Creating and Using the FSA ID 

Federal Student Aid. An Office of the U.S. Department of Education. Proud Sponsor of the American Mind.
What’s an FSA ID? 

The FSA ID is a username and password you use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education websites, 
including fafsa.gov, StudentAid.gov, and StudentLoans.gov. The FSA ID is 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. You’ll use your FSA ID every year you fill out a Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid (FAFSA®) form and for the lifetime of your federal student loans. 

How do I get an FSA ID? 

Visit StudentAid.gov/fsaid to create an FSA ID. You’ll need your Social Security number, full name, and date 
of birth. You’ll also need to create a memorable username and password, and provide answers to some 
challenge questions so you can retrieve your account information if you forget it. 

We strongly recommend that you provide a mobile phone number and email address when you make your 
FSA ID. Providing a mobile phone number and/or email address that you have access to will make it easier to 
unlock your account, retrieve your forgotten username, or reset your forgotten password. 

Important: An email address and mobile phone number cannot be used with more than one FSA ID. If you 
share an email address with someone else, then only one of you will be able to use that email address to 
create an FSA ID. This applies to your mobile phone number too. 

FSA ID Tips 

. One of your parents might need an FSA ID as well. If you need to provide information about your parents 
on the FAFSA® form, one of your parents will have to sign the form. Your parent can create an FSA ID and 
then sign the FAFSA form electronically using that FSA ID. Not sure whether you’ll need to put your 
parents’ information on the FAFSA form? Check out StudentAid.gov/dependency. Remember: You 
should create your own FSA ID and your parent should create his or her own FSA ID. Also, make sure to 
use the correct FSA ID when signing the FAFSA form electronically. 
. When you first create your FSA ID, all you’ll be able to use your FSA ID for is to complete, sign, and submit 
an original (first-time) FAFSA form. You’ll have to wait one to three days for your information to be 
confirmed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) before you can use your FSA ID for other actions, 
such as submitting a Renewal FAFSA form or signing a Master Promissory Note. If you provided an email 
address, then you’ll receive an email letting you know that your information was successfully matched with 
the SSA and you can use your FSA ID for all of its purposes. 
. If you forget your FSA ID username and password, look for links, such as “Forgot My Username” and 
“Forgot My Password,” at the log-in pages of our websites. These links will direct you to web pages where 
you can request a secure code to be texted to your verified mobile phone number or emailed to your 
verified email address. The secure code will allow you to retrieve your username or reset your password. 
You can also retrieve your username or reset your password by successfully answering your challenge 
questions. 


Learn more about the FSA ID at StudentAid.gov/fsaid. Find this fact sheet at StudentAid.gov/resources. 

May 2017