FAFSA parent portal confusion - can't access parent section from daughter's invite link

Yep thats totally normal! The parent contribution part is actually inside the students FAFSA. U dont need a separate account, just need ur own FSA ID to sign it at the end. Look for a section called something like "Parent/Contributor Information" inside her application. Thats where u put all ur tax stuff.

This is a common point of confusion with the redesigned FAFSA for 2025-2026. When your daughter invites you as a contributor, you access her FAFSA application directly. Here's what you need to do: 1. First, create your own FSA ID at studentaid.gov if you don't already have one 2. Then click her invitation link again 3. Sign in with YOUR FSA ID (not hers) 4. You'll then see her application with sections you can complete 5. Focus on completing the Parent/Contributor Information section The system is designed this way to streamline the process, though many parents find it confusing at first.

my sons fafsa was like this too and i got SO confused lol. i kept thinking i was doing something wrong or would mess up his application. but yeah u just go into her application and fill out the parent part. just DONT submit the whole thing when ur done with ur section, there should be a save button instead.

The new FAFSA system is super confusing! When your daughter invites you as a contributor, you're supposed to access her application directly. There should be a section specifically for the parent/contributor to complete once you log in with your own FSA ID. I had similar issues and kept getting stuck in endless verification loops. I finally called the Federal Student Aid helpline after trying for THREE DAYS. Used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to skip the wait times - they have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed that parents work directly in the student's application and helped me find the right sections.

You need to create your own FSA ID first before accessing her FAFSA. The parent contribution sections won't be fully visible until you login with your own credentials. This is how the 2025-2026 FAFSA works with the new SAI formula system. After logging in with your FSA ID, you'll see sections specifically marked for parent/contributor information. You'll need to provide: - Your tax return information (they may use IRS Data Retrieval Tool) - Asset information (not including primary residence) - Household size details Don't worry about "messing up" her application - the system keeps student and parent sections separate within the same form.

i had this EXACT same problem last week!! i swear the new FAFSA is 10x more confusing than the old one! keep getting errors about verification too, SUPER ANNOYING!! 🤬

I went through this with my son's FAFSA last month. Yes, you're in the right place! The parent section is integrated into the student's application - it's part of the new streamlined process for calculating the Student Aid Index (SAI). Before you start entering information though, you MUST create your own FSA ID. This is different from your daughter's login. Once you have your own FSA ID, you'll use that to access her application as a contributor and complete your sections. When you click on her invitation link, it should prompt you to sign in with YOUR FSA ID (not hers). Then you'll see sections designated specifically for parent contribution information. Hope this helps! The new system is definitely not intuitive at first.

Update: I got it working! For anyone else confused, here's what I did: 1. Created my own FSA ID (took about 15 minutes with verification) 2. Clicked my daughter's invitation link again 3. Logged in with MY FSA ID (not hers) 4. Then I could see the parent contribution sections Now working through our tax information. Thanks everyone for the help!