FAFSA confusion - unmarried parents living together but only one being asked for financial info?

This happens sometimes with the new FAFSA. The system is probably getting confused because you indicated unmarried parents living together. Double-check how you answered the household questions. There's a specific section where you designate which parent provides more financial support - did you accidentally select your partner instead of yourself?

we had the EXACT same problem!!! my boyfriend and me arent married but raise our son together and the FAFSA kept asking him for info even tho im the breadwinner. so frustrating!!!!

This is a common issue with the FAFSA's handling of unmarried parents living together. Here's what's happening: Under the 2025-2026 FAFSA rules, when unmarried parents live together, both must provide information. However, there's a specific workflow based on which parent is designated as the "contributor" or primary financial provider. The most likely explanation is that you selected your partner as the contributor early in the application. The system then prioritizes collecting their information first before moving to yours. If you continue through the application, it should eventually ask for your information as well. If it doesn't request your information by the end, then there was definitely an error in how the relationship or contributor status was entered. You'll need to start over and make sure you're designated as the contributing parent.

I work at a college financial aid office, and I see this issue ALL THE TIME with the new FAFSA. The problem is in the household composition section - there's a question that asks "Which parent provides more financial support?" and it sounds like you accidentally selected your partner instead of yourself. The good news: you don't need to start completely over. Log back in, go to the household section, and edit that question. After saving, the system should recalculate which parent is the contributor and start asking YOU for the financial information instead. If that doesn't work, you can call FSA directly to resolve this, but be prepared to wait on hold for a very long time. The FAFSA call centers are absolutely swamped right now with the application changes.

I had this EXACT issue last month trying to help my nephew with his FAFSA! Spent like 3 hours trying to figure out why it was asking his unemployed mom for all the financial info when his stepdad (they're married tho) makes all the money. Turned out we clicked something wrong about who provided more support. The whole system is so confusing!!!!

After spending hours trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid about a similar issue, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FAFSA agent in less than 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration! The agent I spoke with was able to reset something on the backend that fixed our contributor status issue. The website is claimyr.com if anyone needs it.

The FAFSA system is BROKEN and this is more proof. They completely botched the rollout of the "simplified" FAFSA. My daughter almost missed scholarship deadlines because of these exact kinds of problems. The government spent millions on this new system and it still can't handle basic family situations correctly. I'm furious that students and parents have to deal with this stress on top of college applications. And don't get me started on how impossible it is to reach anyone for help!

UPDATE: I went back into the application and found the problem! In the household section, there was a question asking "Which parent provides more financial support?" and somehow I had selected my partner instead of myself. Once I fixed this and continued, the application started asking for MY financial information instead! Thank you all for your help - this was driving me crazy.

For future reference, here's the exact navigation path to fix this issue if anyone else encounters it: 1. Log into studentaid.gov with the student's account 2. Go to the FAFSA application 3. Navigate to "Household Information" section 4. Look for the question "Which parent provides more financial support?" 5. Select the correct parent 6. Save and continue The system will then update the contributor status and request financial information from the appropriate parent first. Both parents still need to provide information when unmarried living together, but the order and some calculations depend on who's designated as the primary supporter.

So glad you got this resolved! This is exactly why I always tell parents to go through the FAFSA application slowly and read every question carefully. The "which parent provides more financial support" question is particularly tricky because it's easy to misinterpret, especially when you're stressed about deadlines. Your experience will definitely help other families who run into the same issue. Thanks for posting the update - it's so helpful when people share their solutions!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually dealing with a similar situation right now - my partner and I aren't married but we've been together for 8 years and have a joint bank account. I was wondering if anyone knows whether we need to report assets from joint accounts, and if so, how do we split them between the two parents on the FAFSA? The instructions aren't super clear about this scenario. Also, does anyone know if the order we complete our sections matters, or can we both work on our parts simultaneously once the contributor issue is sorted out?

This thread is so helpful! I'm a college counselor and I see this exact confusion with unmarried parents at least once a week. The key thing to remember is that the FAFSA now treats unmarried parents living together similarly to married parents - both need to provide information, but the system needs to know who the "primary contributor" is to determine the order and some calculations. What trips up most families is that this question comes early in the application before you realize how important it is. I always recommend parents do a practice run or at least read through all the questions before starting to fill anything out. Miguel, glad you got it sorted - your experience will definitely help other families avoid the same stress!

This whole situation really highlights how much the FAFSA system has changed and how confusing it can be for families navigating it for the first time. I'm currently going through this process with my own child and had no idea that unmarried parents living together were treated differently now compared to the old system. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so educational - especially the detailed explanations about the "primary contributor" designation and how that affects which parent's information gets collected first. It's frustrating that such an important question comes so early in the application before you fully understand its significance. Miguel, thank you for sharing your solution and for following up with an update - that's exactly the kind of information that helps other families avoid the same stress. This community really shows how valuable it is to have people willing to share their experiences and solutions!

This is exactly the kind of detailed, step-by-step guidance that makes this community so valuable! As someone who's completely new to the FAFSA process, I had no idea that unmarried parents living together had such specific requirements or that there was a "primary contributor" designation that could affect the entire application flow. Reading through Miguel's experience and everyone's solutions has been incredibly educational. It's honestly a bit intimidating to realize how many technical details can trip you up - like how one early question about financial support can determine which parent's information gets requested first. But knowing that these issues can be fixed without starting completely over is really reassuring. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for when I start my own application. Thank you Miguel for sharing your solution and following up with updates, and thanks to everyone else (especially the financial aid officers and counselors) for breaking down the technical aspects so clearly. This community really shows the power of people helping each other navigate these complicated systems!

As someone who's just starting to learn about the FAFSA process, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I had no clue that unmarried parents living together had such specific requirements or that there was this whole "primary contributor" concept that could completely change how the application flows. Miguel, your experience really illustrates how easy it is to make what seems like a small mistake early on that ends up causing major confusion later. What I appreciate most is that everyone here didn't just say "you messed up" - they actually explained the WHY behind the problem and gave specific steps to fix it. The detailed navigation instructions from Zainab and the professional insights from the financial aid officers have made this feel so much more manageable. I'm definitely going to take my time with each question when I start my application and pay special attention to that contributor designation. Thank you all for creating such a supportive community where people share real solutions!

This thread has been absolutely incredible for someone like me who's completely new to the FAFSA process! I honestly had no idea that there were so many nuances with unmarried parents living together, or that something as seemingly straightforward as identifying who provides more financial support could completely alter how the application works. Miguel, thank you so much for not only sharing your initial confusion but also coming back with the exact solution - that kind of follow-through is what makes these community discussions so valuable for future families facing the same issue. What really stands out to me is how everyone here took time to provide detailed explanations rather than just quick answers. The step-by-step navigation from Zainab and the professional insights from folks like Yara really help demystify what could otherwise feel like an impossible system to navigate. I'm definitely bookmarking this entire conversation and will be extra careful about that contributor question when it's my turn to tackle the FAFSA. It's reassuring to know that even when things go wrong, there are ways to fix them without starting completely over!

Wow, this entire discussion has been such a goldmine of information! As someone who's about to start the FAFSA process for the first time, I'm honestly feeling both grateful and slightly overwhelmed by how complex this system can be. Miguel, thank you for not only sharing your initial confusion but also following up with the exact solution - that's the kind of real-world problem-solving that helps so many families. What really strikes me is how this one question about "which parent provides more financial support" seems so straightforward but can completely derail the entire application if answered incorrectly. The detailed explanations from financial aid professionals like Yara and Connor, plus the step-by-step navigation instructions from Zainab, have made this feel so much more manageable. I'm definitely going to take my time with each question and pay special attention to that contributor designation. It's amazing how this community comes together to help each other navigate these complicated processes - I feel much more prepared now knowing that solutions exist and there are knowledgeable people willing to share them!

As someone brand new to the FAFSA world, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm honestly amazed at how one seemingly simple question about which parent provides more financial support can completely change the entire application flow. Miguel, thank you so much for sharing both your initial frustration and your ultimate solution - that follow-through is exactly what makes these community discussions so helpful for future families. What really stands out to me is how everyone here took the time to provide detailed explanations rather than just quick fixes. The professional insights from financial aid officers and the step-by-step navigation instructions have transformed what felt like an intimidating process into something much more manageable. I'm definitely going to slow down and read every question carefully when I start my application, especially that crucial contributor designation. It's incredible to see how this community rallies together to help each other navigate these complex systems - I feel so much more confident knowing that solutions exist and knowledgeable people are willing to share them!

This thread has been such a lifesaver for understanding the FAFSA complexities! As someone who's completely new to this process, I had no idea that unmarried parents living together had such specific requirements or that the "primary contributor" designation could affect the entire application flow. Miguel, thank you for sharing your experience AND the solution - that's exactly what newcomers like me need to see! What really impressed me is how this community provided not just quick fixes but detailed explanations of why these issues happen. The step-by-step instructions from Zainab and professional insights from the financial aid officers have made this feel so much more manageable. I'm definitely going to take my time with that contributor question and double-check everything before moving forward. It's amazing how one early question can have such big implications, but knowing that mistakes can be fixed without starting over is really reassuring!

As someone who's just starting to research the FAFSA process for my upcoming college applications, this entire thread has been incredibly educational! I had absolutely no idea that unmarried parents living together had such complex requirements or that there was this whole "primary contributor" system that could affect which parent's information gets requested first. Miguel, thank you so much for not only sharing your initial confusion but also coming back with the exact solution - seeing the complete journey from problem to resolution is exactly what helps newcomers like me understand how to handle similar situations. What really strikes me is how one seemingly straightforward question early in the application about financial support can have such major consequences later on. The detailed explanations from financial aid professionals and the step-by-step navigation instructions have made this feel so much less intimidating. I'm definitely going to bookmark this discussion and be extra careful with that contributor designation when it's my turn to tackle the FAFSA. It's reassuring to know that even when things go wrong, there are ways to fix them and knowledgeable people willing to help!