Article Topics
Who is a contributor on the FAFSA Form?
Studentaid.gov Contributor Eligibility Tool
Understand and Prepare: FAFSA Form Contributors
What Information Do I Need When Inviting My Contributor(s) To Complete the FAFSA?
What does it mean to provide consent and approval on the FAFSA Form?
How do contributors create an account on studentaid.gov?
Is My Parent a Contributor?
Account Creation Guidance for FAFSA Contributors without SSN
Who is a contributor on the FAFSA Form?
A contributor is anyone asked to provide personal and financial information, a signature, and consent to have their federal tax information transferred from the IRS to the FAFSA form. The answers provided by students or parents on the FAFSA determine who qualifies as a contributor and are used to establish eligibility for federal student aid. All contributors will need to create their account username and password on StudentAid.gov.
Contributors include
- the student and
- their spouse (if applicable) OR
- a biological or adoptive parent OR
- the spouse of the remarried parent listed on the FAFSA (the stepparent).
Contributors are not
- non-adoptive grandparents
- foster parents
- aunts or uncles
- and legal guardians.
Contributor Invites
Once your contributor(s) gets an email saying they've been identified as a contributor, they'll receive an invitation to finish their part of the FAFSA. The contributor will log in to their account using their FSA ID (username and password), check the information needed for their section on the FAFSA form, and give consent, approval, and a signature. If any contributors refuse to give consent on the FAFSA form, the student won't be eligible for federal and state financial aid.
Being a contributor does NOT mean that the contributor will be financially responsible for the student's education.
Studentaid.gov Contributor Eligibility Tool
You may need to ask your parent(s) to provide information on your FAFSA form based on your dependency status. This tool helps determine which parent(s) should participate in a student's FAFSA form. To use this tool, go to studentaid.gov/fafsaparent.
Understand and Prepare: FAFSA Form Contributors
What Information Do I Need When Inviting My Contributor(s) To Complete the FAFSA?
When you invite a contributor (student, independent student's spouse, or dependent student's parent) to complete the FAFSA you will need to have the following information:
- Legal name (from their Social Security Card);
- Date of birth;
- Social Security Number (SSN) if they have one or mailing address if they don't have an SSN; and
- Email address.
Social Security Number
If your contributor has a Social Security Number (SSN), you need to type in the right SSN on the invitation screen. You will be asked to enter your contributor's legal name, date of birth, and email address too. The legal name, date of birth, and SSN must be the same as what the parent used when they made their FSA ID.
They check everything between the FAFSA and FSA ID systems to make sure your contributor is connected with the right FAFSA. It's like a double-check to make sure everything matches up. If you entered any of the required information incorrectly, you will have to go back in and correct it before your contributor will be able to log in and link up with the student's FAFSA.
Mailing Address
When your contributor does not have an SSN, you should check the "My parent doesn't have an SSN" box on the invitation screen and it will flip to asking you to enter the contributor's full mailing address instead. The mailing address will have to match what was entered when creating the contributor's FSA ID to complete the linking process.
They check everything between the FAFSA and FSA ID systems to make sure your contributor is connected with the right FAFSA. It's like a double-check to make sure everything matches up. If you entered any of the required information incorrectly, you will have to go back in and correct it before your contributor will be able to log in and link up with the student's FAFSA.
Email Address
You are required to enter an email address. The email you use to invite someone doesn't have to be the same as the email in your contributor's FSA ID.
For example, when you invite your parent to help, your email doesn't have to be the same as the one in their FSA ID. When they log in with their FSA ID, their email doesn't have to be the same as the one in your invitation. So, when you first invite someone, you can use the same email for different people (like you and your parent).
Just remember, the person you invite (maybe your parent) doesn't log in with an email. They log in to their part using their FSA ID. The important things are that their name, date of birth, and SSN match what you put in your invitation to access your FAFSA.
Before late 2023, when the FSA ID process gets updated, someone can set up an FSA ID without an email. After that, an email will be needed. If someone tries to log into a 2024-25 FAFSA without an email in their FSA ID, they'll have to stop and add the email. But the email doesn't have to match what you put in your invitation.
What does it mean to provide consent and approval on the FAFSA Form?
Visit studentaid.gov/2425/help/consent-federal-tax-info for detailed information on consent.
How do contributors create an account on studentaid.gov?
Is My Parent a Contributor?
Use the online tool to determine if your parent is a contributor. To use the tool, go to studentaid.gov/fafsaparent.