Contributors

A contributor is anyone who must provide information, a signature, and consent or approval to transfer their federal tax information directly into the FAFSA. This usually includes the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or a stepparent. Contributors are not financially responsible for the student’s education.

Completing the FAFSA

The application is role-based. Both the student and parent need an FSA ID and will complete their sections separately. Each person can only access their own section. The FSA ID can be created before the FAFSA opens.

We recommend that students complete their section first, then invite their parent or other contributors to finish theirs. This helps minimize errors and processing delays.