FAFSA won't accept spouse's tax info when filing separately - help!

same happened 2 me last week! the FAFSA site is a disaster this year lol

This is a known issue with the new FAFSA system when dealing with married filing separately status. First, STOP deleting your application - that resets the 72-hour processing period each time. Here's what you need to do: 1. Log in with YOUR FSA ID only (not your spouse's) 2. Complete all YOUR information first and save it 3. Wait 24 hours (yes, really) before trying to add your spouse as a contributor 4. When adding your spouse, make sure you're using his exact legal name as it appears on his tax return 5. For MFS filers, your spouse needs to manually enter his AGI - the IRS Data Retrieval Tool often fails with this filing status The "information cannot be edited by this contributor" error typically means the system has locked that section temporarily due to a processing issue. Waiting 24-48 hours often resolves it.

the whole system is rigged anyway. doesn't matter what u do they'll give u a crazy high SAI even with married filing separately. we did everything right last year and still got almost no aid. good luck!

I worked through this exact issue with my clients recently. The MFS status creates a specific workflow in the new FAFSA system that's not well documented. Beyond what was already suggested, here are some technical details that might help: 1. For MFS filers, each spouse needs their OWN FSA ID - make sure your husband has created his separately 2. The system expects tax info in a specific order: first your AGI, then W-2s, then your spouse's AGI, then their W-2s 3. There's actually a 3-day waiting period after adding a contributor before they can fully access the form 4. If you're getting the "cannot be edited" error, check if there's a small "Request Access" button somewhere on his contributor page Also, many people miss that with MFS, you both need to input student loan interest separately if applicable, and education credits don't transfer between spouses.

Having the same problem but mine was even weirder. My husband could log in but then it kept saying he was trying to edit MY information not his own?? I've been trying to call the Federal Student Aid hotline for DAYS but they disconnect me after 2+ hours on hold every time. This is so ridiculous, we just need to submit this for our son's college applications. The old FAFSA never had these problems!

Just wanted to add that I'm going through the EXACT same issue with my wife's information. We also file separately, and I wonder if this is a bug in the new system. Has anyone actually successfully submitted with MFS status this year???

UPDATE: I followed the advice about waiting 24 hours after entering my information, then added my husband as a contributor using his exact legal name. We waited 3 full days before he tried to log in and IT WORKED! He was able to add his tax information successfully. Now we're waiting for the final processing before we can sign. Thank you all so much for your help! The system is so frustrating but at least we're making progress.

maybe the government designed it this way on purpose to discourage people from filing for aid lol. worked on me, i gave up after 2 weeks last year

does ur spouse have a different last name? my husband and i have different last names and thats what was causing our issues for some reason