FAFSA account issues: Son used my phone number - can't create my own account now

This exact same thing happened to me with my daughter! Teenagers, I swear. You need to call FSA directly and explain. They can manually verify you and update his account to have his phone number, then let you create yours.

This is a common issue we see. The simplest solution is to have your son log into studentaid.gov, go to his FSA ID profile settings, and change the phone number to his own. Once he does that, wait about 30 minutes for the system to process the change, then you can create your own FSA ID with your phone number. This won't affect his application status at all, as long as you complete your portion before any deadlines. Make sure both of you are using separate email addresses too - that's another common problem.

my kid did the opposite lol. put her number on MY account so now neither of us can get in!!! the whole system is sooooo stupid if u ask me. why cant they just let us use the same number??? they already have our SSN and birthdays to tell us apart!!!!

I work with families on FAFSA applications, and this is actually a very common issue. Here's what you need to do: 1. Have your son log into his FSA ID account 2. Go to Profile Settings > Contact Information 3. Update his phone number to his actual mobile number 4. Wait 30-60 minutes for the system to update (sometimes it takes longer) 5. Then you can create your own FSA ID with your phone number This won't affect his application at all. The phone number is purely for account access, not for application evaluation. Just make sure you complete your parent portion before his school's priority deadline (3 weeks from now). Also, when you create your FSA ID, be sure to select "I am a parent" when asked about your role. This helps link your account properly to his application.

Omg I had this EXACT same problem with my twins last year!!!!! And the absolute WORST part is I couldn't get through to anyone on the FSA helpline. I sat on hold for literaly 2 and half hours only to get disconnected. THREE TIMES!!! I was ready to throw my phone through a window. Finally my son's counselor at school helped us fix it.

To answer your follow-up question: You'll need your son to log in to the FAFSA application and add you as a contributor. He'll need to provide your name and email address. You'll then receive an email with instructions on how to access that specific FAFSA application. This is separate from creating your FSA ID. The sequence is: 1. Fix the phone number issue 2. Create your own FSA ID 3. Have your son add you as a contributor to his specific FAFSA application 4. Use your new FSA ID to access and complete your portion The system is designed to keep everyone's information separate and secure, which is good for privacy but can certainly be frustrating when these issues come up!

anyone know if it matters which parents phone # is used? me and my husband are both doing the parent part and dont know if it matters which one of us uses our number??

UPDATE: We got it fixed! Had my son change his phone number in his FSA ID profile last night, and this morning I was able to create my own account with my number. Currently working through my portion of his FAFSA now. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad you got it sorted out! This is definitely one of the most frustrating parts of the FAFSA process - the phone number conflicts seem to trip up so many families. Your experience will probably help other parents who run into the same issue. Hope the rest of your son's financial aid process goes smoothly!

This is such a relief to see resolved! I'm actually dealing with a similar situation right now - my daughter accidentally used my email address when creating her FSA ID, and now I can't create my own account. Based on your experience, it sounds like the solution is similar - have her change the email in her profile settings and then I can create my own account? Did you run into any issues with the email verification process when your son updated his phone number?

As someone new to this whole FAFSA process, this thread has been incredibly helpful! My daughter is a high school senior and we're just starting to navigate all of this. I had no idea that phone number conflicts were even a thing with FSA IDs. It's reassuring to see that there are straightforward solutions when these issues come up. I'm definitely going to make sure we use separate phone numbers and email addresses from the start to avoid any headaches. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions!

This is such a common issue! I just went through something similar with my daughter's FAFSA application. The FSA system really needs better design to prevent these conflicts from happening in the first place. It's great to see that the solution worked out so smoothly for you though. For any other parents reading this thread, I'd also recommend taking screenshots of each step when you're updating account information - it helped me keep track of what I'd already done when I had to troubleshoot my own issues. The whole process can be overwhelming but threads like this make it so much easier to navigate!