FAFSA website consistently unavailable for parent access - anyone else locked out?

Yep its happening to me too!! Been trying since Thursday and keep getting that stupid error. My daughter is freaking out bc her college is asking for the verification forms and we cant even get in to see what they need. SO ANNOYING

This is a known issue affecting parent access to the FAFSA portal. According to the Federal Student Aid office, they're experiencing technical difficulties with the parental contribution section specifically. They're working on resolving it, but no timeframe has been given. In the meantime, I recommend: 1. Try accessing during off-peak hours (very early morning or late evening) 2. Document your attempts with screenshots showing the error and dates 3. Have your student contact their financial aid office explaining the technical issue 4. Most schools will grant extensions when FSA has confirmed technical issues

I had this EXACT same problem two days ago!! What worked for me was using an incognito window on chrome + disconnecting from my wifi and using my phone hotspot instead. For some reason that combo worked when nothing else did. Give it a try maybe?

This is happening because of the system overload from the 2025-2026 FAFSA changes. Many parents are experiencing access issues specifically with the parent portal section. The problem is that the contributor access system isn't properly syncing with the main FAFSA database when there's heavy traffic. Here's what worked for me: 1. Clear browser data completely (not just cache) 2. Restart your router (full 2-minute power off) 3. Try accessing at exactly 4:00-4:30 AM Eastern time when system maintenance typically completes 4. If you're using a VPN, disable it as FSA has geolocation verification Also, make sure your tax information is ready to go (2023 tax return, W-2s) so you can complete everything quickly once you get in.

Have u tried calling the Federal Student Aid number? I had to do that for my daughters FAFSA when we couldnt get her SAI score to show up. took FOREVER to get through to someone tho

After dealing with this exact issue for my twins' FAFSA applications, I finally got through to an FSA agent by using Claimyr. It's a service that holds your place in the phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to answer. Saved me from the 2+ hour hold times I was experiencing before. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check their demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed it's a widespread issue with parental access and gave me a case number I could provide to my kids' schools to prove we were trying to complete the FAFSA but couldn't access the system. They also manually noted in our file that we attempted access before the deadline.

i just gave up and let my kid handle it herself lol these fafsa people make everything so complicated

Has anyone actually gotten through to the FSA in the last 2 days? Like is there proof they're even working on this? My kid's college fund is basically depending on this financial aid package and I'm getting really anxious about missing deadlines...

UPDATE: I finally got in! Used the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above to reach an FSA agent who gave me specific instructions. Had to clear ALL browser data, turn off my wifi, connect via mobile hotspot, and then access the site at 4:15am. Not ideal but it worked! Now frantically filling everything out before any more technical issues happen. Thanks everyone for the help!

I'm having the same exact issue! Been locked out since Monday trying to complete my daughter's FAFSA. Really frustrating that this keeps happening every year during crunch time. I'm going to try the early morning access method that @Mei Chen mentioned - hopefully 4am works better than normal hours. Has anyone had luck contacting their school's financial aid office directly about this? Wondering if they have any workarounds or if they're just telling everyone to wait it out.