A FAFSA contributor is someone — typically a parent or spouse — who must submit their personal and financial information to a student’s college financial aid application. This person doesn’t need to be financially responsible for the cost of their student’s education.
If you’re a student, there are two main reasons why you might have a FAFSA contributor:
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You’re considered a dependent on the FAFSA.
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You’re married and file taxes separately from your spouse.
Contributors need a unique login to access their student’s FAFSA, known as an FSA ID. Each contributor must complete, sign and submit their own portion of their student’s FAFSA.
Required contributors must also authorize the IRS to transfer their tax and income information to the form. If contributors refuse to help with their student’s FAFSA or give IRS consent, the student won’t be eligible for most types of federal student aid, including need-based grants, work-study and even some scholarships.
The Education Department introduced FAFSA contributors on the 2024-25 form, as a result of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Before that, students and parents or spouses would have to sit down to fill out the form together.
Independent vs. dependent students on the FAFSA
Dependent students require FAFSA contributors; independent students typically do not. For the 2025-26 financial aid award year, you’re considered an independent student if any of the following criteria apply to you:
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You’re at least 24 years old (born before Jan. 1, 2002 for the 2025-26 FAFSA).
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You’re a graduate or professional student.
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You’re a veteran or member of the armed forces.
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You’re an orphan or a ward of the court.
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You have legal dependents other than a spouse.
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You’re a legally emancipated minor.
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You’re homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
If you’re an independent student, you’ll simply fill out and submit the FAFSA with your own information.
How to determine which parent is a FAFSA contributor
Your biological or adoptive parent(s) must contribute to your FAFSA if you’re a dependent student. Legal guardians, foster parents, grandparents or other relatives you may live with do not count as FAFSA contributors.
You’re considered a dependent student on the FAFSA if you do not meet any of the independent student criteria listed above.
If you’re a dependent student, here’s how to tell which of your parents is a FAFSA contributor:
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Biological or adoptive parent status |
Who is a FAFSA contributor? |
|---|---|
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Married and file taxes jointly. |
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Married and file taxes separately. |
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Not married to each other (divorced, separated or never married), but live together. |
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Divorced, separated or never married AND don’t live together. |
Only one parent (the one who contributed the most financial support to you over the past 12 months). If both parents contribute equal financial support, then the parent with greater income and assets is the contributor. |
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Divorced and remarried; the parent who supports you the most financially and files taxes separately from their new spouse. |
This parent and their new spouse are both contributors. |
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Divorced and remarried; the parent who supports you the most financially and files joint taxes with their new spouse. |
This parent is the only contributor. Their new spouse is not a contributor. |
FAFSA contributors for married students
Married students are considered “independent” students on the FAFSA, so their parents won’t be contributors even if they still provide some financial support.
But depending on a married student’s tax filing status, their spouse may need to serve as a FAFSA contributor:
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If you’re married and file taxes jointly. Your spouse is not a FAFSA contributor.
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If you’re married and file taxes separately. Your spouse must be a FAFSA contributor.
All contributors need to request their own FSA IDs
Each contributor requests their own FSA ID, which is the unique username and password combination they’ll use to sign into the FAFSA. If you’re a parent, you can’t set up an FSA ID for your student, and students can’t set up FSA IDs for their parents — everyone must go through this process individually.
Request your FSA ID on studentaid.gov. Be prepared to submit your Social Security number, physical address, email address and date of birth. There’s typically a one- to three-day processing turnaround between requesting your FSA ID and receiving it. You can’t sign and submit the FAFSA until you have an FSA ID.
How to invite a FAFSA contributor
If you’re a student, you’ll be prompted to invite contributors while filling out your portion of the FAFSA. Prepare to provide the following information for each of your contributors:
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Their Social Security number, if they have one.
The information you provide must exactly match what your contributor provides when they set up their FSA ID.
If your parent is undocumented and does not have an SSN, the mailing address you provide must exactly match what appears in your parent’s studentaid.gov account. Even abbreviations need to match — like “Rd.” versus “Rd” or “Road.”
Where is the FAFSA parent login?
Parent contributors can access their student’s FAFSA at studentaid.gov or FAFSA.gov. Select “Log In To Start” and enter your FSA ID. Next, select the “Parent” option.