should I start over???
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Lucy Taylor
Look for sections with red X marks or yellow triangles in the navigation menu - these indicate incomplete sections. You probably missed a required field somewhere. For twins, you have to complete everything for EACH daughter separately, including parent signatures on both applications. Common mistake is thinking the parent info carries over automatically, but you actually have to confirm it for each child.
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Maya Lewis
•Oh that might be it! I'll check again tonight and look specifically for those warning symbols. I think I might have skipped the signature part on my second daughter's application thinking it would carry over. Thanks!
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Connor Murphy
I had this EXACT issue with my twins this year!!!! Turns out I had to go all the way through to the very end where there's a CONFIRMATION page that has the final submit button. It's super easy to miss because you think you're done after you e-sign everything. Go back in and look for incomplete sections, then keep clicking NEXT until you hit that final submission page.
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Maya Lewis
•Thank you so much! I'll try going through every single page again tonight. The website is so confusing sometimes.
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KhalilStar
I had the same issue with my kids' applications. If you look closely at the navigation tabs at the top of the FAFSA form, there's typically a section called "Review & Submit" that comes after all the information sections and signatures. You need to complete that section to finalize submission. Also, for each child, you need to: 1. Complete all information sections (Student, Parent, Financial) 2. Submit all required e-signatures 3. Confirm school selection (make sure schools are actually added) 4. Complete the final review 5. Click the final submit button on the confirmation page If you're still having trouble, you might need to contact Federal Student Aid directly, but getting through on their phone lines can be nearly impossible this time of year.
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Maya Lewis
•Thank you for the detailed steps! I'm going to try again tonight. The school selection part might be where I went wrong - I think I added schools for one daughter but maybe not the other? I'll double-check everything.
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Amelia Dietrich
Try using Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA rep - that's what I did when I had a similar issue. The hold times are ridiculous but Claimyr will wait on hold and call you back when an agent is ready. Got my issue fixed in one day instead of waiting weeks. Their video shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and the website is claimyr.com. Saved me so much stress when I was dealing with my kids' applications.
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Kaiya Rivera
•Does that actually work? I've been trying to call FSA for the past week about my verification issue and I literally cannot get through. Always says call volume too high.
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Amelia Dietrich
•Yeah it works! That's exactly why I ended up using it - kept getting the 'call volume too high' message for days. They just wait on hold for you and then call you when a real person picks up.
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Katherine Ziminski
why does fafsa have to be so complicated?? i swear they make it confusing on purpose!!!
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Maya Lewis
•I know right? First time doing this and I'm already overwhelmed. Can't imagine having to do this every year.
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Noah Irving
Sometimes browser issues can cause the "in progress" status to get stuck. Try clearing your cache and cookies, then log back in. Also, try using a different browser altogether - I've had better luck with Chrome than Safari for FAFSA stuff. The new 2025-2026 FAFSA is particularly buggy with its "in progress" vs "submitted" statuses. If you've actually completed everything, sometimes it takes 24-48 hours for the status to update to "submitted" on its own.
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Maya Lewis
•That's good to know about the browser issues! I was using Firefox - I'll try Chrome tonight. It's been about 5 days now though, so I don't think it's just a delay in updating the status. I really think I missed something.
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Lucy Taylor
Just checking back in - did you figure it out? Were you able to get both FAFSAs submitted?
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Maya Lewis
•YES!! Thank you all SO MUCH for your help! It turned out I had missed the school selection for my second daughter AND needed to e-sign again for both applications. Once I did that, I found the final "Submit FAFSA Now" button on the confirmation page. Both applications now show "submitted" status! Such a relief!!!
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