Help! Ex-husband can't access FAFSA account for our daughter - password changed mysteriously

this sounds like a classic FSA ID mixup. your ex prob already has an fsa id he forgot about. the system is weird about reusing SSNs and emails. he should try the 'forgot username' option first instead of making a new account. might jog his memory if he sees his old username.

I've seen this issue quite a few times. When you filed for your nursing education in 2021, there's a possibility your ex-husband's information was still linked to your old joint FAFSA from 2012/2013 in the system's backend. The FSA database sometimes maintains these connections even after divorce. Here's what he needs to do: 1. Go to studentaid.gov and select "Create Account" 2. Create a brand new FSA ID using a completely different email than either of you have ever used with FAFSA 3. During the verification process, he might get an alert about his SSN already being associated with another account - there will be an option to verify his identity and recover/reset that account 4. If that doesn't work, he'll need to call the FSA ID helpline directly at 1-800-433-3243 This is definitely fixable, though frustrating. Focus on getting him a working FSA ID first, then worry about connecting to your daughter's application.

just went thru this EXACT thing with my son (im also divorced). turns out my ex had a random FSA ID from like 10 yrs ago for some online class HE took!! he had no memory of it. complete nightmare. took us 3 weeks to sort out!!!! 🤯

This is probably an identity verification issue. The 2022 password change is suspicious - either someone accessed the account or there was a system-wide reset. Either way, for dependent students, each contributing parent needs their own FSA ID that's properly linked to their personal information. A few important points: 1. For 2025-2026 FAFSA, both parents in a divorce scenario may need to provide information depending on who the student lived with most during the last 12 months 2. Each parent must have their own unique FSA ID tied to their own unique email 3. The parent who provides information must match the information that will be verified against IRS records Call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. They can help with both account recovery and explaining exactly which parent(s) need to complete which sections based on your specific divorce situation.

I had a similar issue! If he's getting a specific error message about the password being changed in 2022, that actually means the account exists but something about his verification info isn't matching. My ex had this happen because his address had changed since the original account was created. Try having him use his old address from when you were married during the recovery process.

Sounds like typical government incompetence to me! The whole FAFSA system is a disaster this year with all these changes. My nephew couldn't access his account for SIX WEEKS because of some glitch with his parents' information. By the time they fixed it, he missed priority deadlines at two schools and lost out on thousands in aid. The FSA phone support is completely useless - they'll just transfer you around in circles until you give up. HATE to say this, but you might need to just start over with completely new accounts for everyone. It's ridiculous we have to jump through these hoops just to apply for aid our tax dollars already paid for!!!!

I work at a college financial aid office, and we see this situation frequently. When the 2025-2026 FAFSA rolled out, many accounts had verification issues, especially for divorced parents who had previously been on joint applications. Here's what you should do: 1. Your ex-husband should NOT create a new FSA ID yet - this often compounds the problem 2. Instead, he should call the FSA ID Recovery line directly: 1-800-557-7394 3. Mention specifically that this is a "divorced parent access issue with potential cross-linked accounts" 4. Have him prepare to verify his identity with: - Full legal name - Date of birth - SSN - All previous addresses since original FAFSA filing - All email addresses potentially associated with any applications - Your daughter's name and DOB (not SSN) This specific issue is a known problem they can resolve, but it typically requires a tier 2 specialist. If the first representative can't help, politely ask to be escalated to a tier 2 FAFSA specialist.

After spending 3 hours trying to reach someone at FSA this month for a similar issue, I finally tried Claimyr.com to get through. They have a system that waits on hold for you and calls you back when an actual human picks up. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Totally worth it for avoiding the FSA hold music torture!

One more important point - when your ex-husband does get his FSA ID working, make sure he logs in and completes the IRS Data Retrieval Tool authorization ASAP. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, this is required for both student and contributing parents before the application can be fully processed. Many families are experiencing delays because they submitted the FAFSA but didn't complete the IRS authorization step, which causes the SAI calculation to be delayed.

update? did u get it figured out? my bro is about to go thru same thing with his kid and ex-wife