FAFSA for twins - do both parents need to complete contributor section for jointly filed taxes?

Only ONE parent needs to complete the contributor section when you file jointly. The system automatically sends emails to both parents, but that doesn't mean both need to complete it. Just have whoever has the most complete information about your finances do it. And yes, you'll need to do the same for your other twin when they apply - each FAFSA is separate, but the good news is that having twins with the same financial situation should result in similar SAI calculations.

when my twins applied we both got emails 2 but only my wife did the contributor part bc she does our taxes. worked fine both kids got their sai scores after like 10 days

BE CAREFUL!!! We did this for our twins last year and messed up BADLY. We only had one parent fill out both FAFSAs, but we accidentally used slightly different income numbers on each application. The FINANCIAL AID OFFICE FLAGGED BOTH for verification and delayed everything by MONTHS!! Make sure whoever does the contributor section uses EXACTLY the same numbers for both twins!!!

I went through this last year with my twins. Only one parent needs to complete the contributor section. But make sure you list both twins as family members in college on each FAFSA - this affects your SAI calculation significantly!

Have you tried calling Federal Student Aid to confirm? I spent hours yesterday trying to get through to ask a similar question about contributor sections. After multiple disconnects, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an FSA agent in under 15 minutes. They have a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed that for married filing jointly, only one parent needs to complete the contributor section.

As a financial aid counselor, I can confirm that for married filing jointly, only one parent needs to complete the contributor section. However, make sure that parent knows ALL the financial information, including any retirement accounts, investments, or other assets that might be primarily in the other spouse's name. The FAFSA requires comprehensive financial information from both parents when you're married, even if only one completes the form. Also, important point about twins: each student needs their own separate FAFSA, but you'll only need to complete the parent contribution information once per parent. And yes, make sure you indicate that you'll have two students in college simultaneously as that significantly impacts your Student Aid Index (SAI).

OMG I have twins too and FAFSA is the WORST for multiple kids! SO much duplicated effort. Why can't they just let us fill out ONE form for the family and then apply it to both kids???? I spent literally HOURS doing basically the same form twice. Such a waste of time!!!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I feel much more confident now. My husband will complete the contributor section for our daughter's application, and we'll make sure to list both twins as college students. We'll be careful to use the exact same financial information when we do our son's FAFSA next week. I appreciate all the advice from fellow parents who've been through this before!