To directly answer your question: you create ONE account, and ONE parent files the FAFSA. During the application, you'll indicate your filing status as "married filing separately," and then you'll need to enter tax information from both returns. One tip from my experience: have both tax returns and W-2s ready before starting the application. The new FAFSA for 2025-2026 will be asking for specific line items from both returns. If you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, it may only pull information from the parent completing the form, so you'll need to manually enter the other parent's information.

Just wanted to share my experience since I went through this exact situation last year! My wife and I also file separately, and I was initially confused about the FAFSA process. We ended up having me create the single FSA ID account since my income was higher (though honestly, it probably doesn't matter which parent does it). The key thing that helped us was organizing all our documents beforehand - both of our tax returns, W-2s, and bank statements. When you get to the tax information section, the FAFSA will clearly prompt you to enter both parents' financial details separately, even though only one of you is logged in. One small heads up: the IRS Data Retrieval Tool will only auto-populate information for the parent who's logged in, so you'll need to manually type in your spouse's tax information. It's not difficult, just takes a bit longer. Good luck with your daughter's application!

Just wanted to update that I called our school's financial aid office (took three tries to get through), and they were super helpful! They confirmed they've adjusted all their timelines because of the FAFSA delay. The financial aid counselor I spoke with said they're still hoping to release aid packages by February, and she took my contact info to follow up personally once FAFSA opens. So much relief knowing they're on top of this!

As someone who went through this exact situation last year with my oldest, I can confirm that while the delays are incredibly stressful, everything does work out in the end. My daughter applied ED to her top choice school in November 2023, and despite the FAFSA chaos that followed, she still received her financial aid package in time to make an informed decision about her ED acceptance. The key things that helped us were: 1) Staying in regular contact with the school's financial aid office, 2) Completing the CSS Profile on time, and 3) gathering all our tax documents early so we could submit FAFSA the moment it opened. The schools really do understand this isn't families' fault, and they've gotten much better at managing these delays since last year's disaster. Hang in there - your daughter's dreams aren't derailed by this federal incompetence!

I'm also waiting on my 2025-2026 FAFSA and submitted mine about 3 weeks ago! Still showing "processing" with no updates. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful though - it sounds like 3-4 weeks is pretty standard right now, and some people are waiting even longer. I really appreciate everyone sharing their timelines and experiences. It's making me feel less alone in this stressful waiting period! The advice about being proactive with checking the portal regularly and reaching out to schools about potential deadline flexibility is really smart. @Freya Thomsen - I think you're being smart to start planning ahead even though it's only been a week. The spreadsheet idea someone mentioned sounds like a great way to stay organized and reduce some of the anxiety. Hopefully we'll all hear back soon! 🤞

I submitted my FAFSA about 5 weeks ago and just got my SAI yesterday, so there's definitely hope! The whole experience was nerve-wracking, especially watching other people get theirs at different times. What really helped me was following the advice I saw here about checking my portal every few days instead of obsessively refreshing daily. I also called one of my schools around the 4-week mark to let them know I was still waiting, and they were super understanding and said they could work with me on timing if needed. One thing I noticed - my status didn't change from "processing" until literally the day I got my SAI, so don't lose hope if yours still shows that! The system doesn't seem to give much advance warning when it's about to complete. Hang in there - it sounds like most people are getting theirs within that 3-4 week window everyone's mentioning, and even if it takes a bit longer, the schools seem really aware of the delays this year. 🤞

UPDATE: Success! We followed the advice from this thread and had my daughter sign first, then I signed immediately after (same session). We got the confirmation screen with the checkmarks for both signatures! The estimated SAI appeared right away too - though it's much higher than I expected which is concerning. I guess that's a question for another thread... Thank you all for your help! This community has been more useful than any official guidance we've found.

Congratulations on getting through the signature process! 🎉 It's such a relief when it finally works after all that stress. For the higher SAI issue you mentioned - definitely worth starting a new thread about that. The SAI calculation changed significantly from the old EFC formula, so many families are seeing unexpected increases even with the same financial situation. There are some income protection allowances and other factors that shifted in ways that aren't always intuitive. Thanks for updating us with your success! It's really helpful for other families dealing with the same signature nightmare to know what actually worked.

I'm a parent who went through this exact situation two years ago with my twin daughters' FAFSA applications. We had to repay over $5,000 in premium tax credits after my spouse got a bonus that pushed us into a higher income bracket. I want to echo what others have said about professional judgment - it absolutely works, but you need to be persistent and organized. Here's what I learned: 1. Start the process IMMEDIATELY after your FAFSA is processed - don't wait for aid offers 2. Create a one-page summary letter explaining your situation clearly and attach it to every request 3. Some schools were more receptive than others - one school adjusted our daughter's aid by $3,200, while another only gave us a $800 adjustment for the same situation 4. Keep calling if you don't hear back within 2 weeks - the squeaky wheel gets the grease The whole process was stressful, but both my daughters ended up with significantly better aid packages after the adjustments. Don't give up - this is exactly the kind of situation professional judgment was designed for! Also, for timing reference, most of our adjustments were completed within 3-4 weeks of submitting the paperwork, so definitely get started early in the process.

I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation! We're facing about $3,400 in premium tax credit repayments because my husband's commission income was higher than expected in 2023. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that professional judgment was even an option. A couple of questions for those who've been through this process: 1. When you submit the professional judgment request, do you need to provide documentation showing what your income would have been WITHOUT the repayment, or just proof of the repayment amount? 2. Has anyone had success getting adjustments at state schools vs. private schools? Wondering if there's a difference in how receptive they are. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's such a relief to know there's a community of people who understand this frustrating situation! I'm feeling much more prepared to advocate for our family now. 💪