FAFSA contributor confusion - do both parents need FSA IDs when married?

If your son indicated that his parents are married, then YES both parents need FSA IDs and both need to be contributors. This is one of the big changes with the new FAFSA system. In the past, only one parent needed to sign, but now BOTH married parents must create FSA IDs and complete their sections. It's super annoying but that's how it works now.

ur husband definitely needs his own FSA ID, thats how they verify identity now. my parents went thru this last month, its a pain but gotta do it

As others have mentioned, the new FAFSA system requires that all contributors (both parents if married) create their own FSA IDs and complete their own sections of the form. This is part of the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. Each parent must: 1. Create their own FSA ID at studentaid.gov 2. Have their own unique email address (can't share emails) 3. Respond to their own contributor invitation 4. Complete their own section of the form with their personal information There is no workaround for this - the system is designed to verify each contributor's identity separately. This helps prevent fraud but yes, it can be more complicated for families where one parent typically handles all the financial matters.

Trust me when I say the gov't is MAKING this extra complcated on purpose!! My wife and I went thru this nightmare last month. The system is DESIGNED to frustrate parents. One parent should be enough but nooooo, they want BOTH of us to jump through hoops! Why??? 🤬

To answer your follow-up questions: 1. Creating an FSA ID usually takes about 10-15 minutes if everything goes smoothly. However, identity verification can sometimes take 1-3 days if there are any issues. 2. Your husband won't need to enter the actual tax information himself. The FAFSA now uses the IRS Data Retrieval Tool which automatically pulls tax information. He'll need to consent to this data transfer when completing his section. 3. Each contributor will need their own personal information including: - Social Security Number - Date of birth - Name exactly as it appears on Social Security card - Personal email address - Phone number

I just went through this with my daughter's application. Here's what you need to know about both parents being contributors: 1. Yes, both parents MUST create separate FSA IDs and complete their sections separately 2. Each parent must use a different email address 3. Your son will need to send separate invitations to both of you 4. Each parent must consent to IRS data retrieval separately The good news is that once your husband creates his FSA ID, his section is fairly straightforward. Most questions are yes/no, and the system imports tax data automatically if you consent.

ya better do it quick cuz the whole application stays incomplete until BOTH parents finish. my dad took 2 weeks to do his part and it delayed everything!!

lol I made the exact same mistake! Thought I could just do it all myself and my husband could skip it. Nope! The application sat there for weeks until I finally forced him to sit down and make his FSA ID. Such a hassle but we got through it.

To answer your question about timing - there isn't a specific deadline for contributors to complete their sections, but as others mentioned, the student's FAFSA isn't considered complete and won't be processed until ALL contributors finish their parts. Since aid at many schools is first-come, first-served, delays can potentially impact your son's aid package. So I'd recommend completing it as soon as possible. Also - make sure your son's SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation isn't delayed by having him regularly check his studentaid.gov account after all contributors have completed their sections.

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped us - when your husband creates his FSA ID, make sure he writes down his username and password somewhere safe! My spouse forgot his login info halfway through the process and had to go through account recovery, which added another 2 days to our timeline. Also, if he runs into any technical issues during the identity verification step, don't waste hours on hold with the regular FAFSA helpline. The third-party services mentioned earlier can really save time getting connected to someone who can actually help resolve account issues quickly.

I went through this exact same situation last year with my twins' FAFSA applications! Yes, both married parents absolutely need their own FSA IDs now - it's one of the most frustrating changes from the old system. What helped us was setting up a "FAFSA session" where I sat with my husband and walked him through creating his FSA ID step by step. It took about 30 minutes total, and once it was set up, his actual contributor section only took him about 15 minutes to complete since most of the tax info gets pulled automatically. Pro tip: have him use a simple, memorable password and write it down immediately - we learned this the hard way when he got locked out trying to remember what he'd chosen!