FAFSA asking for both parents' info after already waiting for mom's account setup - is this normal?

Yes, for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, if your parents aren't legally separated or divorced, you need to report BOTH parents' information—even if you primarily live with one parent. The new FAFSA requires all contributors (parents who are married or living together) to create their own accounts and provide their info directly. It's not a glitch, it's the new system design. Your dad will need to create an account and complete his portion before your application can be processed.

omg same thing happened to me!! my parents haven't lived together in years but since they never got officially divorced the system made me add both. so annoying

This is a common issue with the redesigned FAFSA. The key factor is legal marital status, not living arrangements. If your parents are still legally married (even if separated but not legally), you must include both of their information on your FAFSA. To qualify for reporting only one parent, they need to be either: 1. Legally separated with documentation 2. Legally divorced 3. Never married to each other If none of these apply, then yes, you'll need to include both parents and both will need to create FSA IDs and complete their portions. This is part of the new contributor-based model for the 2025-2026 FAFSA.

The new FAFSA is GARBAGE!! I went through this exact thing and it delayed my daughter's application by over a month! Her father hasn't been involved in 10 years but because we never officially divorced ($$$ for lawyers), she had to hunt him down and convince him to create an account. The whole system is designed to punish students from complicated family situations. It's ridiculous!!

Try using Claimyr to get through to a FAFSA agent directly. I was in the same boat last month - needed to explain my parents' separation wasn't legally documented. Spent days trying to get someone on the phone with no luck. Found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an agent in under 20 minutes! The agent helped me update my parents' status in the system. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Seriously saved me from missing my priority deadline.

Quick tip: If your dad is responsive, sit down with him over video chat and help him create his FSA ID and complete his section right away. That's what I did with my mom - took about 30 minutes total. Also, if you're worried about the deadline, contact your school's financial aid office and explain the situation. Many schools will extend their priority deadline if you can show you're actively working on completing the FAFSA but have contributor delays.

u might be able 2 get a dependency override if ur dad isnt involved in ur life. call ur financial aid office and ask

Thanks everyone for the advice! I called my school's financial aid office today and they said they'll extend my priority deadline by 2 weeks if I email them documentation showing I'm working on completing the FAFSA (screenshots of the contributor invites). And I'm going to try the video call with my dad this weekend to help him set up his account. Fingers crossed this all works out!

I just went through this same nightmare situation! My parents have been separated for 4 years but never legally divorced, and the FAFSA system required both of them to create accounts. What helped me was creating a shared Google doc with all the required information (SSN, tax forms, bank statements) and sending it to both parents ahead of time. Then I scheduled separate video calls with each of them to walk through the account creation process step by step. My mom took 45 minutes, my dad took over an hour because he kept getting confused, but we got it done! Also definitely reach out to your financial aid office - most schools are understanding about these contributor delays since it's such a common issue with the new FAFSA system. Good luck!