FAFSA now requiring BOTH parents to create FSA IDs? What changed?

Yes, it's a major change with the new FAFSA. If your daughter has two legal parents (even divorced), both are now considered "contributors" regardless of who claims her on taxes. Each contributor needs their own FSA ID to provide consent and information. It's part of the FAFSA Simplification Act and started with the 2024-2025 form. For 2025-2026, they're fully enforcing it.

This is definitely a change from previous years. For divorced/separated parents, the FAFSA now requires information from both legal parents in many cases, even if only one supports the student financially. Each contributor needs their own FSA ID to authenticate and sign the application. The only exceptions are if you have documented cases of abandonment, incarceration, abuse, or if you genuinely cannot locate the other parent. A court-ordered termination of parental rights would also exempt them.

yep happened 2 me too!! my parents r divorced and dad hasnt been around in YEARS but fafsa still wanted his info. ended up getting a dependency override from the financial aid office at my school bc he refused 2 cooperate. maybe look into that option??

The FAFSA IS INTENTIONALLY MAKING THIS DIFFICULT!! They want both parents now even though the tax codes don't work that way! It's RIDICULOUS! I've been fighting with my ex for THREE MONTHS to get him to create his FSA ID and he keeps "forgetting." Meanwhile my son might miss priority deadlines for aid all because of this stupid new rule. I'm beyond frustrated!!

I actually just dealt with this exact situation. You have two options: 1) Try to get your ex to cooperate (good luck), or 2) Request a special circumstance review directly from the college financial aid offices. For option 1, I was getting nowhere with my ex until I called Federal Student Aid directly to ask for advice. I was on hold FOREVER until I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The FSA agent confirmed that the requirement is legit but gave me some documentation I could use for option 2 if my ex continued to refuse.

Just to give you the official answer - yes, this is a change with the new FAFSA. Both parents who are contributors (biological or adoptive parents) must create FSA IDs and provide information unless there's a documented exception. This applies even if they're divorced and even if one doesn't claim the student on taxes. If your ex truly won't cooperate, you should document all attempts to involve them. Save emails, texts, etc. showing you tried to get them to participate. Then request a professional judgment review from each college financial aid office where your daughter is applying. They have discretion to make exceptions in these situations.

@OP In my case, I ended up having to go with option 2. My ex still refused even after I explained how it would hurt our son's financial aid opportunities. The professional judgment review process is different at each school - some have formal forms while others just want a letter explaining the situation. I recommend contacting each school's financial aid office directly to ask about their specific process for handling non-cooperative parent situations. The documentation really helped my case.

Just a quick note - this particular requirement isn't something individual schools can waive. It's built into the federal FAFSA system itself. What schools CAN do is adjust the final aid package through professional judgment after the FAFSA is processed. But for the actual FAFSA submission, both parents need FSA IDs unless you qualify for a documented exception. The best immediate solution is to keep trying to get your ex to create an FSA ID and contribute their information. Even if they contribute $0, they still need to be included in the application.

One more thing to consider - if you truly cannot get the other parent to cooperate, some schools will allow your daughter to only list information from your household on the FAFSA, but they'll then require the CSS Profile (a different financial aid form) which will collect more detailed information. Not all schools accept this approach though. The CSS Profile costs money to submit to each school, but they do offer fee waivers for eligible students. It's more detailed than the FAFSA but might be an option if you absolutely cannot get your ex to participate.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My ex hasn't been involved in our son's life for over 3 years but FAFSA still wants his information. What I learned from calling the financial aid office at my son's college is that you can submit a "special circumstances" form explaining the situation. They told me to gather any documentation I have showing lack of support - like child support records, court documents, even screenshots of unanswered messages trying to contact him. Each school handles these cases individually, so definitely reach out to the financial aid offices directly. It's frustrating but there are options if your ex won't cooperate!