Instructions for Parents: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

For a dependent student completing the FAFSA, the parent's role is critical for them to be considered for federal aid. Please Note: A dependent's student FAFSA application CAN NOT be processed without the parent's information and consent.

We understand that the FAFSA application can be confusing, so we hope the information below will be helpful to you.

Create an FSA ID (Federal Student Aid Identification)

It is required for all parties entering information on the application to have their own individual FSA ID.

It is recommended that you create your FSA ID before you start the FASFA application.
It can take 3-5 days for set up, so please plan accordingly.
Visit studentaid.gov to start the process of creating your FSA ID.

Need help with creating your FSA ID, please view this video: https://youtu.be/iTb7hMVtzco?si=AE9MFMh0Mi-0P7CD

Please Note: If you have an FSA ID from a prior year, you do not need a new one for completing the 2025-2026 FAFSA application. Please use your current FSA ID.

Your FAFSA Application questions will be different from your student’s questions

The FAFSA application will have about 46 questions for most filers. For dependent students, both the parent and student must complete their portions of the form themselves to submit the FAFSA.

Students and parents will now see different questions related to their roles.

To ensure a smooth process, it is encouraged that the student starts the FAFSA application process and then add the parents as contributors so that they can fill in their information.

Who could be a contributor on the application?

Contributor refers to anyone asked to provide information on the FAFSA. In some cases, the parent of a student is a contributor.

Who will be a Contributor for 2025-2026 FAFSA? - To assist with identifying if you would be a contributor, please visit the Parent Wizard Tool created by the Department of Education.

Tax/Income Data

All individuals listing tax information on the FAFSA will be required to use the IRS Direct Data Exchange (DDX) to share tax information or confirm non-filing status. DDX gives ease to the process and reduces questions to be answered. This part does require the use of your FSA ID.

Note for divorced parents - For the 2025-26 FAFSA®, the financial information of the parent providing the most financial support will be used. With the previous version of the FAFSA, if the student’s parents were either divorced or separated, the financial information of the parent the student lived with the most in the tax year would be used for the FAFSA®.

You will be required to provide consent and approval on the 2025-2026 FAFSA form - Students and their contributors (in some cases, a parent) will now be required to provide consent and approval to have the IRS transfer their federal tax information into the FAFSA.

PLEASE NOTE: If students or contributors don’t provide consent and approval, the student won’t be eligible for federal student aid.

To learn more about what it means to provide consent, watch this short video.

Student Aid Index (SAI)

The FAFSA previously calculated an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). Now the FAFSA will produce the Student Aid Index (SAI). This name more accurately describes a number used to determine aid eligibility within programs and compared to other students. Also, this number, unlike the EFC, can be negative with the minimum SAI being -1500.

The change to SAI calculations does have additional implications that could impact your aid eligibility:

No benefit for having siblings in college: The FAFSA previously divided the EFC proportionally based on the number of the household in college. The elimination of this "sibling discount" will be the biggest change in aid eligibility for some students. The SAI will not use the number in college as a factor in calculation of eligibility. The determination to no longer consider the number in college was made by Congress and can only be changed by Congress.
Automatic Pell Grants based on income and household size: Families making less than 175% and single parents making less than 225% of the federal poverty level will see their students receive a maximum Federal Pell Grant award. Minimum Pell Grants will be guaranteed to students from households below 275%, 325%, 350%, or 400% of the poverty level, depending on household structure. Pell awards between the maximum and minimum amounts will be determined by SAI.
Larger Income Protection Allowances: The Income Protection Allowance (IPA) covers a family's basic living expenses and is excluded from SAI formulas. New, larger IPAs lower the amount of student or parent income considered to be available to pay for college. IPAs will increase by 20% for parents, up to about $2400 (35%) for most students, and up to about $6500 (60%) for students who are single parents.
Inclusion of family farms or small businesses: When required, families will now report the value of their farms or businesses. While this inclusion continues to be debated in Congress, it will be required reporting for appropriate families on the 2024-25 FAFSA and can influence the SAI.

To see a walk through of the 2025-2026 FAFSA application, please view this video, presented by KHEAA.

Instructions for Parents

The Office of Student Financial Assistance

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