All contributors must create their own StudentAid.gov account (Often referred to as FSA ID) to access and complete their portion of the FAFSA form. Link: Am I a Contributor On My Child's FAFSA Form? Creating Your StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) An FSA ID is a username and password that you must use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education (ED) websites. Your FSA ID identifies you as someone who has the right to access your personal information on ED systems such as the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. It’s important to understand that the student and the parent may not share an FSA ID: Your FSA ID is your signature, so it has to be unique to you. If you are a parent of a dependent student, you will need your own FSA ID to sign your child’s FAFSA electronically. If you have more than one child attending college, you can use the same FSA ID to sign all applications, but each child must have his or her own FSA ID. When you create your FSA ID, you must provide your email address or mobile phone number. It is important to remember that a mobile phone number or email address can be associated with only one FSA ID. For example, if you are a dependent student, you and your parent cannot provide the same email address or phone number when you create your own FSA ID. *Important Note: Don't forget to verify your email and phone number for User Name and Password recovery. Link: Creating and Using an FSA ID Managing Your StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) It is important to keep your account information up to date. Log in to your account and go to the “Contact Information” page to update your email address, phone number, or mailing address . Important Note: The FSA ID and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form each ask for this information. If you change your information in one, you should check to see if you need to change it in the other. You can also change your username and password by visiting “Account Information” in "Settings." Additional Information Links: Quick Reference Guide on Fixing FSA ID and FAFSA Problems How to Create an Account And Username (FSA ID) for StudentAid.gov (Video) FAFSA® Help

Link: Quick Reference Guide on Creating and Using an FSA ID

Best Practices for Filing the FAFSA Get ready to file the FAFSA with ease by understanding the new “student-driven” structure, which requires students to provide the name, date of birth, Social Security Number, and email address of individuals required to provide information on their FAFSA. This includes parent(s) and a student’s spouse, if applicable. These best practices and steps can help you navigate the process for filing the FAFSA, which can be completed at studentaid.gov or by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). Steps to Complete the FAFSA Create or Reconfirm Your Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) now. All contributors to the FAFSA need to create an account at studentaid.gov. Complete the Student Section of the FAFSA All students will start a "new" form. Use your FSA ID, email, or phone number and your password to log in to your account, access the FAFSA form, answer questions, provide consent, and sign the form electronically. Indicate any Contributors to Your FAFSA If you are a dependent student: indicate your parent(s). Make sure they have a working email. One parent if parent is single or if parents are married and filed joint tax returns. Two parents if parents are married and filed taxes separately, are married and didn't file taxes, or are unmarried and living together. Each parent will need FSA IDs. This includes stepparents if the parent completing the FAFSA is remarried. For other parent situations not listed above, refer to your FAFSA for instructions. If you are married and filed your taxes separately: Indicate your spouse. Make sure they have a working email. Contributors Complete Their Section of the FAFSA All contributors (parent(s), stepparent, or student’s spouse) must use their FSA ID to access the FAFSA form, answer questions, provide consent, and sign the form electronically. Contributors are required to provide consent to have their tax information released from the IRS for your FAFSA. Consent to releasing tax information cannot be revoked and is mandatory for the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation to be completed and for the student to be eligible for federal aid. Students or parents who are non-tax filers must still provide consent and enter income data manually. Submit your FAFSA After all contributors have provided consent and signed the form, it will be sent to the FAFSA Processing System (FPS). After Submitting the FAFSA FAFSA Submission Summary Once you have completed the FAFSA, you can access your “FAFSA Submission Summary” document on your studentaid.gov account. Frequently Asked Questions Who is considered a “contributor” in the FAFSA process? A contributor is anyone required to provide consent and approval for obtaining federal tax information needed to complete a student’s FAFSA. This includes the student, the student’s parent(s) or stepparent if the student is considered a dependent, and the student’s spouse, if applicable. Students must designate contributors when completing their section of the FAFSA. In cases where parents are not married, who should provide information on the FAFSA? The parent who provides the most financial support should complete it. If one parent pays child support, that parent should complete the FAFSA if the child support amounts to more than half of the student’s support. If a dependent student’s parents are unmarried and living together, both parents will need to complete the FAFSA as contributors. What happens when someone provides consent, or FTI Approval, FAFSA? Providing consent allows the Department of Education to use your name and social security number to match with the IRS so the IRS may share your tax information with the Department of Education to determine a student’s eligibility for federal student aid. Consent is mandatory for transferring federal tax information from the IRS and determining the student’s aid eligibility. If a student (or student’s spouse) does not provide consent, the student will be ineligible for any federal aid. If a parent contributor refuses consent, the student may still be given the opportunity to receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

How to Complete the FAFSA® Form Use these tips to help you successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. All students will need to start a “New Application”. Tips for Preparing To Fill Out the FAFSA® Form Get a StudentAid.gov (Often called FSA ID) account before filling out the FAFSA® form. *Before starting FAFSA form for the first time, you’ll need to create a StudentAid.gov account. Your contributors will each need their own StudentAid.gov account too, which should also be created before they enter the FAFSA form. “Contributor” refers to anyone (you, your spouse, your biological or adoptive parent, or your parent’s spouse) required to provide information on your FAFSA form. Check out FAQ - Contributors and Is My Parent a Contributor When I Fill Out My FAFSA® Form? for more information about contributors. If your parents filed their taxes jointly, only one parent need to be a contributor. If you and your spouse filed your taxes jointly, your spouse does not need to be a contributor. As a student, you’ll be required to enter your Social Security number (SSN) to create a StudentAid.gov account unless you’re a citizen of the Freely Associated States. However, a contributor/s who doesn't have an SSN can still create a StudentAid.gov account to complete their section of your FAFSA form. If a contributor has an SSN, you are required to provide this number when inviting them to contribute to your FAFSA form. Do not indicate that a contributor doesn’t have an SSN simply because you don’t know that number. If they do in fact have an SSN, indicating that they don’t will cause delays when they try to create an account and contribute the required information on your form. Have your documents ready. Be prepared so you can complete your form in one session. You might need the following documents as you fill out the 2025–26 form: 2023 Tax returns* Records of child support received Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms You can provide consent and approval to have most of your financial information imported directly from the IRS, but you should keep your tax return handy for additional questions. Learn more about what you need to fill out your FAFSA form. If you gather these things in advance, you’ll be able to complete and submit your form quickly. Any contributors you invite to your form will need to provide the same information for themselves. Have your contributor information ready. To invite contributors to your FAFSA form, you’ll be asked to provide their Legal First and Last name, MATCH WITH what appears on their Social Security Card SSN (if they have one), DO NOT indicate that a contributor doesn’t have an SSN simply because you don’t know the number or mailing address if they don’t have an SSN. MATCH WITH mailing address used to create StudentAid.gov (FSA ID) account Date of Birth, and Email Address - Use the email address where the contributor/s will receive their invitation. To avoid issues with your FAFSA form, list contributor information exactly as it appears on their Social Security card or legal identification card. Avoid using numbers or extra spaces when entering their name. If the contributor has a suffix in their name (e.g., John Paul Jr., or John Paul III), leave that out of the invitation. Also, if they have a StudentAid.gov account, make sure the personal information you enter exactly matches the information they provided when creating their StudentAid.gov account (To view go to "Personal Information" under "Settings"). When you fill out the FAFSA form, you’ll answer questions that will determine who needs to be a contributor on your form. However, you may be able to identify your contributors now to get a head start on collecting the information you’ll need to invite them to your form. To find out if your parent(s) will be a contributor on your FAFSA form, check out the Is My Parent a Contributor When I Fill Out My FAFSA® Form? infographic. Tips for Filling Out the FAFSA® Form Important!!! You (the student) should complete your section of the form first. We strongly recommend that you (the student) start the form and complete your section first to save time and prevent errors. When you fill out the student section, you’ll answer questions to determine your dependency status and if anyone else, such as your parent(s), must contribute to your form. If you don’t start the form first, or if you and your contributors are working in your form at the same time, your contributors may have more difficulty completing their section or may even spend time providing information that’s not required. Starting the form first will also prevent data entry mistakes, such as your parent accidentally entering their own information when they should be entering yours. Once you’ve completed your section of the FAFSA, be sure to send invitations to all contributors to your form before saving and exiting. Read questions and definitions carefully. Dependent vs. Independent If you’re a dependent student, you will report your and your parent’s information. If you’re an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you’re married, your spouse’s). Before you complete your form, learn more about dependency status. And be sure that you—the student—fill in your section of the form first. Parent The FAFSA form has specific guidelines about which parent’s information to report. Spoiler alert: It has nothing to do with who claims you on their taxes. You can use this guide to help you figure out which parent to report on the FAFSA form. Number of Family Members (Family Size) The FAFSA form has requirements for how you should determine your family size. Read the instructions carefully. Many students incorrectly report this number, especially when the student doesn’t physically live with their parent/s. Unusual Circumstances This refers to situations that may prevent a dependent student from obtaining parent information on their FAFSA form because they either cannot contact their parent or contacting the parent poses a risk to the student. In situations such as the ones below, you (the student) may be able to submit your FAFSA form without parent information despite being considered a dependent student: You or your parent are incarcerated. You have left home due to an abusive or threatening environment. You have been abandoned by or estranged from your parents and have not been adopted. You were granted refugee or asylee status and are separated from your parents, or your parents are displaced in a foreign country. You are a victim of human trafficking. You are otherwise unable to contact or locate your parents and have not been adopted. Learn how to complete your application if you have unusual circumstances. Direct Unsubsidized Loan Only If you are a student whose parents are unwilling to provide their information, but don’t have an unusual circumstance (such as those listed above). Most dependent students answer “No” to the Direct Unsubsidized Loan question so that their parents can provide information on their form, and they (the student) can be considered for all types of federal student aid, including Federal Pell Grants. You should know that if you answer “Yes” to this question, your eligibility for federal student aid won’t be calculated, and you may not be eligible for most types of federal student aid (including Direct Subsidized Loans, federal grants, and federal work-study). After submitting your FAFSA form, a financial aid administrator at your college or career/trade school will need to review your situation to determine if you are eligible to receive a limited amount of Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Net Worth of Investments We’ve outlined some specific items that should and shouldn’t be included as investments on the FAFSA form. For example, a college savings plan like a 529 account is considered an investment, while the value of the home in which you reside and the value of your retirement accounts are not. Find more info about figuring out the net worth of your investments. Net Worth of Businesses and Investment Farms Due to changes in the law, students and families must now report the net worth of businesses and investment farms, even if the business is small in nature (i.e., a family-owned business) or the family lives full-time on a portion of the farm the family owns. Learn more about how to report the net worth of these types of assets on your FAFSA form. Consult in-form resources if you need help. Use the help text and help articles (accessible via the question mark icon) embedded in the form if you’re not sure how to answer a question. Changing your answers to questions that impact your eligibility for aid may create errors in the form. If you change your answer to any of the following questions, you may need to delete your form and start over to fix the error. Marital Status – Options are single (never married), Married (not separated), Remarried, Separated, Divorced, and Widowed. Select your status as of the day the FAFSA form is completed. Citizenship – Options are U.S. citizen or national; Eligible noncitizen; and Neither U.S. citizen nor eligible noncitizen. Eligible noncitizens include U.S. nationals (such as natives of American Samoa or Swains Island) and permanent residents. If you indicate you are an eligible noncitizen, you will likely have an A-Number assigned to you, and you will need to provide this number on your form. State of Legal Residence – This is typically the state where your permanent address is located. However, each state determines legal residency differently, and you may not be considered a resident of the state if you haven’t lived there for at least five years. You should contact your college’s or career/trade school’s financial aid office for assistance with this question. Don’t forget to review, sign, and submit the form! Review your answers prior to submission. Protect against form glitches or typos by reviewing all your answers prior to submission. You can review all the answers you provided in your section on the review page, which you’ll see before you provide your signature. You can view all the responses by selecting “Expand All” or expand each section individually. To edit a response, select the question’s hyperlink. Monitor your form’s status, and don’t forget to submit the FAFSA form after all your contributors have signed and all sections are completed. If you’ve been notified that all your contributors have signed and completed their sections, and your student section is also complete, you should check the sections of your form to ensure that all questions are answered. Log in to StudentAid.gov using your account username and password. Navigate to your account Dashboard. Select the FAFSA Form from the “My Activity” page. Once you’ve accessed your form, review the information submitted in each section. If all sections are complete and all your contributors have signed, follow the prompts to submit your form. Once your application is submitted, you can view all the information entered on your form, along with a summary of who contributed to your form, on the Summary page (accessed from the “My Activity” page of the account Dashboard). Remember that if you make a mistake, you can correct and resubmit your FAFSA If you make a mistake when submitting your FAFSA form—for instance, if you submit your form without required contributor information or without your signature—don't worry. You’ll be able to correct the error as soon as your form is processed in the first half of March. Learn about how to make FAFSA corrections. Not sure if your form has been processed? We'll send you an email once it is, but you can also check the status of your form yourself: Log in using your account username and password. Navigate to your account Dashboard. Select the FAFSA Form from the “My Activity” page. This information is also available online at the following link: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support/pro-tips

Your dependency status determines whose information you must report when you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. If you’re a dependent student, you will report your and your parents’ information. If you’re an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you’re married, your spouse’s). Note: Not living with parents or not being claimed by them on tax forms does not make you an independent student for purposes of applying for federal student aid. Here are the questions that determine your dependency status for the 2025-26 FAFSA Were you born before Jan. 1, 2002? Yes No As of today, are you married? (Answer “No” if you are separated but not divorced.) Yes No At the beginning of the 2025–26 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)? Yes No Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?) Yes No Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?* Yes No Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026? Yes No At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)? Yes No At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court? Yes No At any time since you turned age 13, were you in foster care? Yes No Are you or were you a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence? Yes No Are you or were you in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence? Yes No At any time on or after July 1, 2024, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?** Yes No *Answer “Yes” (you are a veteran) if you (1) have engaged in active duty (including basic training) in the U.S. armed forces (military, naval, air, or space service) and were released under a condition other than dishonorable; (2) served full-time as a Reservist or member of the National Guard; or (3) were called to federal active duty. Also answer “Yes” if you are not a veteran now but will be one by June 30, 2026. (Documentation includes, but is not limited to, a copy of your DD-214, a copy of your orders, or a letter from your Commander) *Answer “No” (you are not a veteran) if you (1) have never engaged in active duty in the U.S. armed forces, (2) are currently a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) student or a cadet or midshipman at a service academy, (3) are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee activated only for state or training purposes, or (4) were engaged in active duty in the U.S. armed forces but released under dishonorable conditions. Also answer “No” if you are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces and will continue to serve through June 30, 2026. **You’ll be considered provisionally independent and will be allowed to fill out the FAFSA form as an independent student if you indicate that you are unaccompanied and homeless or at risk of being homeless on the FAFSA form for the first time and you don’t have a determination from an individual at an eligible agency. An individual at an eligible agency includes one of the following: your high school or district homeless liaison or designee the director or designee of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving those experiencing homelessness the director or designee of a project supported by a federal TRIO program or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant a financial aid administrator (Documentation includes, but is not limited to, a letter or a copy of your determination from an eligible agency.) Did you answer “Yes” to One or More of the Questions Above? If so, then for federal student aid purposes, you’re considered to be an independent student and will not be required to provide information about your parents on the FAFSA form. Did you Answer “No” to Every Question? If so, then for federal student aid purposes, you’re considered a dependent student, and you must provide information about your parents when you fill out the FAFSA form. Important Information: The school’s financial aid staff may ask for additional information such as, but not limited to, birth certificate/s, marriage license, copy of DD-214, court orders, letters from eligible agencies, confirmation of address/es, or proof of support.

Click on the following link for this information:  Reporting Parent Information

Dependent students have the option to indicate that their parents are unwilling to provide their information and therefore want to apply for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan only. However, if a dependent student doesn’t provide parent information, their eligibility for other types of federal and state student aid can’t be calculated. This means they won’t be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, or a Direct Subsidized Loan. If your parents are not supporting you and refuse to provide their information or their consent and approval to transfer their federal tax information on your FAFSA form, here’s the process for filling out the FAFSA form online: Select “Yes” to the “Are the student’s parents unwilling to provide their information, but the student doesn’t have an unusual circumstance that prevents them from contacting or obtaining their parents’ information” question on the FAFSA form. The FAFSA form will be submitted without parent information. You must follow up with the financial aid administrator at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend to find out what you need to do next to receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan only. Important: If you’re considering following this process, think about this first: If you submit your FAFSA form without parent information, you will not receive a Student Aid Index (SAI). Some state- or school-based aid programs look at the SAI to determine your eligibility for their funds; because you won’t have an SAI, you won’t be considered for those financial aid programs. You could be giving up a chance at many sources of financial aid. So encourage your parents to provide their information—doing so won’t require them to support you in any way, it’ll just help you be considered for as many sources of financial aid as possible. If you selected to apply for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan only by mistake, follow the steps at the link below to change your answer to this question and invite your parent(s) to your form. How to Change Your Answer to “Direct Unsubsidized Loan Only” Question

The information required when inviting a contributor (independent student's spouse, or dependent student's parent) to complete the FAFSA includes the contributor's: Legal name as it appears on their Social Security Card (do not use nicknames or shortened names) Date of birth Social Security Number (SSN) Mailing address if they don't have an SSN (must be exactly as it appears when creating their FSA ID) Email address (use the email address that you want the contributor’s invitation to be sent. This doesn't need to match the email address they used when creating their FSA ID) Important Note: DO NOT SKIP ANY OF THIS INFORMATION: Using incorrect information or skipping a required field will create a linking error. Pro Tip: Complete the student portion of the FAFSA first. (Student will need to choose "Start New Form" and log in before the parent) Social Security Number or Mailing Address: For example, when a dependent student invites a parent who has an SSN, they must enter the correct SSN in the invitation screen (shown below) along with the contributor's legal name, date of birth, and email address. The legal name, date of birth, and SSN must match what the parent used when setting up their FSA ID. There is a crosscheck between the FAFSA and FSA ID system to make sure the parent is getting linked up with the correct student’s FAFSA. When a parent does not have an SSN, the student checks the "My parent doesn't have a SSN" box on the invitation screen and it will flip to asking them to enter the parent's full mailing address instead; the mailing address will have to match what is in the parent's FSA ID to complete the linking process. Important Note: If the student incorrectly entered any of the parent's information, the student must go back in and correct it before the parent will be able to log in and link up with the student's FAFSA. A linking error will need to be corrected by the student or parent before federal financial aid can be disbursed to the student. Email Address: The email address used to invite a contributor does not have to match the email address in that contributor's FSA ID. For example, the student does not have to use the same email address that is in the parent's FSA ID when they invite the parent to contribute. When the contributor logs in with an FSA ID, the email address does not have to match what is in the invitation. This means that, at the time of the initial invitation, the same email address can be used for multiple contributors (e.g., the student and the parent). Note: The parent can not log in with an email; they must log into their section using their FSA ID. The name, date of birth, and SSN will have to match what was in the invitation to have access to the student’s FAFSA. Note: Prior to the release of the updated FSA ID process (2024-25), the contributor could set up an FSA ID without an email. After ED updates the FSA ID process, an email is required. If the contributor tries to log into a FAFSA and their FSA ID does not have an email address in it, the contributor will have to stop and add the email address to the FSA ID, but it still won’t have to match the email used for the invitation. If you complete the parent portion first, the parent is asked to provide the student's information. Since the student has not yet started the FAFSA, the student will receive an email indicating a FAFSA has been started on their behalf. The student can then enter the FAFSA, make any necessary corrections, provide consent, and sign it.

Link: Quick Reference Guide on Fixing FSA ID and FAFSA Problems