FAFSA website crashes during peak application season - anyone else locked out?

Same thing happening to me - I'm a college advisor trying to help 12 seniors complete their applications today during our FAFSA workshop and NONE of them can get through. The system keeps freezing at random points. Some can't create FSA IDs, others get stuck on the dependency questions, and a few get all the way to the parent info section before it crashes. This "simplified" FAFSA is a complete disaster. I've been doing this job for 8 years and this is the worst implementation I've ever seen.

try logging in at 3am thats when i finally got mine to work lol

The Department of Education announced system maintenance today from 2-4pm EST which might be causing some of the issues. But honestly, the site has been unstable since the 2025-26 application launched. Try these troubleshooting steps that worked for me: 1. Use Chrome in incognito mode (seems to have fewer issues) 2. Complete one section at a time, save and exit, then come back 3. If you get stuck on the parent contribution section, try entering the information without decimal points in the dollar amounts 4. For the parent FSA ID verification, try using the override option where they mail a code Also, don't panic about the deadline - most schools have contingency plans this year because of the nationwide FAFSA issues. Have your daughter email the financial aid offices explaining the technical difficulties.

FAFSA IS THE WORST!!!! I been trying since JANUARY to get mine done and the stupid site never works right. How they expect us to get aid when we cant even APPLY???

I work in a college financial aid office, and we're seeing this issue nationwide. The Department of Education is aware of the problems but hasn't provided a timeline for complete resolution. A few tips from our end: 1. Most schools are adjusting their priority deadlines or making exceptions for FAFSA delays 2. Document all your attempts (screenshots, dates/times) 3. The site typically works better between 11pm-6am when traffic is lower 4. If you get an error on the contribution section, try entering your tax info manually rather than using the IRS data retrieval tool The good news is that once your FAFSA is processed, the new formula might actually result in a better SAI (Student Aid Index) than previous years for many families, since they've expanded the income protection allowance and simplified the asset reporting requirements.

After dealing with the same FAFSA website crashes for days, I finally got through to an actual person at Federal Student Aid by using Claimyr. It basically holds your place in the phone queue and calls you when an agent is available. The video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ shows exactly how it works. The agent was able to tell me that my application was actually going through despite the error messages, and gave me some workarounds for the sections where I was getting stuck. Saved me so much frustration! Their website is claimyr.com if anyone else is desperate to talk to a real person.

my cousins fafsa got rejected cause she put the wrong year on her taxes lol make sure you got all the right #s

I finally got through the entire application at 1am last night! Here's what worked for me: 1. Used Microsoft Edge browser (Chrome and Firefox both crashed) 2. Entered parents' info BEFORE student info, even though that's backward 3. Used the IRS Data Retrieval tool instead of manual entry for tax info 4. For some reason, the site worked when I disconnected from my home WiFi and used my phone as a hotspot Weird fixes, but maybe they'll help someone else! The most frustrating part was that different problems kept popping up at different stages. Once I fixed one issue, I'd encounter a completely new error on the next section. This "simplified" FAFSA is anything but simple!

UPDATE: The Department of Education just announced they've identified the issues causing the website crashes and are implementing fixes tonight. They expect the system to be more stable by tomorrow morning, though they're still recommending accessing the site during off-peak hours if possible. They've also extended the processing time for schools to account for these technical difficulties, so most financial aid packages shouldn't be significantly delayed.

UPDATE: It worked! I finally got through the entire application this morning. For anyone still struggling, here's what ultimately worked for me: 1. Logged in early (6am) before traffic increased 2. Used Edge browser in InPrivate mode as someone suggested 3. Entered all information without using decimal points 4. Saved after EACH section rather than trying to complete multiple sections at once My SAI came out lower than I expected too, so maybe this new formula really is better? Now just waiting on confirmation email. Thanks everyone for your help and commiseration!