Your FSA ID is specific to YOU. Family members cannot use the same phone number or email address when creating an FSA ID. It is linked to your social security number, date of birth, and legal name. Carefully enter your information. It must match what is on file with the social security administration. Be sure to enter your legal name not a nickname.

The email and phone number are verified EVERY time you login to studentaid.gov.

• Use YOUR personal email, not a school or job affiliated email address. 
• Use YOUR cell phone number. Studentaid.gov texts a code for every login. If you receive an error that your cell phone is already tied to another account, don’t panic. Call 1-800-433-3243 to clear this issue. Phone numbers have been recycled so this is not an unusual issue.

When you create your FSA ID, you enter your legal name, social security number (for those with a SSN), and date of birth. If you get an error that the “SSN Already In Use” this means you cannot continue from this point. You should use the link in that error box to reset your password. 

To reset your password you will need your phone number or email address. This could be from the time you (or your parent) did a FAFSA years ago. It could be your high school email if you attended a workshop to set up your account. If you cannot get to a point to reset the password, call 1-800-433-3243 for assistance. You cannot create a new FSA ID with the same SSN. 

Parents who do not have a Social Security Number will also login to studentaid.gov to electronically sign the FAFSA. Follow these instructions to set up your login.

The parent will set up a user account by entering their mailing address, their email address (email addresses cannot be shared between user accounts), and a US phone number. The information will be compared to credit information to verify identity, but no credit data will be shared between the credit bureau and FAFSA. Identifying questions will be presented to the user to validate their identity. Once this is done, the user account is active.

If the parent is unable to validate their identity through the credit questions, they will be instructed to call the help center where other information will be used to create their account. Parents will want to make this call as soon as possible to get their login created so they can complete the FAFSA.

When you set up your FSA ID and complete the FAFSA, you will be asked to consent to sharing your information with the IRS to retrieve income information. This consent is required to move forward with your aid. If you are unable to get to your student’s FAFSA or unable to sign the FAFSA, the issue is usually a lack of consent. You can check in your dashboard under financial settings to ensure you have given all of the consent required.

Many questions on the FAFSA are about the student. We find less errors when the student starts the FAFSA and answers all of the questions about themselves. Once the student completes their section, they will invite their parent (if they are dependent, under the age of 24) using the parent’s social security number, date of birth and name. These must match the parent’s FSA ID.

The primary parent is the parent who provided the most financial support to the student in the last 12 months.

The primary parent provides financial information on the FAFSA. 

If the primary parent is single, separated, or divorced, include only the primary parent’s information. If your primary parent lives with your other legal parent, both parents will be on the FAFSA. 

Married now and filed jointly in 2023: Primary parent on FAFSA
Married now and filed separately in 2023: Both primary parent and spouse on FAFSA
Not married now and filed jointly in 2023 and do not live together: Primary parent on FAFSA
Not married now and filed jointly in 2023 and live together: Primary parent on FAFSA
Not married now and filed single in 2023 and do not live together: Primary parent on FAFSA
Not married now and filed single in 2023 and live together: Primary parent and spouse on FAFSA

Divorced parents who do not live together are never both on the FAFSA. If they filed taxes together in 2023, but are now separated or divorced, the primary parent will manually enter THEIR 2023 income information.

It is best to allow the FAFSA to import your tax information directly from the IRS. Do not choose to enter manual tax information if you are given the option. Many mistakes come from contributors entering the incorrect tax year on the FAFSA (2025-2026 uses 2023 income information).

There are some confusing questions on the FAFSA. Read them carefully and either click the help symbol, google, or ask an aid office if you have questions. One very confusing question is if the student is unable or unwilling to get parent information on the FAFSA. Students were selecting yes thinking this was allowing them to file the FAFSA independently and qualify for more aid. It actually meant they qualified for almost NO financial aid because all the required information was not provided. 

If you have a personal circumstance where a parent is unwilling or unable to complete the FAFSA, reach out to our office to discuss your specific situation. 

New First-Year/Transfer students
Our goal is to get information to you about financial aid eligibility as soon as we can for those making college decisions. We recommend completing the FAFSA in January to receive a timely financial aid offer. Incoming students must submit the FAFSA by March 1 for maximum aid consideration.

Returning students
We recommend continuing students complete their FAFSA in January. The priority deadline for continuing students is April 1. 

The FAFSA will use “prior-prior” tax year data. For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, the FAFSA will import 2023 tax information as the base year. If the base year financial information no longer represents your current financial situation, Financial Aid may use a “professional judgement” to update your FAFSA to more accurate information. Visit our Professional Judgement webpage for more information.