Do both parents need to create FSA IDs for the FAFSA if divorced?
I'm trying to help my daughter fill out her FAFSA for the 2025-2026 year, and I'm confused about the parent requirements. Her dad and I are divorced (for 8 years now), and she lives with me most of the time. Do we BOTH need to create FSA ID accounts? The instructions aren't clear about divorced parents. I created mine already but her dad is being difficult about creating his account. Will her application be rejected if only I (the custodial parent) create an account? Any help would be so appreciated because the deadline is approaching!
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Connor O'Neill
Good news - only the parent who provides more than 50% of the financial support needs to create an FSA ID and complete the FAFSA. Since your daughter lives with you most of the time, you're considered the custodial parent for FAFSA purposes. Your ex-husband doesn't need to create an FSA ID or provide his information unless you've remarried and have a new spouse. In that case, your current spouse's information would be required, not your ex's.
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Zainab Ismail
•Oh thank goodness! That's such a relief. I was so worried her application would be incomplete. And no, I haven't remarried so it's just my information needed. Thank you!!
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QuantumQuester
i went thru this last yr w/ my son. only need the parent they live with most! ur good 👍
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Zainab Ismail
•Thanks for confirming! This is our first time with the FAFSA so everything feels so complicated.
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Yara Nassar
Actually, this depends on your divorce decree. Some divorce agreements require BOTH parents to provide information for college financial aid forms. The FAFSA itself only requires the custodial parent, but if your legal agreement states both parents must participate in financial aid applications, you should follow that to avoid legal issues with your ex.
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Zainab Ismail
•That's a really good point I hadn't considered. I'll have to check our divorce paperwork. Our agreement does mention shared responsibility for college costs, but doesn't specifically mention FAFSA forms.
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Keisha Williams
OMG the FAFSA is SO CONFUSING!!! I have twins and their dad and I are also divorced. I called the Federal Student Aid number like 8 TIMES and never got through!!! Left on hold forever and then disconnected. So frustrating! Did anyone actually reach a human being there?
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Paolo Ricci
•I had the exact same issue trying to reach someone about my stepson's application. After wasting hours on hold, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how it works. The agent confirmed that only the custodial parent needs to create an FSA ID for divorced families. Saved me so much frustration with the endless hold times!
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Keisha Williams
•Thank you!!! I'm going to check out claimyr.com right now because I have more questions about how to report our custody arrangement since we have 50/50 physical custody but I claim them on taxes.
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Amina Toure
Be careful! My cousin only used the custodial parent for FAFSA but then their school also required the CSS Profile which needed BOTH parents' financial info even though they're divorced! Make sure to check if any schools require CSS too.
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Zainab Ismail
•That's really helpful to know. My daughter is applying to 5 schools and I think at least 2 of them mention CSS Profile on their financial aid pages. I'll need to clarify that with both schools.
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Oliver Zimmermann
This whole system is ridiculous! Why can't they make this more straightforward?? My ex refused to provide any information for my daughter's FAFSA and we had to go through so much red tape to get her aid package. The FSA website says one thing, then the helpline says another thing!
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QuantumQuester
•IKR! And the new FAFSA is supposed to be "simplified" but still so confusing!
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Connor O'Neill
To clarify some confusion in this thread: 1. For FAFSA: Only the custodial parent (who the student lived with more in the past 12 months) needs to create an FSA ID and provide information 2. For CSS Profile: Many private colleges require both biological parents' information regardless of divorce status 3. Legal agreements: Your divorce decree may have separate requirements about sharing college expenses that are independent of FAFSA rules 4. Special circumstances: If you can't get information from a non-custodial parent for CSS Profile schools, contact each school's financial aid office directly to request a waiver
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Zainab Ismail
•This is incredibly helpful - thank you for breaking it down so clearly! I'm going to check which of my daughter's schools require the CSS Profile so we can plan accordingly.
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