Here's exactly what you need to know about FSA IDs: 1. Yes, each person needs their own FSA ID (you, your father, and your mother if she's contributing information) 2. Each FSA ID must be linked to a unique email address and phone number 3. Parents CANNOT create an FSA ID for their child, and students CANNOT create FSA IDs for their parents - it's against the rules and can cause major issues 4. Each person's FSA ID is linked to their Social Security Number, which is why they must be separate 5. Save all usernames, passwords, and challenge questions somewhere secure The new FAFSA requires each contributor to individually authenticate their identity and authorize their tax information being used. This is actually more secure than the old system.

When I did my FAFSA I created accounts for my parents because they're not tech savvy AT ALL. I just used different emails and made up their passwords. It worked fine for me but technically you're not supposed to do that lol

That makes sense, thank you for explaining! I'll definitely contact the schools directly about their policies. It's so complicated when these systems change and every school seems to have different approaches.

for the CSS Profile question you asked - only some schools need it, mostly private ones and some competitive public universities. it does cost money like $25 for the first school and $16 for each extra one i think. but they have fee waivers if your income qualifies

sometimes the fasfa website says closed when its actually just saving ur data. my brothers did that but then the next day it was processing again. maybe just wait 24 hrs?

FINAL UPDATE: The application is back to 'processing' status! The agent was right - it took about 36 hours for the change to show up in the system. For anyone else experiencing this issue, definitely call and speak to someone directly. The error was on their end, not ours, but it wouldn't have been fixed if we just waited. Now fingers crossed we get the SAI calculation soon...

To directly answer your question: Yes, your husband needs his own FSA ID, and yes, you must include his income information even with separate tax filings. Here's why: 1. The 2025-2026 FAFSA considers your marital status as of the date you submit the application 2. When married, both spouses' financial information is required regardless of tax filing status 3. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool requires separate FSA IDs to access separate tax returns I recommend completing this process soon, as many institutional aid programs have priority deadlines. After submission, contact your university's financial aid office to discuss any special circumstances that might warrant professional judgment adjustments to your aid package.

my cousins wife works in financial aid office and she says alot of married students qualify for additional loan amounts even if they dont get grants anymore. so even if ur pell goes down u might get access to more loans if u need them

wait I'm confused, aren't contributors and parents the same thing? or is a contributor someone else who gives you money? my mom is helping me with college but she filed as parent not contributor lol did i mess up?

UPDATE: We finally fixed it! Turns out it was exactly what @helpful_advisor said - the name mismatch. My dad goes by his middle name so I entered that, but his FSA ID had his legal first name. I cancelled the invitation, sent a new one with his exact legal name, and it worked immediately. Also had to make sure he was using the exact link from the email, not just logging into studentaid.gov normally. Thanks everyone for your help! Hope this helps someone else with the same problem.