StudentAid.gov Account

Your StudentAid.gov Account (FSA ID) is a username and password combination you use to log in to U.S. Department of Education (ED) online systems, such as the FAFSA. The account acts as your legal signature and shouldn’t be created or used by anyone other than you—not even your parent, your child, a school official, or a loan company representative.

Students sitting at a table.

Create and Access Your Account

Before completing the FAFSA, you will need an account at StudentAid.gov. This was previously called the Federal Student Aid ID, or FSA ID. You do not need to create a new StudentAid.gov Account if you already have an account or already had an FSA ID.

You must create a StudentAid.gov Account at least 3-5 days before you complete your first FAFSA.

Create your account

Make completing the FAFSA as easy as possible by doing two things. First, create your StudentAid.gov account now. Second, if you are under 24 years old, have your parent create their account now.

  1. Create your StudentAid.gov account or make sure you can access your existing account by signing in to StudentAid.gov.
  2. If you’re under 24, get a parent to create their account. Check this chart to confirm whether a parent or spouse also needs to have an account before you can submit your FAFSA.

What do I need to create a StudentAid.gov account?

  • Name (exactly as it appears on your Social Security card if you have one)
  • Date of birth
  • Personal email address
  • Social Security number (if you have one)

Remember: You will have only one StudentAid.gov account to use for the rest of your life, so make sure to use an email address you will have access to even after you graduate from school or change jobs.

Having trouble accessing your account?

Get answers to common questions about creating a StudentAid.gov account or watch this video.

How do I know if a parent or spouse also need to create an account?

Check this chart to see whether any other contributors, such as a parent or spouse, also need to create an account before you can submit your FAFSA form.

If you are still not sure whether you need a parent to sign your form, confirm if you are an independent or dependent student.

If you are a dependent student, you (or your parent) can use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent wizard to figure out which parent, guardian or spouse also needs to create an account.

Learn more about why you and your contributor(s) need your own accounts with the video belo.

What if I don’t have a Social Security number (SSN) or my parent doesn’t have an SSN?

If you have an SSN, you must provide it when creating an account. All students must have an SSN to create a StudentAid.gov account unless you are from the Freely Associated States (Micronesia, Marshall Islands, or Palau). Check eligibility here.

If you are a parent or spouse who does not have an SSN, you can still create a StudentAid.gov account to contribute to a student’s FAFSA form. When creating your account, leave the SSN field blank and select “What if I don’t have a Social Security number?”

If only one parent has an SSN, that parent is the one who should create an account and join the student’s FAFSA form as a contributor.

Learn more about how to create an account without an SSN with the video below.

Note: if you get a message saying the SSN you entered is already in use when you try to create a StudentAid.gov account, make sure you entered the SSN correctly. If you entered the SSN correctly, then it’s likely you created an account previously or someone else (such as a parent) created an account for you. Try logging in rather than creating a new account. If you have trouble logging in, try resetting your password or using another email address. You can also check with a parent to see if a StudentAid.gov account already exists for you. If you’re sure an account has not already been created, contact the office of Federal Student Aid for more help. Do not attempt to use an ITIN or other value in place of an SSN for online account creation.