Parent vs Student FAFSA Account - Do I use my old account for my son's application?

You'll need to use two separate accounts. Your son creates his own account on studentaid.gov with his own email and personal info. Then you'll use your existing account (or create a new one if you forgot your login) to contribute the parent information. Your son's account is considered the "student" and yours is the "contributor" in FAFSA terminology. He'll need to send you an invitation through the system to contribute your information to his application.

when i did my daughters fafsa i tried using my old one from college and it totally messed everthing up!! had to call them 4 times to fix it

Been through this NIGHTMARE twice with my kids. Listen carefully: Your son creates HIS account first with HIS email and social security number. Then YOU use YOUR account (your old one should work) when he sends you the contribution invitation. DO NOT MIX THESE UP!! The new system makes this clearer but you'd be SHOCKED how many parents log in with their own accounts and try to complete the entire application - that's WRONG and causes huge problems with the SAI calculation!!! I spent 3 months fixing this mistake with my first kid, don't repeat my error.

When does your son start school? The 2025-2026 FAFSA application should be available October 1, 2024 if he's starting next fall. My daughter just went thru this process. Each person needs their own account.

i got so frustrated trying to call FAFSA when i had this same exact problem! i found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person at FSA in under 5 minutes instead of the usual hour+ wait. they have a video that shows how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. totally worth it when i was having issues getting my parent account connected correctly to my son's application.

To answer your follow-up question: Yes, you can create accounts now, but the actual 2025-2026 FAFSA form won't be available until October 1, 2024. However, creating FSA IDs (the login credentials) in advance is actually recommended so there are no delays when the form opens. Just make sure your son uses his own email and you use yours when establishing the accounts.

Just went thru this with my daughter! Good advice already but dont forget both of u need to create ur FSA ID password recovery questions!!! We skipped that part and got locked out and it was a disaster to fix!!

One more important thing: The 2025-2026 FAFSA uses a newer system called the Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of the old EFC. Make sure both you and your son verify your information carefully as this new calculation is more sensitive to certain types of income and assets. When your son sends you the contributor invitation, you'll have 14 days to complete your section before it expires, requiring him to resend it.

Another tip: GET THE MOBILE APP!! Both of you! It makes connecting accounts so much easier. I tried doing everything through the website last year and it was a disaster. The app walks you through everything step by step. Trust me on this.

As someone just starting this process with my daughter, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea about the separate account requirement and was about to make the same mistake of trying to use my old account for everything. Quick question - when you mention the mobile app, is that the "Federal Student Aid" app or something else? I want to make sure I download the right one. Also, @Liam Fitzgerald, thanks for explaining the SAI changes - I hadn't heard about those updates and it sounds like they could actually benefit some families compared to the old EFC system.