Who needs to create FAFSA account first - parent or student applicant?

The student applying for aid should create their FSA ID and start the FAFSA application first. Your high school senior would create his account and begin the application, then list you as a contributor. You'll then get an email invitation to complete your portion. Your older student's existing FSA ID is only relevant for their own FAFSA, not for your younger child's application. Each student files their own separate FAFSA, even within the same family. Your older student will need to complete a renewal FAFSA for themselves, completely separate from your younger student's application.

when i did mine last yr it was SOOO confusing!!!! the student has to go first then parent. but now with the new FAFSA for 2025 i think they changed things?? my cousins had to redo everything cuz they did it backwards lol

The correct order for the 2025-2026 FAFSA is: 1. Your high school senior creates an FSA ID (if they don't already have one) 2. Your high school senior starts the FAFSA application as the student applicant 3. During the application, your senior will add you as a contributor by entering your email address 4. You'll receive an email invitation to create your FSA ID (if you don't have one) and complete your portion 5. You complete your section with your financial information Your older student's existing FAFSA/FSA ID has nothing to do with your younger student's application. Each student completes their own separate FAFSA. Important: Make sure each person (you and each student) uses their own unique email address and creates their own FSA ID. Don't share FSA IDs between family members as this causes major verification issues later.

If you already have an FSA ID from your older child's application, you'll use that same FSA ID for your younger child's FAFSA. The FSA ID is connected to YOUR identity as a parent, not to any specific student's application. So when your younger child adds you as a contributor, you'll use your existing FSA ID credentials to log in and complete your portion. No need to create a new one.

The whole system is DESIGNED to be confusing!!! I got locked out THREE TIMES trying to do my kids' FAFSA last year because their stupid system kept giving errors when I tried to link our tax info. Then you call the help number and sit on hold for 3 HOURS only to get disconnected! They want people to give up so they don't have to give out as much aid!!!!

I had the same issue last month trying to set up FAFSA for my twins. After getting disconnected six times trying to reach FSA, I found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FAFSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed that for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, the student needs to create their FSA ID first, then start the application and add parents as contributors. She also helped me fix an issue where my email was somehow linked to my daughter's account. The website is claimyr.com if you need to talk to someone at FSA directly.

with the new FAFSA my daughter had to start it then add me and it was a mess bc we got confused about which email went where and she put MY email as hers by accident and we had to call and fix everything ugh

Just to clarify an important detail: For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, each person involved needs their own unique email address: - Your high school senior needs their own email for their FSA ID - You need your own email for your FSA ID - Your college sophomore needs their own email for their FSA ID If you used your email for your older student's application previously, you'll want to update that. The new FAFSA system is much stricter about unique emails to prevent identity confusion and verification issues. Also, remember that the Student Aid Index (SAI) has replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), so the calculations will look different than in previous years if you're comparing numbers.

my financial aid office said make sure u do the 2025-2026 FAFSA and not accidentally do the 2024-2025 one again cause both r available right now!!!

To summarize the process for your family: 1. Your high school senior creates FSA ID and starts 2025-2026 FAFSA 2. Senior adds you as a contributor (using your email) 3. You receive email invitation and use your EXISTING FSA ID to complete your portion 4. Separately, your college sophomore uses their existing FSA ID to complete their renewal FAFSA for 2025-2026 Make sure each person uses their own unique email address, phone number, and has their own FSA ID. Never share FSA IDs between family members. Also, prepare your 2023 tax information ahead of time, as that's what will be used for the 2025-2026 FAFSA calculations.

Just went through this exact process with my daughter last month! One thing I'd add is to make sure your high school senior has all their documents ready BEFORE starting the FAFSA - Social Security card, driver's license, and bank statements. Also, have your 2023 tax return handy since that's what they'll need for the 2025-2026 FAFSA. The process really is much smoother when the student starts first and then adds parents as contributors. My daughter created her FSA ID on a Monday, started the application Tuesday, and I got the email invitation Wednesday morning. Took us about 2 hours total to complete both sections. Pro tip: Do it on a computer, not a phone. The mobile interface is terrible and times out frequently!

As someone who just completed this process for my son, I can confirm the order everyone mentioned is correct! Student creates FSA ID first, starts application, then adds parent as contributor. One thing I learned the hard way - when your son adds you as a contributor, make sure he enters your email address EXACTLY as it appears in your existing FSA ID. I had a typo in mine (missing a dot) and it created a whole mess where the system thought I was a new person. Had to call FSA to fix it. Also, don't panic if the application seems to "disappear" between sessions. The new system saves progress automatically, but sometimes it takes a few minutes to show up when you log back in. Just give it time before assuming something went wrong! Good luck with both kids' applications!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my twin daughters - one is a college junior and the other is applying as a high school senior! The process everyone described is spot on. What really helped us was creating a family spreadsheet beforehand with everyone's FSA ID credentials (but keeping them separate obviously), the documents we'd need, and a timeline. We also made sure each person had their own dedicated email address - learned that lesson from a friend who got into a verification nightmare when emails got mixed up. One additional tip: if your high school senior is planning to apply for work-study, make sure to check that box on the FAFSA. Many students skip it not realizing it opens up more financial aid opportunities. Also, submit the FAFSA as early as possible after October 1st - some states and schools distribute aid on a first-come, first-served basis. The whole process is definitely intimidating at first, but once you get the order right (student first, then parent contributor), it flows pretty smoothly!

I just completed this process for my daughter who's starting college this fall, and I wanted to share a few additional tips that might help! First, make sure your high school senior has their Social Security number memorized or written down correctly - we had to restart the FSA ID creation process twice because of typos there. Also, when they're entering your information as a contributor, have them use your legal name exactly as it appears on your tax return, not a nickname. One thing that caught us off guard was the identity verification step. Both my daughter and I had to answer some pretty specific questions about our credit history and previous addresses. If you've moved recently or have a limited credit history, this part can be tricky. Also, don't forget that if your family circumstances have changed since your 2023 taxes (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), you can contact the financial aid offices directly after submitting the FAFSA to request a professional judgment review. Many families don't realize this option exists! The new FAFSA system is definitely better once you get the hang of it, but that first time through can be nerve-wracking. You've got this!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and feeling pretty overwhelmed! My daughter is a high school senior and this thread has been incredibly helpful. I had no idea that each person needed their own email address - I was planning to just use my family email for everything. One question I haven't seen addressed yet: what happens if my daughter makes a mistake on her application after she's already added me as a contributor? Can we go back and fix errors, or do we have to start over? I'm terrified of messing something up that could affect her financial aid eligibility. Also, does anyone know approximately how long it takes to get the FAFSA processed once it's submitted? My daughter is waiting to hear back from several colleges and I want to make sure we have our financial aid information ready when those decisions come in. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences - it's making this whole process feel much less scary!

Just wanted to add one more crucial tip that saved us a lot of headaches - make sure to keep detailed records of everything! I created a simple document with screenshots of each completed screen before moving to the next one, and saved confirmation numbers at every step. When my son's application got stuck in verification (which seems to happen to a lot of people), having those screenshots made it SO much easier to work with the financial aid office to resolve the issues. They could see exactly what we had entered and when. Also, if you're doing the FAFSA for multiple kids like the original poster, I recommend completing one child's application entirely before starting the other. Don't try to juggle both at the same time - the system can get confused if you're logged into multiple FSA IDs from the same computer, and you might accidentally mix up information between applications. The process really isn't as scary as it seems once you get started. Just take it step by step and don't be afraid to call for help if you get stuck!

As someone who just went through this process with my youngest daughter last month, I can confirm everything everyone has said about the order - student first, then parent as contributor. One thing I wanted to add that really helped us was setting up a shared calendar with all the important FAFSA and financial aid deadlines. Different schools have different priority deadlines, and some state grant programs have early cutoffs too. We almost missed our state's March 1st deadline because I was focused on the federal October date. Also, if you're like me and tend to procrastinate, don't wait until the last minute! The FAFSA website can be really slow during peak times (like right before deadlines), and you don't want to be dealing with technical issues when you're already stressed about getting everything submitted on time. The new system really is more user-friendly once you understand the contributor process. Just remember - your high school senior starts it, adds you as a contributor, then you complete your section. Your college sophomore handles their own renewal separately. You've got this!