FAFSA Spouse Guide 2025-26

Introduction

This guide assumes the student has completed their portion of the FAFSA and identified you as a Spouse Contributor.

Completing the FAFSA helps determine the student's eligibility for:

  • Federal Pell Grants
  • Federal student loans
  • State financial aid
  • School financial aid

Step 1: Logging In

Use your FSA ID to log in. If you don’t have one, you will need to create an account. If you forgot your credentials, use recovery options such as “Forgot My Username” or “Forgot My Password,” or contact 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Step 2: Accepting the Invitation

Click “Accept Invitation” to begin your section. You’ll be asked to share personal and contact information.

Step 3: Spouse Contribution Section

The next page should say “Spouse Contributing to the FAFSA Form.” Click “Continue.”

Step 4: Identity and Address

Review and confirm your name, date of birth, SSN, email, phone number, and mailing address.

Step 5: Consent and Approval

Consent is required to import your tax data from the IRS. Without it, the student will be ineligible for federal aid. Click “Approve.”

If you didn’t file jointly with the student, your separate consent is needed.

Step 6: IRS Data Transfer

Once consent is given, your tax data will be securely imported. If unsuccessful, you’ll need to enter it manually. Once the process has completed, click “Continue,” regardless of it was successful or not.

Step 7: Spouse Finances

Provide financial details from your 2024 tax return, including:

  • IRA and pension rollovers
  • Foreign earned income exclusion
  • Adjusted gross income
  • Income tax paid
  • Education credits
  • Net profit/loss from Schedule C
  • College grants/scholarships reported as income

If any responses are zero, you must type “0” in the appropriate field before clicking “Continue” to move on.

Step 8: Review and Signature

Review all information. Click “Continue.” Electronically sign using your FSA ID. Certify that all information is accurate by checking the “Agree” box, then click “Sign and Submit.”

Step 9: Final Confirmation

You will see a confirmation screen when done. Once all contributors have completed their sections, the FAFSA form is submitted for processing.

The student will receive an email confirmation and can track the status via studentaid.gov.

NIU School Code

Use NIU's School Code when completing the FAFSA.

001737