FAFSA parent login confusion - Do I need separate account to sign my daughter's application?

Yes!!! Parents need their own FSA ID to sign. My son and I ran into this exact problem last month. You can't sign from your child's account - you each need separate logins. It's not explained well at all in the instructions.

The previous commenter is correct. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, both the student and contributing parent need separate FSA IDs with their own email addresses and login credentials. The parent cannot sign the FAFSA while logged into the student's account. Here's what you need to do: 1. Create your own FSA ID at studentaid.gov/fsa-id 2. Use your own email (not shared with your daughter) 3. Once your FSA ID is created, your daughter should log back into her account 4. The application will have saved her progress 5. She can then invite you as a contributor by entering your email 6. You'll get a notification to complete your section and sign You don't need to start over - the system saves the information already entered.

This tripped me up too lol. The new FAFSA is supposed to be "simpler" but they didn't make the login part clear AT ALL. It took me and my kid like 3 weeks to figure out why we couldn't submit!!

Actually, this is one of the most common issues with the new FAFSA. In the 2025-2026 application, the process works like this: 1. Student creates their FSA ID and starts application 2. Student adds parent as a "contributor" 3. Parent creates separate FSA ID (must be linked to different email) 4. Parent completes their section 5. Both student and parent sign with their respective FSA IDs The parent FSA ID requires identity verification, which can take 1-3 days if there are any issues with the automated verification. I recommend setting up your FSA ID immediately rather than waiting.

If you're having trouble reaching anyone at FSA to help with your specific login issues, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an actual agent at Federal Student Aid when I had a similar contributor access problem. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ I was on hold for hours trying to sort out my FSA ID verification issue until I used their service. The agent was able to manually verify my identity and fix my account status so I could sign my son's FAFSA that same day.

You absolutely MUST have your own FSA ID as a parent. The system is designed so that your electronic signature (through your FSA ID) has the same legal weight as a physical signature. That's why they won't let you sign through your daughter's account - it would be like trying to sign someone else's name on a legal document. The most efficient process is: 1. Create your FSA ID now 2. Your daughter sends you a contributor invitation from her account 3. You'll receive an email with instructions to access your portion 4. Complete your sections and sign 5. Your daughter signs last The system will automatically combine everything into one application.

dont feel bad my daughter and me had to restart the fafsa THREE TIMES because we didnt understand this parent id thing. its not just u!

Good news - while creating your FSA ID might take a few minutes, the verification is often instant for most parents. The 1-3 day delay only happens if there's a mismatch between your information and what's in the Social Security Administration records. As long as you enter everything correctly (especially your SSN, name as it appears on your Social Security card, and birth date), you should be able to get verified quickly and sign the FAFSA. One more tip: Make sure to write down your FSA ID username and password somewhere secure. You'll need it again next year and for any corrections.

just wait til u get to the SAI calculation part...thats a whole other headache lol

Update: I created my FSA ID last night and got verified immediately! My daughter sent me the contributor invitation this morning, and I was able to complete my section and sign with my FSA ID. She just signed her part too, and we got confirmation that the FAFSA was successfully submitted! Thank you all for your help - we would have been stuck for much longer without your advice.

Congratulations on getting it submitted! This is such a relief to read because I'm helping my nephew with his FAFSA and we've been dreading this exact issue. Your post and all the responses here have been incredibly helpful - now I know to create my own FSA ID right away instead of trying to figure it out when we get stuck at the signature step. It's amazing how something so important has such confusing instructions. Thanks for sharing your experience and the successful resolution!

This thread is a lifesaver! I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now with my son's FAFSA. We've been trying to submit for two days and couldn't figure out why the system kept asking for a parent signature when we were already logged in. I had no idea I needed my own separate FSA ID - the FAFSA website really doesn't make this clear at all. I'm creating my account tonight so we can finally get this submitted before his school's priority deadline. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

This exact same thing happened to me and my daughter last year! We spent hours trying to figure out why we couldn't submit, and it was so frustrating because nowhere in the initial setup does it clearly explain that parents need their own FSA ID. We kept thinking there was a technical glitch or that we had missed a step somewhere. One thing I'll add that helped us - when you create your FSA ID as a parent, make sure you're using your legal name exactly as it appears on your tax returns and Social Security records. I initially used a nickname and had to go back and fix it, which added another day to the process. Also, keep your FSA ID login info somewhere really secure because you'll need it every year your child is in college, not just this once. The good news is that once you get through this initial confusion, the actual parent contributor section is pretty straightforward. Most of the heavy lifting is already done in your daughter's portion of the application. You've got this!