Do I need to create a new StudentAid.gov account for FAFSA 2025-2026?
I'm trying to prepare for my daughter's college applications, and I'm confused about the FAFSA account situation. We created accounts last year for the 2024-2025 FAFSA, but I'm hearing conflicting information about whether we need brand new accounts for the 2025-2026 application cycle. Do we have to create completely new FSA IDs for both me and my daughter? Or can we just use our existing accounts from last year? The StudentAid.gov website isn't clear about this and I don't want to mess up her application by using the wrong login. TIA!
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StarSurfer
u dont need to make new accounts every year. just use the same FSA ID from last year for both of u. they made that change back when they did the FAFSA simplification. saved my sanity lol
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Isabella Costa
•Oh thank goodness! That makes things so much easier. Do we need to update any information in our accounts before starting the 2025-2026 application?
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Ravi Malhotra
You definitely DO NOT need to create new accounts each year. Your FSA ID (both yours and your daughter's) should be used for all FAFSA applications throughout her college years. However, you will need to submit a new FAFSA application for the 2025-2026 academic year. The FAFSA must be completed annually. Before starting the new application, I recommend: 1. Verify all contact information is current 2. Make sure you have access to the email addresses associated with both accounts 3. Check that you remember both passwords (or reset them now if needed) 4. Have your 2023 tax information ready as that's what they'll ask for on the 2025-2026 FAFSA
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Isabella Costa
•Thank you for such a thorough answer! That's incredibly helpful. We'll double-check our contact info and make sure we have our 2023 tax returns ready.
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Freya Christensen
Wait, I thought they changed something about parents needing new accounts this year?? My son's college advisor sent home something about FAFSA changes for 2025...
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Ravi Malhotra
•You might be thinking of the contributor system. Parents don't need new FSA IDs, but the 2025-2026 FAFSA uses a "contributor" system where parents need to separately complete their portion of the application. However, you'll still use your existing FSA ID to do this - no new account needed.
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Omar Hassan
I just went through this last month with my son's application for 2025-2026. You absolutely use the same FSA IDs from previous years! What changed is the application process itself - it's much more streamlined now with the FAFSA Simplification Act fully implemented. However, I will say that when I tried logging in, the system kept timing out and giving me errors. I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a live agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The agent confirmed we use the same accounts and helped reset our access.
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Isabella Costa
•Thank you for sharing your experience! That's really helpful to know about the connection service if we run into login problems. Fingers crossed we can avoid those timeout issues!
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Chloe Robinson
•is that service expensive? the FSA site is always crashing on me too
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Omar Hassan
@profile5 It was actually reasonable considering how much time it saved me. Definitely worth it compared to spending days trying to get through. The agent helped me fix several issues all at once.
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Diego Chavez
i messed up bad last yr bc i thought i needed new account 😠created duplicate FSA IDs for me & my daughter and it caused MAJOR problems... took forever to fix! def just use ur old accounts!!!!!
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Isabella Costa
•Oh no! That sounds like a nightmare. Thanks for the warning - we'll definitely stick with our original accounts!
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NeonNebula
To add some clarification: the FSA ID system was designed to be permanent. You create the ID once and use it throughout your educational journey. This applies to both students and parents. The annual part is the FAFSA application itself. For the 2025-2026 cycle, what's different is how parent information gets added to the student's FAFSA. Parents will log in with their FSA ID and complete their section separately as a "contributor" to the student's application. Make sure both you and your daughter can access your accounts now, well before the October 1st application open date. And remember that for 2025-2026, you'll be using 2023 tax information.
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Isabella Costa
•Thanks for the detailed explanation! One more question: do we need to update our account information if our financial situation has changed significantly since 2023? My husband switched jobs and our income is quite different now.
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NeonNebula
•You'll still report your 2023 tax information exactly as it appears on your tax return. However, after your FAFSA is processed, you can contact your daughter's college financial aid office to request a "Professional Judgment" review based on your change in income. They have the authority to adjust your financial aid based on current circumstances, but the FAFSA itself must use the 2023 tax year data.
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Natasha Petrov
Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in financial aid - you're getting great advice here! Definitely keep your existing FSA IDs. One thing I'd add is to make sure you test logging into both accounts well before you need to submit the FAFSA. I see so many families wait until the last minute and then panic when they can't remember passwords or their email addresses have changed. Also, bookmark the official studentaid.gov site now - there are a lot of scam sites that look similar. The real FAFSA is always free to complete!
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