FAFSA 2025-2026 now requiring spouse info as contributor even with joint taxes - is this normal?

yep its new with the FAFSA simplification changes... they want both parents info separately now even with joint taxes. annoying but what else is new with fasfa lol

Yes, this is definitely a change with the 2024-2025 FAFSA Simplification Act that's continuing into 2025-2026. Now both contributors (you and your spouse) need to provide individual information and both need to create FSA IDs to sign the FAFSA, even if you file taxes jointly. This is part of the new way they calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI). The Department of Education wants to connect each contributor's specific income to their individual information rather than just using the household tax return. Both you and your husband will need to: 1. Have your own FSA ID 2. Provide individual contact information 3. Both electronically sign the FAFSA Make sure both of you use your actual individual income information where requested, not just half of your joint income.

I went through this exact same thing last month! It's definitely new and super confusing. Had to get my husband to create his own FSA ID even though we've filed jointly for 20 years. The system kept timing out when he tried to sign too. Took us like 4 days to actually submit because of all the technical glitches.

The new FAFSA has completely changed how they handle contributors. Here's what you need to know: - Both spouses must create separate FSA IDs - Both must provide individual contact information - Both must separately provide consent for IRS data retrieval - Both must separately sign the FAFSA This is intentional design to track individual contributor information rather than just household data. It's part of how they now calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI) which replaced the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The system will actually cross-reference your tax information when it pulls from the IRS, so you don't need to manually separate most income - it's mostly about getting both parents registered in the system individually.

I spent HOURS trying to get through this new system. The website kept crashing when both of us tried to sign. Then they flagged us for verification because our contributor info didn't match exactly or something? I've been calling the Federal Student Aid number for TWO WEEKS and can't get through to a human being to fix it. This new system is a complete disaster and might cost my daughter her scholarship if we can't get the FAFSA processed in time.

Anyone else notice that even tho they want separate contributor info they still pull the SAME tax info for both parents? Like what's the point of making us do all this extra work if they're using the same numbers anyway lol

Make sure both you and your husband check your emails regularly after submitting! We got selected for verification and they sent the request to my husband's email, which he rarely checks. Almost missed the 14-day deadline to submit additional documentation.

btw my sister works in financial aid office and she said this new system is supposed to be more "fair" for calculating aid but its just making everyone miserable. even the schools are having trouble figuring it out

I recommend taking screenshots of each completed section as you go through the application. With the new system still having bugs, it's helpful to have documentation of what you entered in case you need to contact FSA for troubleshooting. Also, double-check that your husband's FSA ID is fully verified before attempting to sign - many of the submission errors happen when one contributor's ID isn't fully processed yet.

This is exactly what happened to us too! The new contributor requirements caught us completely off guard. We've been doing FAFSA for our older daughter for years and suddenly needing separate FSA IDs and contact info for both parents was so confusing. Just a heads up - make sure you both use different email addresses if possible. We tried using our shared family email initially and it caused issues with the verification notifications. Also, the system seems to work better if you complete it during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening) when fewer people are trying to access it. The whole process took us about a week longer than usual, but we did eventually get it submitted successfully. Hang in there!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! It's so frustrating that they didn't communicate this change clearly. I've been doing FAFSA for my older kids for years and this completely threw me off. My husband was so confused when I told him he needed to create his own FSA ID - he thought I was doing something wrong. The worst part is that even though we file jointly, the system still makes you enter everything separately but then seems to use the same tax data anyway. It feels like they're just creating extra steps for no reason. At least it's good to know we're not the only ones dealing with this mess!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My wife and I have been filing jointly for 15 years and this new requirement completely blindsided us. We started the FAFSA last week and got stuck when it asked for her as a separate contributor. I thought I was filling something out wrong since we've never had to do this before. It's frustrating that they didn't send out clear communication about these changes - I only found out it was "normal" after spending an hour on hold with our school's financial aid office. Now I'm worried about whether we'll have issues with the SAI calculation since our tax situation is pretty straightforward but this new process makes it seem so complicated. Has anyone noticed if their aid amounts changed significantly with the new SAI vs the old EFC system?

I'm a newcomer to this community and currently going through the FAFSA process for the first time with my daughter. Reading through all these experiences has been both helpful and terrifying! We haven't started yet but now I know to expect the separate contributor requirements. A few questions for the group: Should we create both FSA IDs before we even begin the application, or can we do my husband's partway through? Also, for those who successfully submitted - roughly how much extra time did this new process add compared to what you expected? I want to make sure we budget enough time before our school deadlines. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - it's clear this new system has caught a lot of families off guard but at least we can learn from each other!

As someone new to both this community and the FAFSA process, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences here! My spouse and I are about to start the 2025-2026 FAFSA for our oldest child and honestly, reading through all these posts has been both incredibly helpful and somewhat overwhelming. It's clear that these new contributor requirements have really caught families off guard. Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) Both parents need separate FSA IDs even with joint filing, 2) Allow extra time for technical glitches and verification, 3) Use different email addresses for each parent, and 4) Take screenshots as you go. I'm grateful for communities like this where we can learn from each other's real experiences rather than trying to decipher confusing government websites. Here's hoping our process goes smoothly, but at least now I know what to expect!

New to this community and currently navigating my first FAFSA experience with my twin sons! This thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea about these contributor changes and honestly thought the FAFSA would be straightforward since we file jointly. Reading everyone's experiences here has saved me from what would have been days of confusion and frustration. I'm planning to create both FSA IDs this weekend and wait a few days before starting the actual application based on all the advice shared here. Quick question - has anyone found that calling schools directly is more helpful than trying to reach Federal Student Aid? I'm wondering if the financial aid offices have better insight into handling these new system quirks. Thank you all for being so open about your struggles and successes - it's reassuring to know we're all figuring this out together!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just starting the FAFSA process for my daughter's sophomore year. This thread has been absolutely invaluable - I had no idea about these new contributor requirements and would have been completely lost without all of your shared experiences. My husband and I have been married for 18 years and always filed jointly, so this separate contributor thing is totally foreign to us. Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like I need to mentally prepare for this to take much longer than I expected and potentially involve some technical headaches. One question - for those who successfully completed the process, did you find it helpful to have both parents sitting together while filling it out, or is it better to do your individual parts separately? I'm trying to figure out the most efficient approach. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your real-world experiences - it's exactly what nervous parents like me need to hear!

I'm new to this community and just starting the FAFSA process for my son's first year of college. This entire thread has been incredibly helpful and honestly a bit overwhelming! Like so many others here, I had no idea about these new contributor requirements. My wife and I have been filing jointly for over 15 years, so the idea of needing separate FSA IDs and contact information seems completely unnecessary to us. Based on all the experiences shared here, it sounds like I need to prepare for this to take significantly longer than expected and potentially involve some frustrating technical issues. I really appreciate everyone being so open about their struggles - it's reassuring to know that even families who have done FAFSA multiple times before are finding this new system confusing. I'm planning to create both FSA IDs this week and wait for full verification before attempting the actual application. Wish us luck!

Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and currently in the middle of this exact same situation with my daughter's FAFSA. Like you, my husband and I have always filed jointly and this separate contributor requirement completely caught us off guard. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and nerve-wracking - it's clear this new system has thrown off even the most experienced FAFSA families! Based on what I've learned from this thread, I'd definitely recommend creating both FSA IDs well in advance and making sure they're fully verified before starting the actual application. It seems like rushing this part is where a lot of people run into technical issues. Also, having separate email addresses for each parent appears to be crucial for avoiding verification problems later on. The fact that so many longtime FAFSA families are struggling with these changes really highlights how poorly the Department of Education communicated this transition. At least we have communities like this to help each other navigate the confusion! Good luck with your son's application - hopefully our combined experiences can help make the process a bit smoother for other families just starting out.

I'm completely new to this community and the FAFSA process, and I have to say this thread has been both incredibly helpful and somewhat terrifying! My partner and I are about to tackle our first FAFSA for our daughter, and I honestly thought it would be a straightforward process since we file our taxes jointly. Reading about all these new contributor requirements and technical issues has definitely opened my eyes to what we're in for. From everything I've read here, it sounds like the key is to start early, create both FSA IDs well in advance, use separate email addresses, and be prepared for potential technical glitches. I'm grateful that experienced families have shared their struggles so openly - it's clear that even people who have done this multiple times are finding the new system confusing and frustrating. One question for the group: has anyone found any official Department of Education resources that actually explain these contributor changes clearly? It seems like we're all learning about these critical details from each other rather than from the source, which is pretty concerning for such an important financial aid process. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space to navigate this together!

I'm new to this community and just going through my first FAFSA experience with my oldest son. This thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea these contributor changes were coming and honestly expected the process to be much more straightforward since my husband and I have always filed jointly. Reading everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring (knowing we're not alone in this confusion) and concerning (realizing how many technical issues people are facing). It's really frustrating that the Department of Education didn't communicate these major changes more clearly to families. We shouldn't have to learn about critical requirements like separate FSA IDs and contributor information through community forums! Based on all the advice shared here, I'm planning to create both FSA IDs this weekend and wait several days for verification before attempting the actual application. I'm also going to make sure we use different email addresses and plan to complete it during off-peak hours to avoid system crashes. Thank you to everyone who has shared their real experiences - it's exactly what first-time FAFSA parents need to hear, even if it's not what we wanted to hear! Here's hoping the process goes more smoothly for those of us just starting out.

I'm new to this community and just starting the FAFSA process for my daughter's freshman year. This entire thread has been such a lifesaver! Like so many others here, my husband and I had no clue about these new contributor requirements - we've been filing jointly for 12 years and assumed FAFSA would work the same way. Reading everyone's experiences has definitely prepared me for what's ahead, though I have to admit it's pretty frustrating that we're all having to figure this out through trial and error rather than getting clear guidance from the Department of Education. The fact that even families who've done FAFSA multiple times are struggling really shows how poorly this transition was handled. I'm taking all the advice here to heart - planning to create both FSA IDs this week with separate email addresses, wait for full verification, and tackle the actual application during off-peak hours with plenty of time before our deadlines. Also definitely going to take screenshots throughout the process! Thank you to everyone who has shared their real experiences here. It's exactly what first-time parents like me need to navigate this new system successfully.