Adding second child to FAFSA parent account & confirming tax transfer status
I finally completed my daughter's FAFSA for next year after the big system update, but now I need to add my son who's graduating high school in May. I can't figure out how to add another student to my existing FSA ID parent account. When I go to studentaid.gov it just keeps showing my daughter's application. Do I need to create completely separate accounts for each kid? Also, it said something about my tax info being automatically transferred from the IRS, but I don't see any confirmation that actually happened. Where exactly can I check if my 2023 tax info was successfully pulled into the system? I'm worried I'll submit incomplete applications and mess up both kids' financial aid. Thanks for any help!
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Freya Thomsen
You don't need separate parent accounts! You use the same FSA ID for both children. Here's how to add your second child: 1. Log in to studentaid.gov with YOUR parent FSA ID 2. Once logged in, look for "Apply for Aid" and select "Complete the FAFSA Form" 3. Start a new FAFSA application (this will be for your son) 4. When you reach the student information section, you'll enter your son's details 5. He'll need his own FSA ID as the student (separate from yours) For the tax transfer question - when completing the parent financial section, there should be a "Link to IRS" button if you're eligible for the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. After you use this, transferred fields will be marked with "Transferred from the IRS" instead of showing the actual values (this is for security). If you don't see that text next to the financial fields, the transfer didn't complete successfully.
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Ravi Sharma
•Thank you! That makes sense. So I keep my parent FSA ID but my son needs his own student FSA ID, right? When I go through the process for him, will it automatically fill in our parent information that I already entered for my daughter, or do I have to re-enter everything again?
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Omar Zaki
I went thru this last yr. The parent fsA ID is for YOU, each kid needs their own. its confusing AF but bassically u use ur same login but make seprate applications. the tax thing should say 'transferred from IRS' in the boxes if it worked right
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Ravi Sharma
•Thanks! I'm glad I'm not the only one confused by this. Did you have to re-enter all your parent info for each kid's application?
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AstroAce
My experience with the tax transfer thing wasn't great. It said it transferred but then my kid's application got flagged for verification because the numbers didn't match or something. I'd double check everything before you submit.
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Ravi Sharma
•Oh that's concerning! I definitely want to make sure the numbers match up. Did you have to submit extra documentation when that happened?
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Chloe Martin
Adding to what others have said - for each new student (your son in this case), you'll start a completely new FAFSA application. You'll use your same parent FSA ID, but unfortunately you WILL need to re-enter your parent information for each child's application. The system doesn't currently carry over parent info between different student applications. Regarding the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT): After clicking "Link to IRS" and completing the authentication, you should be returned to the FAFSA with fields marked "Transferred from IRS" (the actual values will be hidden). If you don't see this, try again or enter the information manually. Also, the 2025-2026 FAFSA uses 2023 tax information, so make sure you're looking at the right tax year when verifying. If you need to speak directly with a FAFSA representative to confirm everything transferred correctly, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they can help you skip the typically long hold times when calling Federal Student Aid. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Ravi Sharma
•Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I'm disappointed that I have to re-enter everything for my son's application, but at least I know what to expect now. I'll double-check the tax transfer by looking for those "Transferred from IRS" labels. That Claimyr service might come in handy if I run into problems - the hold times when I've called before were ridiculous.
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Diego Rojas
NOBODY TOLD ME I NEEDED DIFFERENT STUDENT IDS!!! I used the same one for both my kids and now their financial aid is all messed up and the school is saying they might not get any money!!!! The FAFSA system is complete garbage after this "simplified" update.
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Freya Thomsen
•I'm sorry that happened to you! Yes, each student absolutely needs their own unique FSA ID. If you're still having issues, contact your financial aid office immediately as they can help sort this out. They deal with these problems all the time and can advise on how to correct the applications.
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Anastasia Sokolov
Is anyone else having the issue where the IRS data transfer just fails completely? I've tried 6 times and it keeps giving me an error about my tax filing status not matching. But I'm POSITIVE I entered everything correctly. This new FAFSA system is so broken.
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Sean O'Donnell
•YES! I had the exact same problem! Turns out the problem was that I had gotten married since filing my 2023 taxes, so my name/status didn't match what the IRS had. I ended up having to enter everything manually. Check if you've had any status changes between your tax filing and now.
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Ravi Sharma
Update: I finally got my son's FAFSA started and found the IRS data transfer button. After clicking it, I can confirm that the fields now show "Transferred from IRS" instead of the actual numbers. Such a relief! Now I just need my son to create his FSA ID so he can sign it. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Freya Thomsen
•Great news! Just remember that both you and your son will need to sign the FAFSA with your respective FSA IDs before it's considered complete. And make sure your son creates his FSA ID himself - it's tied to his personal information and email/phone for verification purposes.
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Ahooker-Equator
Just want to add one more tip that helped me - when your son creates his FSA ID, make sure he uses an email address that he checks regularly and will have access to throughout college. The FSA ID is what he'll use for all future financial aid applications, loan management, and communications from Federal Student Aid. I made the mistake of using my daughter's high school email for her first FSA ID and then had to go through a whole process to update it when the school email got deactivated after graduation. Save yourself the headache and use a personal email from the start!
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Malik Jackson
•That's such a smart tip about using a permanent email address! I hadn't even thought about that. My son is planning to use his Gmail account which should work perfectly. It's amazing how many little details there are to consider with this whole process. I'm definitely learning that the FAFSA has a lot more nuances than I expected, but at least I feel like I'm getting the hang of it now with everyone's help here.
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Alexander Zeus
One thing I want to emphasize that I learned the hard way - make sure to print or save a PDF copy of each completed FAFSA before you submit it! The system sometimes has glitches where submitted applications show incomplete status even when everything was filled out correctly. Having that backup documentation saved me when my daughter's application mysteriously showed missing parent signatures even though we both signed it. The financial aid office was able to verify everything was complete using my saved copy. With two kids going through this process, you'll definitely want that peace of mind!
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