FAFSA stuck on 'securely importing' screen for almost 30 minutes - is this normal?

Sometimes it does take a while but 25 min seems excessive. I'd give it maybe 5 more min then try again later. The system is probably overloaded right now.

The same thing happened to me last week!! The stupid spinning wheel just kept going and going for like 40 minutes. I finally gave up and closed it, and when I came back the next morning IT WORKED FINE IN LIKE 2 MINUTES. I think the FAFSA servers get really crowded at certain times. Maybe try again at like 6am when nobody's on there.

This is a common issue with the FAFSA's Data Retrieval Tool when their systems are under heavy load. The IRS connection sometimes times out during peak hours. Some troubleshooting steps to try: 1. Wait 30 minutes total, then refresh if still stuck 2. Try a different browser (Chrome works best with FAFSA) 3. Clear your cache and cookies 4. Try during off-peak hours (early morning or late night) Your progress should be saved automatically at each step, so refreshing shouldn't lose your data. If it continues to fail, you can always manually enter your tax information instead of using the import tool.

UGHHH the entire FAFSA system is such garbage this year!!!! I've been trying for TWO WEEKS to get mine submitted and keep running into different errors. First the SAI calculator was down, then the confirmation emails weren't sending, now this tax import thing. HOW are students supposed to get financial aid when the system is this broken??

Hey there! I work in financial aid at a university and we've been seeing this issue a lot recently. The new FAFSA system is experiencing heavy traffic, especially during midday and early evening hours. If you're still stuck, I'd recommend trying to reach FSA directly for help. Many students have had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent quickly instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ As others mentioned, your progress is saved, so don't worry about losing data. And remember that manually entering your tax info is always an option if the DRT (Data Retrieval Tool) continues to have problems.

I just wanna add that I had this EXACT same problem but it turned out my pop-up blocker was interfering with the secure connection to the IRS. Check if you have any browser extensions or pop-up blockers running. When I disabled mine and tried again it worked within minutes.

i refreshed after 20 min and it worked fine after that just had to log back in

UPDATE: I ended up taking everyone's advice - disabled my pop-up blocker, cleared my cache, and tried again later at night. It finally worked! The import took less than 3 minutes. Thanks to everyone who helped! For anyone else having this issue, try during off-peak hours and check your browser settings!