FAFSA parent credentials for second child - reuse or create new account?

You absolutely should use the same parent FSA ID that you created previously. The FSA ID is tied to YOUR information as a parent/contributor, not to your child's. Creating multiple FSA IDs for the same parent actually violates their terms and can potentially flag your applications for verification. Each student needs their own FSA ID, but parents should maintain just one ID that they use for all their children's FAFSAs over the years. The new FAFSA for 2025-2026 has changed a lot of things, but this part remains the same. Your daughter needs her own unique FSA ID, but you'll use your existing parent FSA ID when you contribute to her form.

reuse the same one!! i made the mistake of making new parent ids for each kid (i have 3) and it was a NIGHTMARE. fafsa flagged all the accounts for verification and it took MONTHS to sort out. apparently its a red flag when same parent has multiple ids

Like everyone said, use your existing FSA ID. But I wanted to add that if you forgot the password or can't access it anymore, DON'T create a new one - just use the password recovery option! Each application is processed separately, so your son's previous aid won't affect your daughter's SAI. Also, remember the new FAFSA has completely changed how they calculate the SAI (Student Aid Index, which replaced the old EFC), so expect different results even with similar financial circumstances.

I'm in the exact same boat with my second kid this year! Had the same question. Used my old parent FSA ID from my oldest's application and everything worked fine. Just needed to update my tax info and contribute to my daughter's application. Each student application is completely separate in their system.

OK I'm gonna disagree with what everyone is saying! My tax preparer who specializes in college planning told me parents SHOULD create separate FSA IDs for each child because it helps keep the applications separate in the system and reduces the chance of errors. She said it's especially important if you have multiple kids in college at the same time.

As others have mentioned, definitely use your existing Parent FSA ID. One important thing to note: if you've forgotten your FSA ID password or can't access your account, you might end up spending hours trying to get through to Federal Student Aid by phone. I was in this exact situation last month and discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual FSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Was a lifesaver for getting my account access restored quickly so I could help with my son's FAFSA.

One more important thing that nobody mentioned yet - make sure you update all your financial information in your parent account for 2025-2026 FAFSA! Even though you're using the same parent FSA ID, you'll need to provide current financial information. The system won't just pull over old tax data from your son's application. Also, the contribution calculation for multiple students has changed with the new FAFSA. The old system gave a significant discount for multiple children in college simultaneously, but the new SAI calculation eliminated most of that benefit. So if your military son were still in college (instead of using GI Bill), your daughter would likely receive less aid than under the old system.

btw make sure u have access to the email u used for ur parent fsa id!!! i couldnt get into mine bc i used an old work email that was deleted and the recovery process was BRUTAL

If you don't remember which email you used for your parent FSA ID, you can check by trying to recover your username on the FSA ID website. It will tell you which email is associated with your account (it shows a partially hidden version of the email). That way you'll know if you need to update your email before proceeding with your daughter's application.

Hey Isabella! Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in financial aid - everyone here is absolutely right about using your existing parent FSA ID. I see this confusion a lot with families who have multiple kids going through college at different times. One thing I'd add is to make sure you test your login well before the FAFSA deadline. Sometimes accounts get locked after periods of inactivity, and you don't want to discover access issues at the last minute. Also, when you do log in to contribute to your daughter's FAFSA, the system will walk you through providing updated financial information - it's pretty straightforward, but just be prepared that it might look different from when you did your son's application since they've updated the interface. Good luck with your daughter's application! The new FAFSA has had some bumps, but once you're in the system it should go smoothly.

As a newcomer here, I just want to say thank you all for this incredibly helpful thread! I'm about to go through the FAFSA process for the first time with my oldest child and was wondering about some of these same things. It's so valuable to see real experiences from parents who've been through this before. One quick question - for those of you who've used the same parent FSA ID for multiple children over the years, do you ever run into any issues with the system getting confused about which child's application you're working on? Or is it pretty clear in the interface which student you're contributing information for?

As someone who just went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - definitely use your existing parent FSA ID! I had the same worries about whether my older child's information would somehow interfere with my younger one's application, but the system keeps everything completely separate. One thing that really helped me was logging in a few weeks before we were ready to submit and just clicking around to familiarize myself with the updated interface. The new FAFSA layout is quite different from a few years ago, so it's worth taking a look ahead of time. Also, make sure you have all your current tax documents ready - the IRS Data Retrieval Tool works much better now than it did in previous years, but you'll still want your paperwork handy just in case. Good luck with your daughter's application! The process is definitely smoother once you know what to expect.

Just wanted to add my experience as another parent who went through this recently! I used my same parent FSA ID for three different kids over a span of 6 years, and it worked perfectly every time. The key thing I learned is that the FSA ID is really just your "identity" in their system - it's tied to your Social Security Number and personal information, not to any specific child or application. One small tip that saved me some hassle: when you log back into your parent FSA ID after a long time, the system might ask you to verify some security questions or update your contact information. Don't panic if it seems like extra steps - this is normal after periods of inactivity. Just take your time and make sure everything is current before you start contributing to your daughter's FAFSA. Also, since your son is now using GI Bill benefits, make sure you don't accidentally include any information about him on your daughter's application. The new FAFSA asks about household size and number of college students, so you'll want to be accurate that it's just your daughter now (assuming no other kids in college). This actually might work in your daughter's favor for aid calculations!

As a newcomer to this process, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm preparing to submit my first child's FAFSA next month and was actually wondering about this exact same thing. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so reassuring. One quick question for those who've been through this - when you log back into your parent FSA ID after a couple of years, does the system automatically recognize that you're starting a new application for a different child? Or do you need to somehow "add" your new child to your account first? I want to make sure I understand the flow before I dive in. Also, huge thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences here. It's so much more valuable than trying to decipher the official FAFSA website instructions!

As someone new to this community but unfortunately very familiar with FSA ID issues, I can confirm everything everyone has said about using your existing parent FSA ID! I went through this exact scenario last year with my second child after my oldest graduated. One thing I'd add that might help - if you're having trouble remembering your login details, the FSA website has a really helpful "Find My Username" tool that will show you a masked version of the email associated with your account. This saved me from accidentally creating a duplicate account when I couldn't remember which email I'd used years earlier. Also, @Isabella, to answer your earlier question directly - your son's previous aid information absolutely will not affect your daughter's SAI calculation. Each FAFSA is processed completely independently, even though you're using the same parent FSA ID to contribute to both over the years. The system is designed this way specifically so families can use one parent login for all their children without any cross-contamination of financial aid data. Hope this helps ease your concerns! The process is actually much more straightforward than it seems at first.