FAFSA account shows husband's name instead of daughter's - can't see her activity!

This is actually a pretty common mix-up! Each student (and each parent contributor) needs their own separate FSA ID linked to their own email address. Your daughter needs her own FSA ID with her own email, and you/your husband each need separate FSA IDs with separate emails. The system is designed this way for security and proper digital signatures.

Don't panic yet! If your daughter completed the FAFSA using HER FSA ID (not yours or your husband's), then her application should still exist in the system under HER account. She'll need to log in with her own FSA ID and password to see it. If she doesn't have her own FSA ID yet, she needs to create one immediately at studentaid.gov.

Ok so I just asked my daughter and she says she DID create her own FSA ID, but she was confused about the parent contribution part and thought we would all use the same account? Does that make sense? How do we link everything together if we're using separate accounts?

ya this is stupid confusing. my mom and i had to call like 5 times last year cuz we kept getting errors about the 'contributor' section. eventually we figured out we ALL needed separate accounts (me, mom, dad) with diff emails. system is broken tbh

Try using Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA agent quickly - saved me hours of frustration! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and sign up at claimyr.com. They got me connected to an agent in like 20 minutes when I was dealing with a similar account mix-up last semester. The agent was able to explain exactly what we needed to do with our FSA IDs.

To summarize the correct process for the 2025-2026 FAFSA: 1. Each person needs their own FSA ID linked to their own unique email address (student, parent 1, parent 2) 2. The student initiates the FAFSA application using THEIR FSA ID 3. When reaching the parent section, they'll enter parent info and email 4. Each parent completes their section using THEIR OWN FSA ID 5. The student then finalizes and submits the complete application If your daughter already submitted using her FSA ID, her application exists in the system under HER account, not yours or your husband's. Have her log in to check status.

I had this EXACT same issue with my son's application!!! So frustrating. What fixed it for us was having him log into his account and then he could "invite" me as a contributor from within his FAFSA application. Then I got an email with instructions for setting up my part. The whole system is needlessly complicated. They're asking for my tax info anyway, why do I need a separate account??!?

UPDATE: We got it figured out! My daughter logged into her account and found her application was actually saved but not submitted (despite what she thought). She was able to add me as a contributor, and I created my own FSA ID with my email. My husband did the same. We're now all properly linked to her application! Thanks everyone for your help!

This situation highlights why it's so important to start the FAFSA process early. The new system requires each person to have their own FSA ID with separate email addresses for security purposes. A common mistake is using the same email for multiple FSA IDs, which causes all kinds of verification problems later. Remember that for dependent students, both the student and at least one contributing parent must have valid FSA IDs to complete the application.