Can I complete parent portion of FAFSA before my college junior starts his part?

nope ur stuck waiting for him. my daughter had to start it first and send me the link last time we did it. such a pain when they procrastinate lol

The other comment isn't entirely accurate. With the new FAFSA system, you both need to create your own FSA IDs and can work on your sections independently, but the student DOES need to initiate the application first. After they start it, they'll need to identify you as a contributor and provide your email address. You'll then receive an email invitation to complete your portion. So while you can't start the entire application yourself, once your son initiates it and adds you as a contributor, you can complete your section without waiting for him to finish his part. The system allows concurrent work now, which is a big improvement over the old system.

I'm in the same boat with my daughter (senior year approaching). What worked for us was I literally sat with her and made her start the application while I was there with pizza as bribery lol. It only took her like 10 minutes to create her FSA ID, start the application, and add me as a contributor. Then I got my email and could work on my part whenever. The most frustrating part has been that the SAI calculation is way different than the old EFC system, and her financial aid package was totally different than we expected based on previous years. Just a heads up that even though it's your third time, the numbers might surprise you with the new formula.

Financial aid advisor here. Just to clarify a couple points: 1. The student MUST initiate the FAFSA application since they are the primary applicant. Parents cannot start the process independently. 2. Once the student starts the application and adds you as a contributor, you'll receive an email to complete your section. You can work on your section simultaneously - you don't need to wait for them to finish theirs first. 3. The deadline for 2025-2026 FAFSA is technically June 30, 2026, but many schools and states have MUCH earlier priority deadlines that determine aid eligibility. I strongly recommend submitting by early February for maximum aid consideration. 4. If you're having trouble getting your son to start the application, remind him that it's HIS financial aid that's at stake. The sooner it's submitted, the better his chances for maximum grant eligibility.

Has anyone else been having trouble actually connecting with someone at Federal Student Aid when you have questions? I've tried calling about my parent contribution section THREE TIMES and keep getting disconnected or waiting for hours. It's beyond frustrating. I have a specific question about reporting our home equity line of credit that I can't find answered anywhere in the help sections.

JUST TO WARN EVERYONE the new fafsa system is STILL having glitches!!!!!! My son started his application back in January and added me as a contributor but the email invitation never came through. We had to completely restart his application because there was no way to resend the invitation. AND THEN when I finally got in to do my section, the system kept freezing when trying to import my tax info. Had to manually enter EVERYTHING. What should have taken 20 min took 3 days of frustration. Plan ahead people!!!!

pro tip: sit on the couch next to ur kid with snacks and DONT LEAVE until they at least start it and add u. worked with my son who was putting it off for weeks lol

Also, don't forget that the contribution formulas have changed significantly with the shift from EFC to SAI. If your income or assets have changed notably since last year's application, you might see quite different results. Pay special attention to the asset reporting sections, as some categories are weighted differently now. And if you have multiple children in college simultaneously, be aware that the SAI calculation no longer provides the same reduction for multiple students that the old EFC system did. This has caught many families by surprise.

One final tip: if you're missing the priority deadline for your school, submit the FAFSA anyway as soon as possible. Late submission is better than no submission. Some schools have rolling financial aid distribution and may still have funds available, even if you miss their priority date.