Created separate FSA ID - do I need to wait for my son's FAFSA parent consent?

Your son needs to add you as a contributor to his FAFSA form first. He should log into his studentaid.gov account, open his FAFSA application, and go to the 'Parent Information' section. There, he'll need to enter your name and email address to invite you as a contributor. You'll then receive an email with instructions on how to access his FAFSA and provide your information. And yes, there is a waiting period after creating a new FSA ID - it can take 1-3 business days for your FSA ID to be fully verified with the Social Security Administration before you can use it for the FAFSA. So if you just created it yesterday, you might need to wait another day or two before you can access his application.

had the same issue w/ my daughters app. she had to send me a link, then I had to use my FSA ID to finish the parent part. took like 2 days after making my ID before it would let me in

Your FSA ID has to go through the Social Security verification process which takes 1-3 days. After that, your son has to add you as a contributor on his application. Once he does that, you'll get an email with a link to access his FAFSA where you can provide your information and give consent. Make sure your son enters your email address correctly when adding you as a contributor - that's a common issue that causes delays.

Just adding to the good advice already shared - make sure that the name, DOB, and SSN you used to create your FSA ID exactly match what's on file with the Social Security Administration. Even small discrepancies (like using William vs Bill) can cause delays in the verification process. Also, if your son hasn't yet added you as a contributor to his application and sent you the invitation, you won't see anything on your studentaid.gov account about his FAFSA. The system doesn't automatically know you're related.

If your son's college deadline is in just 3 weeks, you might want to consider using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to reach an FSA agent directly if you encounter any more issues. They help you skip the long hold times when calling Federal Student Aid. I used it when we had a similar issue with parent access last year and got through to an agent in minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Just having an agent walk us through the exact steps saved us days of confusion, especially since every school seems to have different priority deadlines for aid.

dont forget after u do ur part ur son still has to go back in and submit the whole thing! my daughter thought it was done after i did my section but it wasnt actually submitted

Just want to clarify something important for the 2025-2026 FAFSA: Make sure both you and your son have separate email addresses for your FSA IDs. In previous years, parents and students could use the same email, but with the new FAFSA simplification changes, everyone needs their own unique email address. This has been causing a lot of confusion for families.

That's great news that you got your verification and the contributor invitation! Just a heads up - when you're filling out your parent section, make sure you have your tax information handy (either your 2023 tax return or W-2s). The new FAFSA tries to pull some info directly from the IRS, but it doesn't always work smoothly. Also, save your progress frequently as you go - the system can time out if you're idle too long. Good luck finishing it up before that deadline!