Do I need to retrieve my old FAFSA ID to sign my daughter's FAFSA application in October 2025?

You don't necessarily need to retrieve your old FSA ID. Since it's been many years since you used it, creating a new FSA ID might actually be easier. The system has changed significantly, and your old information might be outdated in their system anyway. Just make sure you use the same info that matches your Social Security card exactly when you create the new ID. I helped my son with his FAFSA last year and creating a new parent FSA ID only took about 10 minutes.

DO NOT create a new FSA ID if you already have one in the system! This causes MAJOR headaches with verification later. Call FSA directly and recover your old ID. The new FAFSA for 2025-2026 is COMPLETELY different from what you did years ago, and having multiple IDs in the system will potentially flag your daughter's application for verification, which can delay her aid offers by MONTHS!

i tried calling fsa about this same issue last month and was on hold for like 2 hours before i gave up. ended up using a service called claimyr.com to get thru to an agent in about 15min. they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. saved me a ton of time when i needed to recover my old fsa id for my son's application

Actually, your old account wasn't an "FSA ID" if it was from many years ago - the FSA ID system only started in 2015. Before that, parents used a PIN number system. If you had a FAFSA PIN, you'll definitely need to create a new FSA ID because the old system was completely phased out. Just make sure all your information matches your Social Security card and tax records exactly when you create the new FSA ID.

This whole FAFSA process is SO confusing...my daughter is also graduating in 2025 and I'm already stressed about it! I created my FSA ID last week but then read that we shouldn't do anything until October? Now I'm worried I did something wrong by setting it up early...

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is completely different from previous years. They've replaced the EFC with the SAI (Student Aid Index), changed the contributor rules, and the entire formula for calculating need has been overhauled. I strongly recommend creating a new FSA ID now and making sure it works, regardless of whether you had an old account. Also, the FAFSA now pulls tax information directly from the IRS using the Direct Data Exchange, so everything needs to match your tax records perfectly.

i thought my son's fafsa wold be easy cuz i helped my older kid in 2022 but omg the new form is COMPLETLEY different!!! ended up having to call 3 times about our SAI being wrong. make sure you do the IRS data retrieval tool thingy right the first time or you'll be stuck with wrong info

After reading through all these comments, here's what I'd recommend: 1) If you had a FAFSA PIN (pre-2015), create a new FSA ID now. 2) If you had an FSA ID from 2015 or later, recover it instead of creating a new one. 3) Make sure all your information matches your government records exactly. 4) Create/recover your FSA ID well before October so any verification issues can be resolved before the application opens. The most important thing is having a working FSA ID when application time comes!

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child last year, I'd echo what others have said about creating a new FSA ID if you had the old PIN system. One thing I'd add is to make sure you verify your identity through the FSA ID process ASAP - it can take 1-3 business days for that verification to complete, and you'll need it fully verified before you can sign your daughter's FAFSA. Also, keep your FSA ID login info somewhere safe because you'll need it not just for the initial FAFSA but also for any corrections, renewals, and potentially loan servicing down the road. The peace of mind of having everything set up and tested months in advance is worth it!

I went through this exact same situation last year with my son! Since you mentioned having login credentials from 15 years ago, you definitely had the old PIN system, not an FSA ID. The PIN system was completely discontinued, so you'll need to create a brand new FSA ID. I'd recommend doing it ASAP - not just because of the verification time (which can take a few days), but also because the new FAFSA system is much more sensitive about data matching. When you create your FSA ID, triple-check that your name matches your Social Security card exactly - even something like "Jr." vs "Junior" can cause problems. Also, once you create it, test logging in and out a few times to make sure everything works. The last thing you want is to discover login issues in October when everyone is trying to submit applications at once!