FAFSA parent and student FSA ID setup order - does it matter who creates account first?

The order doesn't technically matter for FAFSA, but I recommend having the student create their FSA ID first. This is because the student is considered the owner of the FAFSA application, even though parents provide information. When my son applied last year, he created his FSA ID first, then I created mine as a parent contributor. Made the whole process smoother since he started the application and then just added me as a contributor later.

IT ABSOLUTELY MATTERS!!!! When I tried to do mine first (as the parent), the system got confused and somehow linked my email to my daughter's account. We spent WEEKS trying to fix it and missed priority deadlines. Have your student do theirs first, then wait at least 24 hours before you create yours. The FSA ID system is super glitchy this year with the new FAFSA format.

I just went through this with my twins. Here's what worked best: 1. Have student create FSA ID first 2. Wait 1-2 days for it to fully process in the system 3. Then create your parent FSA ID 4. Make sure you use DIFFERENT email addresses (this is crucial!) 5. Write down all usernames and passwords somewhere secure The new FAFSA is actually more streamlined, but the FSA ID setup can still be tricky. Once both IDs are created, the student will start the application and then can add you as a contributor.

Technically, order doesn't matter in the system. But as a college financial aid officer, I recommend students create their FSA ID first since they own the application. The biggest issues we see are: - Parents using the same email for both accounts (don't do this!) - Not waiting for the SSN verification to complete (can take 1-3 days) - Forgetting to save recovery information Also, make sure your student lists you as a contributor on the FAFSA form itself - this is separate from just having an FSA ID.

Anyone else notice that the FSA ID verification emails are going to spam folders? Make sure to check there if you don't see them! happened to my daughter and we lost 3 days waiting lol

I tried calling Federal Student Aid when we had issues with our FSA IDs (got stuck in an error loop), but spent literally 2 hours on hold before getting disconnected. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent fixed our FSA ID issue right away and explained that sometimes the system has trouble if you try setting up both parent and student accounts from the same IP address/network at the same time. Better to space them out by a day or two.

Does anyone know if step parents need to create FSA IDs too? Or just biological parents? My situation is complicated...

my brother just did his fafsa and he created his account first, then my mom did hers after. everything worked fine but they used diff emails and waited like a day in between

One other tip - when creating your FSA ID, use a personal email (not work or school email) that you'll have access to for the next 4+ years. You'll need this FSA ID for all future FAFSAs, loan exit counseling, etc. I made the mistake of using my work email initially and had to go through a whole process to change it when I switched jobs.

ALSO!!! Make sure your name matches EXACTLY what's on your social security card when creating the FSA ID! My husband used "Bob" instead of "Robert" and it created a verification nightmare. Same with hyphens, suffixes, etc.

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child last month, I can confirm that student first is definitely the way to go! We had her create her FSA ID on a Tuesday, waited until Thursday to create mine, and everything went smoothly. The key things that helped us were: 1) Different email addresses (she used her personal gmail, I used mine), 2) Making sure our names matched our Social Security cards exactly, and 3) Having all our tax documents ready before starting the actual FAFSA. The whole process took about 45 minutes once we both had our FSA IDs set up and verified. Good luck with your daughter's applications!

Just wanted to add my experience from this year - we followed the advice here and had my daughter create her FSA ID first, then I waited 2 days before creating mine. Everything went perfectly! The verification emails did go to spam initially (thanks for that heads up!), but once we found them and verified, the whole FAFSA process was surprisingly smooth. One thing I'd emphasize is really double-checking that all your personal info matches your tax documents and Social Security records exactly - even small discrepancies can cause delays. Also, don't stress too much about the order - it sounds like as long as you use different emails and space them out a bit, either way works fine. The new FAFSA interface is actually pretty user-friendly once you get started!

As a newcomer to this process, I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the detailed advice! My son will be applying for college next year and I had no idea where to start with FAFSA. The consensus seems clear: student creates FSA ID first, wait a day or two, then parent creates theirs with a different email. I'm taking notes on all the tips - different emails, matching names exactly to Social Security cards, checking spam folders, and having tax documents ready. This community is so helpful for navigating these confusing processes!

Just want to echo what everyone else has said - student first is definitely the way to go! I went through this with my daughter last year and we made the mistake of trying to set up both accounts on the same day from the same computer. The system got confused and we ended up with verification issues that took almost a week to resolve. Second time around (learned our lesson!), we had her create her FSA ID on Monday, I waited until Wednesday to create mine, and everything worked perfectly. The waiting period really does seem to matter for the system to properly process everything. Also, pro tip: screenshot or write down the confirmation numbers you get during the FSA ID creation process - the support agents asked for these when we had to call about our initial issues. Good luck with your daughter's applications!