How to edit or delete an incomplete FAFSA form as a parent contributor?

You absolutely can edit an incomplete FAFSA! When you log into StudentAid.gov and access the FAFSA form, look for the "FAFSA Review" option in the navigation sidebar. This will show you all sections of the form with checkmarks next to completed sections. You can click directly on any section to go back and edit it, even if you've already completed that section. The form stays editable until you've actually submitted it with signatures. As for deleting the entire application to start over, there's an option labeled "Delete FAFSA form" at the very bottom of your dashboard after you log in. You'll need to confirm the deletion. Just be aware that if you delete it, you'll lose ALL information you've entered and will need to start completely from scratch.

I had the exact same problem last yr with my sons app. Their website is sooooo confusing!! I ended up just waiting until it timed out after like 30 days I think?? Then I started over. But thats probably not helpful if u have a deadline coming up soon :

The most efficient way to edit an in-progress FAFSA is to: 1) Log into studentaid.gov 2) Click "Complete the FAFSA Form" 3) Select "Log Into 2025-2026 FAFSA" 4) On the left navigation panel, click "FAFSA Review" 5) This displays all sections with completion status 6) Click any section heading to edit that section 7) Make your corrections 8) Click "Save" at the bottom of each page For your income section specifically, look for the "Financial Information" section in the review panel. Common errors include entering cents (don't use decimal points), inputting commas, or entering retirement account values incorrectly. If this doesn't work, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser altogether. For some reason, Firefox tends to work better than Chrome for the FAFSA site.

good luck trying to reach anyone useful at fsa!! i spent 5 WEEKS trying to get help with my daughters application last year. every time i called i waited at least an hour only to get disconnected or transferred to someone who couldn't help. the whole system is designed to make us fail i swear

I think there's some confusion in the replies. The correct way to edit a saved FAFSA depends on whether you're the student or the parent contributor. If you logged in with your FSA ID as a parent: 1. Go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid 2. Click on "Start or Complete Aid Application" 3. Select "Fill Out Parent Portion" 4. Enter the student's information 5. On the next screen, you should see an option for "Make Corrections" if the form is partially completed The Delete option is only available to the student, not to parent contributors. Parents cannot delete the application, only students can with their own FSA ID. Also, heads up - the new FAFSA uses the term SAI (Student Aid Index) instead of EFC now, so any guides from before 2024 might use outdated terminology.

Just a tip - take screenshots of EVERYTHING as you go through the FAFSA. I learned this the hard way. Their system glitched on me twice and I lost information. Having screenshots saved me from having to guess what I had entered previously.

If you're specifically having issues with the income section, make sure you're entering the correct tax year information. The 2025-2026 FAFSA requires 2023 tax information, not 2024. Many parents make this mistake and need to edit their applications. Also, remember these key points: • Don't include retirement accounts (401k, IRA) in the asset section • Home equity in your primary residence is NOT reported • Use AGI from line 11 of your 1040 tax form • Report untaxed income correctly (this trips up many parents) If you do need to speak with FSA again, call early in the morning (right when they open) or try midweek which tends to have shorter wait times.

Did you solve this? I'm having the same issues with my son's FAFSA right now. I noticed some fields are grayed out after you save them the first time, which seemed strange to me. Is that what you're experiencing too? I wonder if certain sections lock after completion while others remain editable.

Glad you found the solution! One additional thing to keep in mind: if your family situation is complex (self-employment, farm income, multiple properties, etc.), you might want to save the partially completed form and consult with your child's school financial aid office before final submission. Many colleges offer free FAFSA review services where they can look for common errors before you submit. This can prevent having to do corrections later, which can delay your SAI calculation and potentially affect aid packages.

I'm so glad to see this thread because I'm currently stuck in the exact same situation! My daughter and I started her 2025-2026 FAFSA last week and I made several mistakes in the parent financial section. I've been trying to figure out how to go back and edit those sections for days. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially the detailed steps about using the FAFSA Review sidebar and the tips about not including decimal points or retirement accounts. I'm going to try these solutions right now. It's frustrating that the FAFSA helpline seems so unreliable, but I'm grateful for this community sharing their experiences and actual working solutions. Thank you everyone for taking the time to help fellow parents navigate this confusing system!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with my son's FAFSA application. After reading through all these responses, I'm feeling much more confident about being able to fix the errors I made. The step-by-step instructions for using the FAFSA Review sidebar are exactly what I needed - I had no idea that feature existed! I've been clicking around the main navigation for hours without finding it. One thing I want to add for other parents who might be reading this: if you're like me and made errors in multiple sections, don't panic. From what I'm understanding here, you can edit each section individually through the review panel without having to start completely over. That's a huge relief because I spent so much time on the sections I got right. Has anyone had experience with how long it takes for changes to save properly? I'm worried about making edits and then having them disappear due to system issues that others have mentioned.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer to this community and currently going through the same nightmare with my daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA. I made several errors in the financial information section and have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to fix them. Reading through everyone's experiences and solutions here has given me hope that I can actually resolve this without starting completely over. I had no idea about the FAFSA Review sidebar - like many others, I was only looking at the top navigation and getting nowhere. I'm going to try those step-by-step instructions right now. It's so frustrating that the FAFSA website is this poorly designed, and even more frustrating that their helpline seems completely unreliable based on everyone's experiences here. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share detailed solutions and tips. This community support is invaluable when the official help channels are failing us. I'll definitely be taking screenshots as I go and switching to Firefox as recommended. Fingers crossed I can get this sorted out before our deadline!

I'm new to this community but had to jump in because I'm currently experiencing this exact same frustration with my son's 2025-2026 FAFSA! I made multiple errors in the parent financial section last week and have been going in circles trying to figure out how to edit them. Reading through all these detailed responses has been such a relief - especially knowing that the FAFSA Review sidebar actually exists and works. Like so many others here, I was only looking at the top navigation and completely missing that sidebar option. The step-by-step instructions from Jamal and Liam are incredibly clear and I'm going to try them right now. I'm also switching to Firefox and taking screenshots as I go, based on the great advice from other community members. It's honestly shocking how poorly designed the FAFSA website is, and the stories about the unreliable helpline match my experience perfectly - I was on hold for over an hour yesterday only to get disconnected. Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions and experiences. This community support is exactly what struggling parents need when the official channels fail us!

I'm new to this community and currently dealing with the exact same FAFSA editing nightmare! I made several mistakes in my daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA financial section and have been struggling for days to figure out how to fix them. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - especially the detailed step-by-step instructions about the FAFSA Review sidebar that I had completely missed. Like many others here, I was only looking at the main navigation and getting nowhere. The tips about switching to Firefox, not including decimal points, and taking screenshots are so helpful. I also experienced the same frustrating helpline issues - spent over 2 hours on hold across multiple calls only to get conflicting advice or get disconnected. Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions and experiences. It's disappointing that we have to rely on community support when the official help channels are so unreliable, but I'm grateful for this amazing community! I'm going to try the FAFSA Review method right now and hopefully get my daughter's application corrected before the deadline.

I'm new to this community but had to join this conversation because I'm currently dealing with this exact same FAFSA editing issue! I made several errors in the parent financial section of my son's 2025-2026 FAFSA and have been struggling for the past few days to figure out how to correct them. Reading through all these detailed responses has been such a relief - especially learning about the FAFSA Review sidebar that I completely missed. Like so many others here, I was only looking at the top navigation menu and getting absolutely nowhere. The step-by-step instructions from community members here are incredibly clear and much more helpful than anything I got from the FAFSA helpline (which was a complete waste of time - 90 minutes on hold just to get transferred around and eventually disconnected). I'm going to try the FAFSA Review sidebar method right now, along with switching to Firefox and taking screenshots as I go. The tips about not including decimal points in dollar amounts and double-checking that I'm using 2023 tax info are exactly what I needed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their solutions and experiences - this community support is invaluable when the official help channels completely fail us. I'll report back on how it goes!

I'm new to this community and currently facing the exact same FAFSA editing nightmare with my daughter's 2025-2026 application! I made multiple errors in the parent financial information section last week and have been absolutely lost trying to figure out how to fix them. Reading through this entire thread has been such a game-changer - I had no idea the FAFSA Review sidebar even existed! Like everyone else, I was frantically clicking around the main navigation for hours and getting nowhere. The detailed step-by-step instructions from community members here are clearer and more helpful than anything I could get from the official channels. I also experienced the same frustrating helpline issues - waited over an hour on two separate calls, got conflicting advice both times, and was eventually disconnected. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to rely on community forums to get actual working solutions when the official support is so unreliable. I'm about to try the FAFSA Review sidebar method right now, and I'll definitely be switching to Firefox and taking screenshots as I go based on all the great advice here. The tips about avoiding decimal points in dollar amounts and confirming I'm using 2023 tax information are exactly what I needed to hear. With the priority deadline approaching, I was starting to panic, but this thread has given me real hope that I can get this sorted out. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this community support is absolutely invaluable!

I'm brand new to this community and currently dealing with the exact same FAFSA editing nightmare! I started my son's 2025-2026 FAFSA as a parent contributor two weeks ago and made several major errors in the financial information section. I've been completely stuck trying to figure out how to go back and fix them. This thread has been absolutely incredible - reading through everyone's experiences and solutions has given me so much hope! I had no idea about the FAFSA Review sidebar at all. Like so many others here, I've been clicking around the main navigation for hours and getting absolutely nowhere. The step-by-step instructions from community members like Jamal and Liam are clearer than anything I could find on the official FAFSA website. I also had the same terrible experience with the helpline - called three times, waited over an hour each time, and got completely different (and unhelpful) advice from each representative. One told me I had to wait for the application to "expire" after 45 days, which made no sense. It's honestly shocking that the official support is this unreliable. I'm going to try the FAFSA Review sidebar method right now, along with switching to Firefox and taking screenshots as I go. The specific tips about not including decimal points and using 2023 tax info are exactly what I needed. Our priority deadline is coming up fast and I was really starting to panic, but this community has provided actual working solutions. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - this support is invaluable!

I'm new to this community and currently experiencing the exact same FAFSA editing frustration with my daughter's 2025-2026 application! I made several errors in the parent financial section and have been completely lost trying to figure out how to correct them. Reading through this entire thread has been absolutely amazing - I had no idea the FAFSA Review sidebar even existed! Like everyone else here, I've been frantically searching through the main navigation for days without success. The detailed step-by-step instructions from community members are so much more helpful than anything I could get from the official FAFSA support. I also experienced the same nightmare with their helpline - waited over 2 hours across multiple calls, got completely different advice each time, and was eventually disconnected. It's really frustrating that we have to rely on community forums to get actual working solutions when the official channels are this unreliable. I'm about to try the FAFSA Review sidebar method right now, and I'll definitely be switching to Firefox and taking screenshots based on all the excellent advice here. The tips about avoiding decimal points and confirming I'm using 2023 tax information are exactly what I needed. With our deadline approaching, I was really starting to stress, but this thread has given me confidence that there's actually a solution that works. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community support has been invaluable!