FAFSA filing question - does it matter which spouse submits when married filing jointly and only one works?

Since you're the student, YOU should be the one submitting the FAFSA. It doesn't matter that you're not working - when you're married filing jointly, the FAFSA will require both your and your husband's income information regardless of who completes it. You'll sign in with your own FSA ID, but you'll need to report all household income, which includes your husband's earnings. Just make sure you have access to your joint tax return information when filling it out.

Ya it deff matters whos name is on the application when its submited!!! I made mistake of having my wife submit it when she was the student even tho I made all the $$$ and we got way less aid than expected. Had to redo whole thing in my name.

When my husband went back to school last year, we were in the same boat (I work, he doesn't). He filled out the FAFSA himself since he was the student, but we had to enter all my income info since we file jointly. The system doesn't care who submits it, it just needs the right numbers from your tax return.

To clarify this correctly: The student (you) should complete the FAFSA using YOUR FSA ID. Since you're married, you'll report both your income and your husband's income from your joint tax return. The SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation will be identical regardless of which spouse completes the form, as long as all the same information is entered correctly. Just make sure you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to automatically import your tax information - this reduces errors and potential verification issues later.

I spent HOURS trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to ask this exact question last month!! Called like 20 times and kept getting disconnected. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person who confirmed what others are saying - the student submits the FAFSA regardless of income situation. Check out their demo video if you're having trouble reaching anyone: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me so much frustration when I had questions about the new FAFSA system.

Ugh the new FAFSA system is SO CONFUSING for married couples!! I hate how they made all these changes without clear instructions. My daughter and son-in-law had this same issue and ended up submitting it THREE DIFFERENT WAYS before finally getting it right. The whole system is designed to make us fail I swear.

One more tip - make sure both you AND your husband have FSA IDs set up, even though you'll be the one submitting. You'll need his FSA ID too because he'll need to electronically sign as your spouse. That part tripped us up!

Just to provide complete information: As others have said, you (the student) should submit the FAFSA. Your SAI calculation will include both your incomes since you file jointly. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the FAFSA will use your 2023 tax information. Make sure you understand that as a married student, your eligibility for certain aid might differ from dependent students. For example, you won't be eligible for Parent PLUS loans, but you may qualify for higher Direct Unsubsidized loan limits. Also remember that while federal methodology considers both spouses' incomes equally, some institutional aid that uses the CSS Profile might treat the income differently.

As someone who just went through this process last semester, I can confirm what others are saying - you absolutely should be the one submitting the FAFSA since you're the student. I was in a similar situation (spouse working, me returning to school) and was initially confused too. The key thing to remember is that the FAFSA doesn't care about who earns the money, it cares about who's going to school. You'll report all household income from your joint tax return, and the system will calculate your aid eligibility based on that combined income. One small tip: have your Social Security cards handy for both you and your husband when you fill it out - you'll need both SSNs even though you're the one submitting. Good luck with going back to school!

I'm in almost the exact same situation! I'm a stay-at-home parent planning to start nursing school in the fall, and my spouse is the sole income earner. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I was also confused about who should submit since I don't have any income to report. It sounds like the consensus is clear that as the student, I should be the one filling it out and just include our joint tax information. I'm definitely going to make sure we both get FSA IDs set up ahead of time based on the advice here. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it makes this whole process feel much less overwhelming!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm also a married student going back to school (my husband works full-time, I'll be starting part-time classes). I was initially worried about this same question, but everyone's responses have made it crystal clear that the student submits regardless of income situation. One thing I wanted to add for anyone else reading this - if you're like me and haven't dealt with financial aid in years, the FSA website has a really good step-by-step guide that walks you through the whole process. It helped me understand exactly what documents I'd need before starting. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so reassuring to know we're not alone in navigating this!