FAFSA parent signature confusion - how does my daughter access her student part?

Your daughter actually needs to start the FAFSA application first with her own FSA ID, then she'll add you as a contributor. You can't initiate the FAFSA as a parent - that's why you're getting confused about the workflow. She needs to start it, then you'll get an email invitation to complete your section when she reaches that part in the application.

ya this happened to me too last yr! the whole system is backwards. parents cant start it, the student has to, then they add u as a parent. super annoying design imo

The FAFSA workflow is designed to start with the student, not the parent. Here's the correct process: 1. Your daughter creates her own FSA ID first at studentaid.gov 2. She starts the FAFSA application using her FSA ID 3. During the application, she'll reach a section where she identifies you as a parent/contributor 4. You'll receive an email invitation to complete your section 5. You log in with your FSA ID to complete only the parent portion 6. Both you and your daughter will need to sign electronically with your respective FSA IDs Unfortunately, if you started the application under your FSA ID, you'll need to start over with your daughter initiating the process.

You'll receive the email invitation once she reaches the point in the application where parent information is requested. It's not immediate upon starting - she'll need to complete her personal information sections first. The email typically arrives within minutes once she designates you as a contributor.

This happened to meeeee! The whole FAFSA thing is so confusing. I was trying to help my son and did the same exact thing you did. Had to start all over 😩

This is a really common issue with the FAFSA application. The Department of Education actually made some changes to the process for the 2025-2026 application year, but the fundamental workflow remains student-initiated. The confusion stems from the fact that both students AND parents need separate FSA IDs, but only the student can initiate the application. One thing to note - when your daughter adds you as a contributor, make sure she enters your name EXACTLY as it appears on your FSA ID or you'll run into signature issues later.

Try calling the Federal Student Aid hotline and ask them to transfer the application to your daughter's FSA ID! They might be able to help you avoid starting over completely. Though good luck actually getting through to them - I spent 2 hours on hold last week trying to fix an issue with my daughter's SAI calculation.

UPDATE: We got it figured out! My daughter created her FSA ID and started a new application. I did lose all my previously entered information, but now we're on the right track. For anyone else who makes this mistake - you definitely need to have the STUDENT start the application first! Thank you all for your help.

Glad you figured it out! Honestly they should rename the parent section to "contributor section" or something so it's more obvious. My kid was also confused cause he thought I could just do the whole thing for him lol