Beware the new FSA ID numbers. Our son’s FA office needed some info from the IRS data retrieval tool from our taxes. I tried to login, messed up on the new stuff and ended up corrupting both my son’s and my files. I have to wait to call them.
You should not have any issues - it’s supposed to be a seamless transition. Exactly what did you do, and exactly what happened?
The school, on Friday, sent an email saying that our taxes weren’t uploaded to the IRS DRT. (I was out of town last week). So, on Sunday, I tried to get into my son’s info for Parent information, to request the automatic upload transfer of our taxes. I was unaware that the whole system was changing over on Mother’s day and this is my last child through FAFSA, so I felt fairly comfortable with the previous system.
For the returning users Login button, you enter the ss# and date of birth, the page appears with a side panel in blue that says “student”. (There is no other place or option to go to. The HELP “answers” are of no help.)
There are two selection buttons. The one on the left implies student only, so I didn’t select this “button” but I selected the alternate choice on the right. It had me create the FSA ID number. I tried to create it as the parent, with my name and ss number, and it compromised and recorded it as his info. The page then said that the application was complete and that, as a student, I couldn’t access corrections. I then realized I had compromised his account.
Today, I contacted the online FAFSA help. They were apparently very busy because I had to wait a while for online help. She was very dismissive saying that I shouldn’t have gotten into his account. I tried to tell her that I needed to get our taxes transferred into his information in the DRT, but all she said was that I shouldn’t have created an FSA ID number with his information. That was not very helpful.
Now I’m stuck. We had sent everything through the IDOC, but the school didn’t receive the IRS transcript. I can’t access anything to get into the DRT. I don’t believe that I am the only parent that has to get into the IRS retrieval tool.
You could get your IRS transcript online -
It is only kinda sorta a seamless transition, @kelsmom 
When you sign up for the new FSA ID, if you enter all the info it requests, you then get this message: “Your FSA Userid and Password have been created. Because you included your personal identifiers (Social Security Number, last name and date of birth), we will send your information to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for verification. This takes 1-3 days, during which time you will not be able to access many FSA systems. We will send you an email once the SSA match is complete.”
There are a lot of challenge questions to answer. Best write down all the answers.
The creation process also uses an email with a verification code sent to the student’s email address.
If the student is a dependent, a parent also needs an FSA ID.
(And the fantasy that dependent students are completing their own FAFSA’s continues evermore.)
@4KidsDad. We got our tax transcript online. Son’s IRS transcript, however, was not “available” online. Had to request it by mail.
@arabrab: “if the student is a dependent, a parent also needs an FSA ID” exactly! This has been my major issue, I can’t get one.
I’ll need one as well…but not until January or whenever the next fafsa is due. Hoping the bugs get worked out.
DD will need hers soon to do her master promissory note for Direct Loan for grad school. Hoping it goes smoothly!
I also completed 2 FAFSA forms for 2 daughters over the weekend -actually started in the old system, went to finish and use IRS data retrieval tool, and had to create FSA IDs for everyone, it went smoothly but took longer than I though it would, with lots of info to put in - they also ask you to make up 2 security questions for each ID and specify “a date which has meaning for you”. I filled up 2 pages of a legal pad with all of the info for the 3 FSA IDs, to save for future reference when I forget all of the info. I entered, LOL!
I did not get any messages about 1-3 days to complete the SSA match, presumably because I matched it with our already existing FAFSA PINs. The FAFSAs were submitted Sunday and I got emails that they were processed the next day.
I certainly can see how it would be fairly easy to make a mistake, with all of the info. that must be entered.
It is going to be ugly next January, imo. Right now it is a hassle since families that filed taxes close to April 15th are only now able to use the DRT, and so getting hit with this change. June 1 would have been a kinder start date, imo.
Best if people get these new FSA accounts set up this fall, imo.
My son and I did ours today. It probably took 15 minutes because we had to think of security questions. He did his first. He went to the FAFSA site, chose ‘log on,’ then ‘enter student info.’
When I did mine, I had to select ‘create a new ID.’ (It was a link in small letters on the left side of the screen. I almost missed it.) If you don’t see it on the FAFSA.gov site you can find it by Googling ‘FSA ID.’
Both student & parent have to enter their email, social sec. #, DOB, and pin from their old ID. You have to enter the 6-digit code they email to you to verify your account. We didn’t get any messages about verification with the soc. sec. administration either.
Just created mine. If you already have a PIN and enter it when creating the FSA ID then it doesn’t verify with the SSA.
Weird. We entered the PIN, and most definitely got the SSA Detour warning.
Thanks, all. Based on your posts, I did some snooping. I created a FAFSA for myself, and I logged in with my PIN. I found that it gets hung up at the IRS DRT when you do that. It took me to the page to establish the FSA ID. I also went to www,studentloans.gov to see what happens there - you have to establish the FSA ID in order to log in there. Based on this, I sent out emails to all of my current students and grads to encourage them to establish the FSA ID now, along with tips based on my own experience today! Thanks to all who posted. 
Yes, this IS and is going to be a miserable process, particularly for those who are less facile with online processes (as in, most of the students who particularly need financial aid). Question (kelsmom or anyone): what happens to students whose parents do not have an SSN (those students DO qualify for federal aid, but in past parents have had to sign a paper, and that works fine, just takes 2 weeks to mail and get scanned)? Another issue (the process was set up very non-user friendly IMHO–maybe this is a government tactic to cut down on student debt?): the former “password” to one’s particular version of the FAFSA, is now called a “save key.” Who ever heard of a “save key” or would think to remember or write it down?! Thoughts?
My experience in an inner city HS already, with this new system, matches the issues mentioned above. January is going to be nuts.
Also VERY problematic as to the student loans website mentioned above. Students are just beginning to do their student loan entrance counseling (for fall matriculation), and utterly flummoxed by this new challenge in the system. Thought they were all set, PINS written down on colored 3 X 5 cards…not.
Adding to this. We have two kids in repayment. Both of them need to deal with this as well.
I just tried to log into www.studentloans.gov with an incorrect password. It never gives the option to retrieve password. I had to do a search on www.studentaid.gov to find the password reset request page. Not good. I will provide feedback to FSA for this issue.