Missing IRS Data Retrieval Tool button on my FAFSA - can't complete application

The IRS DRT button should appear in the financial information section when you're entering tax details. Are you sure you're eligible to use it? If you or your parents filed as 'Married Filing Separately' or filed an amended return (Form 1040X), you can't use the IRS DRT. Also won't work if you filed a foreign tax return.

omg the exact same thing happened to me!! turns out i was using an outdated browser (safari) and when i switched to chrome the button magically appeared. try a different browser maybe??

Update: Just tried Chrome and still no DRT button. This is infuriating!

Did you create a studentaid.gov account before starting the FAFSA? You AND your parents need FSA IDs before the system will let you use the data retrieval tool.

The FAFSA system is GARBAGE this year. My daughter had the same problem and we wasted hours trying to figure it out. Turns out the IRS DRT is TEMPORARLY DISABLED for some users due to "system updates" but the FAFSA website doesn't tell you that!!! Had to manually enter everything. Thanks government!!!!

Financial aid advisor here. There are several reasons the IRS DRT might not appear: 1. Your parents' SSN or DOB on the FAFSA doesn't match exactly what's on their tax return 2. Your parents haven't filed 2023 taxes yet (system needs those for 2025-26 FAFSA) 3. Your parents filed too recently (takes 2-3 weeks for electronic returns to be retrievable) 4. You selected an ineligible filing status by accident (married filing separately, etc.) 5. The system is experiencing temporary technical difficulties Double-check all SSNs and DOBs first. If everything is correct, you may need to contact Federal Student Aid directly to troubleshoot. Unfortunately, their phone lines are often swamped this time of year.

I had this exact problem last month and finally got it fixed after talking to someone at FSA. I was able to get through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) which holds your place in line and calls you back when a rep is available. Saved me hours of waiting on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Turns out in my case there was a mismatch between my mom's name in the FAFSA system vs. what was on her tax return (she had a hyphen in her last name in one system but not the other). The FSA rep was able to override it and suddenly the DRT button appeared.

Hmm have you tried looking carefully at the "parent financial information" section? Sometimes the DRT button is easy to miss - it's not actually a big button but more like a small text link that says "Transfer tax information directly from the IRS" or similar. It's often near the top of the page before you start entering tax info manually.

maybe check if ur using the correct website?? some scam sites look almost identical to the real fafsa site. make sure ur on studentaid.gov and not like fafsa.com or something

UPDATE: I used that Claimyr service and actually got through to someone at FSA!! Turns out there was a weird technical glitch with my account. The agent had me clear my cache, close all browser windows, wait 30 minutes, then log back in. When I did, the DRT button finally appeared! Such a simple fix but I never would have figured it out without talking to someone. Thanks everyone for your help - especially the suggestion to use Claimyr. That saved me hours of frustration!

For future reference, even if the DRT never works, you can still submit your FAFSA with manually entered information. It might increase your chances of being selected for verification, but that's better than missing deadlines.

So glad you got this resolved! This is exactly why I always recommend clearing cache and cookies as a first troubleshooting step for any FAFSA issues. The system can be really finicky about stored data. For anyone else reading this thread - I'd also suggest trying an incognito/private browser window first before going through the whole process of calling FSA. Sometimes that alone will fix the missing DRT button issue. Thanks for updating us with the solution - it'll definitely help other students who run into the same problem!

This thread is super helpful! I'm dealing with a similar issue where my DRT button disappeared after I started my FAFSA but had to save and come back later. I tried the incognito window suggestion and it worked! The button showed up right away. It seems like the FAFSA system has some serious cache/session management issues. For anyone still struggling - definitely try private/incognito browsing first before calling FSA. Also wanted to add that if you're a dependent student, make sure your PARENT is logged into their FSA ID when trying to access the DRT in the parent financial section - I made that mistake initially and couldn't figure out why nothing was working.

This entire thread is gold! As someone who works in a high school guidance office, I see this DRT issue constantly during FAFSA season. I'm definitely going to compile these troubleshooting steps into a handout for our students. The incognito browser trick, clearing cache/cookies, checking parent FSA ID login status, and that Claimyr service for getting through to FSA - these are all solutions I wish I had known about sooner. It's ridiculous that the official FAFSA help resources don't clearly outline these common fixes. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - you're helping way more students than you probably realize!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently a college freshman and went through this exact same nightmare last year. The FAFSA system really needs better error messaging - it's crazy that students have to play detective just to figure out why a basic feature isn't working. I ended up having to manually enter everything because I couldn't get the DRT to work no matter what I tried. One thing I'd add for future students reading this - if you do have to enter tax info manually, triple check every number because any mistakes can delay your aid processing for weeks. Also, keep copies of all the tax documents you reference so if you get selected for verification later, you have everything ready. The whole process is stressful enough without these technical glitches making it worse!