Okay so my parents are divorced and lived in the same state and I lived with my father majority of the time so I used his information for the fafsa requiring 2014 and 2015 information. I attend college in my home state. My dad just got a job in North Carolina and moved there at the beginning of April so I will be living with my mom this year. My mom also makes more money than my dad. Since the FAFSA next year is prior prior am I going to still use my dads information or do I switch to my moms and use her 2015 information? I am a little confused on what I will do then.
This is a great question but I don’t know the answer. I hope someone who does comes along soon.
You can file 2017/18 FAFSA starting in October of 2016 and you will have to provide the parent’s financial information who you lived with more in the 365 days immediately before filing FAFSA. 2015 tax return will be used.
So if you lived with your dad from Oct 1, 2015 to April '16, count those days and then from April until Sep 30th when you lived with your mom, count those. Will you live with one of your parents more?
It will probably be close.
Also what if your dad turns out to be your parent for FAFSA, but you are going to school in a state other than NC, will you be considered to be an OOS student? Your residency might be dependent on your parent as long as you are dependent on them.
Does your mom live in the state you go to school?
@kelsmom is this true?
The criteria has always been the parent with whom your resided with the most in the 365 days prior to filing your FAFSA form for the year…not your taxes.
Is this changing with the use of prior prior year?
^I meant, yes the parent who is the FAFSA parent, will use his/her 2015 tax return info for the 2017/18 FAFSA.
I did not say that the parent who claims the child on tax return is the parent listed on FAFSA.
It depends on who the child lives more days with in the 365 days before filing FAFSA.
Since the 2017/18 FAFSA can be filed this October I was trying to explain to OP which time frame would be used.
I see now…I didn’t see the period between your sentences. I thought you were saying that the student used the parent who they resided with most before filing their tax return! Oops. My error.
Yes…the parent for that year will use their information on the FAFSA.
And to the OP…this CAN change from year to year.
Thank you guys! and I plan on talking with my schools FA office before as well as im sure switching parents completely will set off quite a few flags on the FAFSA.
and to @mommdc yes my mom lives in the state I attend college and I will be living with her majority of the year so I plan on using her information.