One parent only needs to sign FAFSA for married filing jointly - confirmed by FSA agent
After hours of confusion and conflicting information online, I finally got clarity about parent signatures for the 2025-2026 FAFSA! My parents are divorced but my mom remarried, and they file taxes jointly with my stepdad. I was stuck trying to figure out if BOTH of them needed to create FSA IDs and sign my application. Finally reached an agent yesterday around 10:30 PM (try late nights if you're struggling to get through!) who explained that for parents who file MARRIED FILING JOINTLY, only ONE parent needs to actually sign the FAFSA, even though both parents' information is included on the application. This saves us so much hassle since my stepdad travels internationally for work and has limited internet access. The agent also mentioned that nothing is being processed until mid-March anyway, so if there are signature issues, there will be time to fix them after processing begins. Hope this helps others dealing with blended family FAFSA complications!
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Carmen Lopez
thank u for sharing!!! i've been stressing bcuz my mom's husband (not my bio dad) refuses to make an FSA ID or get involved w/ my college stuff at ALL even tho they file jointly. this is literally a lifesaver if true
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Yuki Ito
•You're welcome! Yes, the agent was very clear that only one parent needs to sign when they file jointly. Just make sure your mom is the one who creates the FSA ID and signs since she's willing to help with your college stuff.
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Andre Dupont
Wait... are you SURE about this?? The FAFSA website specifically says "If your parents are married to each other, both must sign your FAFSA form." I just spent 3 weeks harassing my dad to create his FSA ID because the financial aid office at my college told me BOTH parents needed to sign if they're married. Now I'm confused!!!!
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QuantumQuasar
•The rules actually depend on how they file taxes. If they file MARRIED FILING JOINTLY, only one parent technically needs to sign. But if they file MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY, then yes, both parents would need to create FSA IDs and sign. A lot of financial aid offices give blanket advice without addressing the specific tax filing status nuances.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
This is correct information, but I want to clarify something important: While only one parent needs to SIGN when they file jointly, you still need to REPORT both parents' information on the FAFSA form itself. The form requires income and tax information for both spouses who file jointly, even though only one parent needs to actually sign with their FSA ID. I work in a university financial aid office and this confusion happens every year with the FAFSA.
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Carmen Lopez
•so i still need my stepdad's income info even tho he doesnt need 2 sign? is there a way to get that without him being involved? he literally wont help me with ANYTHING ðŸ˜
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Yes, you'll still need his income information since it's part of the joint tax return. The easiest way is to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool within the FAFSA which can automatically pull the information from their joint tax return. Your mother can initiate this process with her FSA ID since she's the one who will be signing. The system will import the full joint return data without your stepdad needing to be directly involved.
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Jamal Wilson
I don't think this is right. My daughter's application got rejected last year because her stepmom didn't sign even though they file jointly. Had to resubmit the whole thing which took FOREVER. Maybe the rules changed for this new FAFSA?
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Mei Lin
•The rules DID change with the new FAFSA (2024-2025 and beyond). The entire application process was overhauled, including some of the parent signature requirements. What happened last year would have been under the old system. And it's not just the signature requirements that changed - the entire way they calculate financial need is different too. They now use the Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC) method.
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QuantumQuasar
Everyone's experience is different based on your specific family situation. Here's the breakdown of who needs to sign based on parent marital status: - Parents married, filing jointly: Only ONE parent needs to sign - Parents married, filing separately: BOTH parents must sign - Parents divorced/separated: Only the parent you lived with most (or who provides more financial support) signs - Parent remarried: Your parent AND stepparent both sign if your parent files taxes with the stepparent The confusion happens because many families have complicated situations that don't fit neatly into these categories. Always best to verify with FSA directly for your specific case.
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Liam Fitzgerald
•This is super helpful! But what about if parents are divorced, and student splits time 50/50 between households? Who signs then?
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Liam Fitzgerald
I tried calling FSA 17 TIMES yesterday to verify this exact question and couldn't get through to a human being once!!! How did you actually reach someone?! Their phone system is the absolute worst.
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Amara Nnamani
•I was in the same situation last week trying to resolve an verification issue. After getting disconnected multiple times, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It was the only way I actually got through to a real person. My wait time went from 3+ hours of being on hold to about 40 minutes while I could do other things.
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Yuki Ito
•I called super late - around 10:30 PM eastern time. The wait was only about 15 minutes, which was shocking after trying all day with no success. I think most people give up by then so the lines are clearer. They're open until midnight eastern time.
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Mei Lin
I can confirm this is accurate information. The confusion stems from how the FAFSA form is designed versus the actual legal requirements. While the form collects information for both parents in a married-filing-jointly situation, the Department of Education only requires one parent's signature to process the application successfully. The key thing that trips people up is the difference between providing information and providing authorization (signature). Both parents' financial data must be provided, but only one parent needs to authorize that information with their FSA ID signature when they file jointly. This is especially important given all the FAFSA delays this year - focusing on getting one parent's signature right rather than coordinating two can save valuable time.
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Carmen Lopez
does anyone know if theres a way to check if ur fafsa was actually submitted right?? i thought mine went thru but my SAI never came and now im worried
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•You can check your FAFSA status by logging into studentaid.gov with your FSA ID and looking at your dashboard. It should show whether your application was successfully submitted or if there are any issues requiring attention. Keep in mind that processing times have been significantly delayed this year - many students who submitted correctly still haven't received their SAI calculations because of system backlogs.
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