FAFSA data transfer for siblings missed - how to apply for second child?

Don't worry! You haven't lost anything. You can still transfer your information. Log back into studentaid.gov with your FSA ID (not your daughter's). Click on "Apply for Aid" and then "Start" or "Continue" the FAFSA form for 2025-2026. Begin your son's application, and when you get to the section asking about parent information, there should be an option that says something like "Transfer parent information from another FAFSA." You'll need your FSA ID again, and it'll pull all the information you already entered for your daughter's application.

this happened to me last yr with my twins lol. u have to make sure ur using YOUR fsa id not ur kids when u transfer the info. also write down all the passwords somewhere bc i kept getting locked out

You absolutely can transfer the information! I'm a financial aid counselor, and I see this issue frequently. The transfer function isn't just available on the confirmation page - it's available anytime you start a new FAFSA for another dependent student. When you start your son's FAFSA (using YOUR FSA ID as the parent/preparer), you'll proceed through the student information sections. When you reach the Parent Information section, look for the option that says "Transfer Your Parents' Information from Your FAFSA Form" or similar wording. The system will ask for your FSA ID and password again to verify your identity before transferring the data. This will copy over all the parent demographic and financial information you already entered for your daughter's FAFSA. One important note: if your children are applying to any schools that require the CSS Profile (mostly private colleges), you'll need to complete that separately, but there's a similar sibling transfer function there as well.

I literally just went through this last week! Started my daughter's application, finished it, then realized I forgot to transfer for my son. I had to call FSA because I was also getting some weird error when I tried to start my son's application - it kept saying there was already an application in progress even though I never started one for him. I spent TWO HOURS on hold before getting disconnected. Twice. So frustrating! Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. Saved me from wasting an entire afternoon on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Anyway, the agent confirmed what others are saying here - you can transfer the info when you start your son's application. But in my case, I needed them to clear some glitch in the system first.

Is anyone else having issues with the SAI calculations this year? When I did my first kid's FAFSA, our SAI came back WAY higher than I expected based on the old EFC formula. I'm worried about doing my second child's application now because if they're both showing these inflated SAI numbers, we might not qualify for the financial aid we were counting on. The whole new formula seems really unfair to middle-class families with multiple kids in college.

Update: I was able to transfer the parent information successfully! For anyone else in this situation, here's what worked: I logged in with MY FSA ID (not my son's), started a new FAFSA for 2025-2026, entered all his student information, and then when I got to the parent section, there was an option that said "Transfer Parents' Information from another FAFSA form." I clicked that, verified my identity again, and it pulled all our tax info, assets, etc. from my daughter's application. Saved me at least an hour of work! Thanks everyone for your help!