Can a Parent Or Spouse Without a Social Security Number Get an FSA ID?

This AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&A was updated April 8, 2024 to reflect a revision to the steps originally published by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in the December 22, 2023 Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-23-123)

The new Studentaid.gov account (FSA ID) process for 2024-25 has been implemented. Individuals for whom the Social Security Administration (SSA) is unable to verify their identity (e.g., SSN does not match), the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has created a secondary identity verification process, which requires individuals to answer knowledge-based questions through a partnership with TransUnion^®. Individuals who do not possess an SSN (who fail the SSA match), as well as individuals who fail the TransUnion verification processes, will be required to complete the StudentAid.gov account creation process specifically developed for those without an SSN.

Step-by-step instructions for creating an FSA ID account for individuals who do not have an SSN were originally published in the December 22, 2023 Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-23-123) and were revised on March 5, 2024. See the ED webpage How To Submit the 2024–25 FAFSA^® Form if Your Contributor Doesn’t Have an SSN for the detailed instructions.

Additional Resources:

• NASFAA's How to Get an FSAID for Individuals Without a Social Security Number explainer in English
• NASFAA's How to Get an FSAID for Individuals Without a Social Security Number explainer in Spanish
• ED's StudentAid.gov Account Creation Process for Users Without an SSN webinar

Update Notes:

• This AskRegs Q&A was updated December 28, 2023 to reflect a correction to the email address in the former Step 4 originally published by ED in the December 22, 2023 Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-23-123)
• This AskRegs Q&A was previously updated December 22, 2023 to reflect new guidance published by ED in the December 22, 2023 Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-23-123)