Students and all contributors (student’s spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or parent's spouse) must have a account, known as an FSA ID, to complete and sign the online 2024-2025 FAFSA. When you create your account, be careful to enter your name and Social Security number (SSN) exactly as they appear on your Social Security card. Once the Social Security Administration verifies your information in one to three days, you will be able to use your FSA ID.
All parent and spouse contributors without an SSN can now create a account using the Department of Education's newly developed system to validate their identity against credit bureau data. Users without an SSN will be verified immediately if their data aligns.
Each FSA ID must have a unique email address. (You and your parent cannot use the same email address.)
The FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX), replacing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool starting with the 2024–25 FAFSA form, will transfer contributors' federal tax information from the IRS directly into the FAFSA form after consent and approval is given.
Even if contributors don't have an SSN, didn't file taxes, or filed taxes outside of the U.S., they will still need to provide consent and approval.
IMPORTANT: If a required contributor doesn't provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred into the FAFSA form, you (the student) will not be eligible for federal student aid—even if the contributor manually enters tax information into the FAFSA form. Note: Being a contributor on the FAFSA form does not imply financial responsibility.
To ensure the information is secure, the federal tax information won't display on the FAFSA site or the .
There are a several instances where the FAFSA will allow you to self-report if federal tax information cannot be accurately transferred through the Direct Data Exchange (DDX). Examples of when self-reporting is necessary:
While manually entering tax information into the FAFSA is allowable in these and several other situations, consent must still be provided.
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