How to answer FAFSA^® student spouse questions

Are you a married student? Your spouse may need to complete 2025-26 FAFSA^® questions about their identity, contact info, and tax return.

Student spouse identity and contact information

Why do they need this info?

The FAFSA^® considers your marital status when figuring out how much financial aid you’re eligible for.

Can I skip these questions?

If you’re not married, you can skip.

How to fill out this section

You or your spouse will need to:

Enter your spouse’s name exactly as it appears on their Social Security card.
Enter their Social Security number and date of birth accurately.
Enter an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) only if your spouse doesn’t have a Social Security number.
Enter your spouse’s permanent home/mailing address.
Enter a phone number where your spouse can be easily reached. Don’t enter dashes.

Why do they need this info?>

The FAFSA^® looks at your spouse’s income and tax info when figuring out your financial aid eligibility.

Can I skip these questions?

Yes, as long as your spouse provides consent to transfer federal tax information from the IRS.
Your FAFSA^® will not be processed unless they provide this consent.
On the paper form, you can skip all of question 28 as long as your spouse provides electronic transfer consent in question 29.
The FAFSA^® will import your spouse’s tax return info into your application once they’ve provided consent.

How to answer these questions

Your spouse will need to check “Consent to transfer federal tax information from the Internal Revenue Service” (question 29 Student Spouse Consent and Signature on the paper version).
Your spouse will also need to enter their signature and the date.