FAFSA parent account confusion - my own student loan balance affecting my son's application?

just have ur wife do it thats what we did bcuz i still had loans n i thought it might make my kid get less money

Your outstanding student loans won't affect your son's FAFSA eligibility at all. You don't need to create a new FSA ID - if you already have one from your own student loans, you should use that same account. The system recognizes you as a different role (now parent instead of student). Either parent can complete the parent portion of FAFSA, but both parents in a married household need to report their income and assets regardless of which parent actually fills out the form.

Not to contradict the other poster, but our financial aid advisor at my daughter's school told us something different last year! She said if one parent has student loans in default it CAN impact the student's eligibility for certain aid. Is your loan in good standing or have you ever defaulted? That might make a difference.

Let me clarify a few important things about parent accounts for FAFSA 2025-2026: 1. Your existing student loan balance does NOT negatively affect your son's FAFSA as long as you're not in default 2. You should use your existing FSA ID (don't create a new one) - the system will recognize you're now acting as a parent 3. Either parent can complete the parent portion, but BOTH parents' financial information must be included if you're married filing jointly 4. The 2025-2026 FAFSA now uses the SAI (Student Aid Index) instead of EFC, and actually considers parent student loan debt as a reduction in available assets So there's no advantage to having your wife create an account instead of using yours. In fact, using your existing account is simpler since you already have an FSA ID.

I had this EXACT same situation last year with my daughter!!! So frustrating trying to figure it all out. We spent HOURS on hold with Federal Student Aid trying to get a straight answer about whether my old loans would affect her aid package. I finally gave up trying to call them after being disconnected three times after waiting 45+ minutes each time.

Ok but nobody has mentioned that the FAFSA for 2025-2026 is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from previous years! They pushed back the opening date to December because they've completely redesigned the form. It's supposed to be much shorter (like 18 questions) and pulls more info directly from your IRS records. So some of this advice might be outdated.

One more important thing - if both you and your wife plan to help your son complete the FAFSA, you BOTH need FSA IDs. I recommend you use your existing FSA ID, and your wife creates her own. The parent who has the most financial involvement with the student typically completes the parent portion, but again, both parents' financial information is included regardless.

am i the only 1 who thinks its crazy we gotta jump thru all these hoops just 2 help our kids go 2 college?? the whole FSA ID thing is so confusing I messed up like 3 times with my daughters fafsa last yr

I went through this exact situation two years ago with my oldest! Your existing student loan balance won't hurt your son's aid at all - in fact, it might actually help slightly since outstanding student loan debt is considered when calculating your available assets. I used my existing FSA ID without any issues. The system automatically recognizes when you're acting as a parent vs. student based on the application you're completing. Just make sure your loans are in good standing (which it sounds like they are) and you'll be fine. The new FAFSA opening in December should make the whole process smoother too!

Hey there! I just went through this same process with my daughter last year and can share what I learned. Your existing student loan balance absolutely won't hurt your son's FAFSA - as others have mentioned, it's actually factored in as a reduction to your available assets under the new SAI calculation. I used my existing FSA ID without any problems, and the system automatically knew I was completing it as a parent this time around. The key thing is making sure your loans are current (which yours are!). One tip - start gathering your tax documents early since the new FAFSA pulls directly from IRS records now, so having everything ready will make the process much smoother when it opens in December. Good luck with your son's applications!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process as my daughter is just starting high school, but reading through this thread has been incredibly helpful! It's reassuring to see that having existing student loans doesn't hurt your child's aid eligibility. I still have about $12,000 left on my graduate school loans and was worried this might impact her future applications. One question - for those of you who have been through this, is there anything else parents with student loans should know or prepare for when the time comes? I want to start getting organized early since I know how stressful the college application process can be.

As a parent who went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm what others have said - your existing student loan balance won't negatively impact your son's FAFSA at all! I had about $8,000 remaining on my loans when I completed my daughter's FAFSA, and I used my existing FSA ID without any issues. The system automatically recognized that I was now completing the form as a parent rather than as a student. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned much - make sure you have your most recent student loan statement handy when you complete the FAFSA, as you'll need to report the current balance as part of your financial information. But again, this actually works in your favor under the new SAI calculation since it reduces your reportable assets. The process was much smoother than I expected once I stopped overthinking it!

I'm in a similar boat! My oldest is applying to colleges next year and I still have about $4,500 left on my own student loans from grad school. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful - I was definitely overthinking this whole situation. It's reassuring to know that not only will my loan balance not hurt his aid eligibility, but it might actually help a little bit with the SAI calculation. I think I'll go ahead and use my existing FSA ID when the time comes rather than having my husband create a new account. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is such a great resource for navigating all this financial aid confusion!

I'm going through this same situation right now with my daughter who's a senior! I still have about $3,200 left from my undergraduate loans and was so worried it would mess up her financial aid. This thread has been incredibly reassuring - I had no idea that student loan debt actually gets factored in as a reduction to available assets under the new SAI system. I was planning to have my husband handle the parent portion instead, but now I think I'll just use my existing FSA ID since it sounds like that's actually the simpler route. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to hear from parents who have actually been through this process recently!

As someone who just completed this process for my son last fall, I want to echo what others have said - your existing student loan balance absolutely will not hurt your son's FAFSA application! I was in almost the exact same situation with about $5,800 remaining on my graduate school loans. I used my existing FSA ID and the process was completely straightforward. The system automatically recognized that I was completing the form as a parent this time. One thing I found really helpful was having all my loan servicer information and current balance ready beforehand, even though the actual impact on the SAI calculation ended up being minimal but slightly beneficial as others mentioned. Don't overthink it - use your existing FSA ID and focus your energy on helping your son with the rest of his college applications. The new streamlined FAFSA opening in December should make the whole process much less stressful than previous years!

I'm new to this whole process and have been lurking here trying to learn everything I can before my daughter applies next year. This thread has been incredibly educational! I had the same exact worry about my remaining student loan balance (about $7,200 from my master's degree) potentially affecting her aid eligibility. It's such a relief to hear from so many parents who've actually been through this that not only does it not hurt, but it might actually help slightly with the SAI calculation. I was definitely overthinking whether to create a new account or use my existing FSA ID. Based on everyone's experiences here, I'll definitely stick with my current FSA ID when the time comes. Thank you all for sharing such detailed and helpful information - this community is amazing for demystifying the financial aid process!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences! My son is also a high school senior and I have about $4,800 left on my undergraduate loans from 2016. I was having the same exact worries as the original poster about whether this would hurt his aid eligibility. Reading through all these detailed responses has been so reassuring - I had no idea that outstanding student loan debt could actually work in your favor with the SAI calculation! I was seriously considering having my spouse create a new FSA ID instead, but now I understand that using my existing account is actually the simpler route. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these confusing financial aid waters. Looking forward to the December FAFSA opening with much less anxiety now!

Welcome to the community! As another parent just starting to navigate this process, I found this thread incredibly helpful. My daughter is a junior in high school and I still have about $9,500 left on my graduate school loans from 2018. Like many of you, I was worried this might negatively impact her future financial aid eligibility. It's such a relief to learn from everyone's experiences that not only will my existing student loan balance not hurt her FAFSA application, but it could actually provide a small benefit under the new SAI calculation system! I was planning to have my husband handle the parent portion to avoid any potential complications, but now I understand that using my existing FSA ID is actually the more straightforward approach. Thank you to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this community is invaluable for cutting through all the confusion and misinformation surrounding financial aid. I feel so much more prepared and confident about the process now!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! My daughter is a sophomore in high school, and I still have about $8,200 remaining on my own student loans from when I finished my master's degree in 2017. I've been quietly worrying about this for months, wondering if my debt would somehow hurt her chances for financial aid when the time comes. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such an eye-opener - I had absolutely no idea that parent student loan debt could actually be considered favorably in the SAI calculation rather than being a hindrance! This completely changes my perspective on the whole situation. I was already dreading the complexity of the FAFSA process, but hearing from so many parents who've successfully navigated it with existing student loans gives me so much more confidence. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real experiences and practical advice - this community is an incredible resource for parents like me who are trying to understand these complicated financial aid waters ahead of time!