Do both parents need to create separate FAFSA accounts when filing jointly?

Yes, you'll both need to create separate FSA IDs and complete your own contributor sections. Even though you file taxes jointly, FAFSA 2025-2026 requires both parents in a married household to individually provide their information and sign the form. Your son (the student) starts the application, then each parent completes their own section using their unique FSA ID. This new FAFSA simplification is actually meant to make things easier, but the separate accounts part trips up a lot of parents!

we had to do this last month. annoying but yea both need IDs. only the primary parent fills out most of it tho

I spent THREE DAYS trying to figure this out!!! The FAFSA system is a NIGHTMARE this year with all these "simplifications" that just make it MORE complicated!! Yes, you both need FSA IDs, and good luck getting through the verification process if they flag your application - which they probably will because EVERYONE is getting flagged for verification this year. My daughter's SAI came back $12,000 higher than it should have been because of some glitch. When I called, I was on hold for 2+ HOURS and then got disconnected!!! 😡

To clarify what others have said: Yes, both parents need separate FSA IDs when both are contributors on a FAFSA application. For joint tax filers, both still need their own FSA ID because: 1. The FSA ID serves as your legal signature 2. It verifies your identity separately from your spouse 3. It allows both parents to access and sign the FAFSA independently The parent who provides more financial support to the student is considered the "primary" parent on the form, but both parents' information is required. For the CSS Profile, that's a completely separate system with College Board requiring different login credentials than your FSA ID.

my husband and I went through this last year and it was confusing af. we both made accounts but then the system wouldnt let him verify his email for some reason. ended up using just mine and putting his info in manually and it worked fine. the whole system is glitchy

When I was trying to connect with FSA to figure this out for my twins, I kept getting stuck on hold forever. I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FAFSA agent in less than 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and their website is claimyr.com. It saved me from spending another whole day on this FSA ID confusion. The agent explained that yes, both parents need separate FSA IDs even when filing jointly, and helped me understand which parent should be listed as contributing more.

Wait I'm confused... if you file taxes jointly, why would they need separate information from each parent? Isn't it the same tax return info? My daughter is applying next year so I'm taking notes lol

Update: We both created our FSA IDs and managed to complete our sections! One tip for anyone reading this in the future - make sure you use different email addresses for each parent's FSA ID. My husband initially tried using our shared family email and it wouldn't let him proceed. Also, have your tax returns from 2023 handy because they ask for specific line numbers. Thanks everyone for your help!

This whole thread has been super helpful! I'm in the exact same boat - senior year parent feeling completely overwhelmed by this process. The tip about separate email addresses is gold - I almost made that same mistake. One question though: after both parents complete their sections, does the student need to do anything else or does it automatically submit? My daughter keeps asking me when she needs to "finish" her part and I honestly don't know what to tell her!

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest last year, I can confirm what others have said - both parents definitely need separate FSA IDs! What I wish someone had told me upfront is to create both FSA IDs at the SAME TIME when you first start. We made the mistake of me creating mine first, then my husband tried to create his a week later and ran into verification delays that held up our whole application. Also, keep your FSA ID info somewhere safe because you'll need it again for renewals each year your child is in college. The process gets much smoother after the first year once you know what to expect!

As a newcomer to this whole FAFSA world, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this thread! My daughter is a junior so we're a year out, but reading through all your experiences has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea both parents needed separate FSA IDs - I would have definitely made that mistake! I'm bookmarking this thread and plan to follow all the advice here when our time comes. Special thanks to those who shared the specific tips like using different email addresses and creating both FSA IDs at the same time. It's so helpful to learn from parents who've actually been through this process rather than trying to decipher the confusing official websites. You've probably saved me hours of frustration next year!