The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
If your student is a dependent, you add your information to their FAFSA from your own StudentAid.gov account. You'll be asked to agree to share your federal tax info from the IRS and to sign; most parents' sections take about 12 minutes. The form isn't complete until you've done your part.
Which parent fills it in
- Married parents (and unmarried parents living together) are both included. If you filed taxes jointly, one of you can do the section.
- Divorced or separated parents who don't live together: the parent who gave the student more financial support in the last 12 months. If it was equal, or neither did, the parent with more income and assets.
- A stepparent is included in some cases, depending on how the parent files taxes. The form walks you through it.
What you need
- Your own StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID). It needs your name as it appears on your Social Security card, your date of birth, an email address and your Social Security number. Parents without one can still make an account.
- Usually no tax documents: you agree to let the form pull your federal tax info from the IRS. The 2027-28 FAFSA uses 2025 tax information.
- If asked: savings and checking balances, investments, businesses or farms, and child support received.
Agreeing to share tax info, and if you don't take part
Every parent who's required on the form has to agree to share their federal tax info with the Department of Education. If a required parent says no, the student can't get federal student aid, even if the tax numbers are typed in by hand.
If a parent refuses to take part at all, the student can still submit, but they'll usually only be able to get an unsubsidized federal loan, and it doesn't make them independent. If a student truly can't contact a parent (for example because of abuse or abandonment), they should talk to their school's financial aid office.
Questions
- Do both divorced parents have to fill out the FAFSA?
- No. If you don't live together, only the parent who gave more financial support in the last 12 months fills it in (or, if support was equal or there was none, the parent with more income and assets).
- Can a parent without a Social Security number fill out the FAFSA?
- Yes. Parents without a Social Security number can still make a StudentAid.gov account and complete their section.
We checked these facts against official sources (studentaid.gov and each state's financial aid agency) on the date above. Deadlines and amounts change every year, so always confirm on studentaid.gov or with your school's financial aid office. StudentSoar explains how aid works; we can't give advice about your individual situation. Find scholarships and grants you qualify for.