b>If you get an email message that says "Your request for a Federal Student Aid ID cannot be processed because the Social Security Number (SSN), name, or date of birth that you provided on your FSA ID application does not match your information on file at the Social Security Administration (SSA). If you are sure that the SSN, name, and date of birth used to apply for the FSA ID are correct, you must
contact the SSA to resolve any problems with their records." What should you do? — Erika B. The Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID is used to sign the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) electronically, correct errors on the
Student Aid Report (SAR), review the student's financial aid history at the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), access entrance and exit counseling for the Direct Loan program and sign electronic promissory notes for the Direct Loan program. An FSA ID may be obtained at www.fsaid.ed.gov
using the student's Social Security Number, name and date of birth. This information is compared with Social Security Administration (SSA) records and must be an exact match, per section 484(p) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the regulations at 34 CFR 668.32(i) and 34 CFR 668.36. The data match typically takes 1-3 days. If there is a mismatch, the application for an FSA ID will be rejected. A mismatch can occur because of an error in the information the student supplied in the FSA ID application or because of an error in the Social Security Administration database. Double check to make sure your name, Social Security Number and date of birth are an exact match for the information on your Social Security card. Verify that there aren't any typos in the Social Security Number, such as a digit transposition or substitution. Also double check that the student is submitting his or her Social Security Number, not the Social Security Number of a parent or sibling.
The name on the FSA ID application must match the student's full legal name as it appears on the student's Social Security card. Do not use a nickname, altered spelling or any other name. Use the full name, not initials. (For example, a student whose legal name is Kristina Carol must submit the FSA ID application with her full legal name, not K.C. or Casey.) Sometimes students don't realize that their legal name is different from the name they've been using, so it is best to retrieve the Social Security card to verify the spelling of the name. If a student has changed her name because of marriage or divorce, but has not yet updated her name with the Social Security Administration, she will need to either update her name with Social Security Administration or file the FAFSA with her legal name. Unless and until you change your name with the Social Security Administration, you have to use that name to obtain an FSA ID and complete the FAFSA. Verify that the student's date of birth is entered correctly. Common errors include submitting the current date instead of the birth date or the current year instead of the birth year. Sometimes students submit the date with month and day swapped. The FSA ID application will be rejected if the Social Security Number record includes a date of death. This problem will need to be corrected with the Social Security Administration. The FSA ID application will also be rejected if some information is missing, such as the student's last name or date of birth.
Fixing Social Security Number Mismatches
