Does the F.A. Office need proof of divorce/separation if...

davidlam92 · 10-22-2012, 06:06 PM

Does the Financial Aid Office need proof of divorce (or separation) if my parents were never married to begin with?

You, see, I have a unique situation because my parents have lived with each other ever since I was born (I'm over 18 years old, by the way) but they never got married. I've asked them about their marital status, but they said that they had "marriage license problems" which most likely means that they never got married to begin with, among other suspicious clues. My mother and father both provided financially for my brothers and I until my mother was fired from her job in 2012. Now my father is the only one providing financially for us. My father also put himself as Head of Household on his tax returns this year.

Another question I have is, do I have to put my parent's marital status on the FAFSA as divorced/separated since they are not officially married, single, nor widowed?

Another factor to consider is that the state that I live in does not recognize common-marriage law.

Thank you all!

dodgersmom · 10-22-2012, 09:04 PM

You wouldn't put divorced/separated, because that's not what they are. I'd think you could use either single or married and I'm not sure it would make much difference. Either way, the only family income is what your father's earning.

By the way, if they never married, they are still officially single.

davidlam92 · 10-22-2012, 09:20 PM

Yeah, well, I was a little confused because he put Head of Household on his tax return form instead of single.

So I guess I'll put down single on the FAFSA then...

Unless anybody else has something to add!

kelsmom · 10-22-2012, 09:39 PM

Yes, use just your father's information. He is Single for FAFSA. He qualifies to file as Head of Household; this is a status used by unmarried people (otherwise, it would be Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately - married people cannot file Head of Household).

The reason you use your dad is because if your parents are not married & live together, you have to use the one who contributes more for your well-being.

davidlam92 · 10-22-2012, 09:51 PM

Well then, alright! I guess that solves my conundrum. Thanks for all the answers guys. If anybody else has something to add, feel free to comment.

cptofthehouse · 10-23-2012, 10:06 AM

When we applied for a student loan, we came up for FAFSA verification and what the school wanted was copies of our tax return. I assume the status reported there will have some effect on what the school will determine. Although FAFSA and the federal tax returns use different criteria for some things such as who the custodial parent is, I think you would be flagged if your parents are filing taxes as married, for example and then claim other wise on the FAFSA. I am going to assume that theyhave been filing as unmarried folks on their taxes because they are not married.

OHMomof2 · 10-23-2012, 02:07 PM

As kelsmom said, Head of Household is a single person (with dependents) filing status.

If your parents were never married then they never filed taxes as married (joint or separate), so it's definitely your dad who is the custodial parent and whose info you will use for FAFSA. I guess you should make certain they were never married, if you aren't 100% sure.

davidlam92 · 10-23-2012, 03:44 PM

Thanks for the info guys (and moms).