<p>@mom2collegekids - It is not at all clear this student can delay college for a year. Her Cal Grant eligibility was put on hold for two years while she attended community college, but it will not be held indefinitely. If she waits a year, she could lose her eligibility for Cal Grants altogether. It would take a bit of research to find out, but I kow that the time limits are spelled out clearly in the Cal Grant regulations.</p>
<p>@Anxiety94 - you need to do the following:</p>
<p><a href=“1”>b</a>** Stop using the word “dependent” - it’s only confusing things.</p>
<p><a href=“2”>b</a>** Get a 2013 calendar, and go through it day by day, marking each night you slept at your mom’s house, and each night you slept at your dad’s. Not kidding - go through every record you have from last year that may help you remember, and count it out.</p>
<p>For example:
That weekend you went out of town with your friends - was that a mom weekend or a dad weekend?
Thanksgiving weekend at Aunt Susie’s - do those three nights get subtracted from time at your mom’s house, or your dad’s?</p>
<p>If you spent 182 nights at dad’s house, and 183 at mom’s, she wins for FAFSA purposes. It doesn’t matter at that point who paid what, or how much money your dad makes. You can go back and correct your FAFSA to show your mom’s (and husband’s) income instead of dad’s.</p>
<p>And, yes, this is legit. It makes no difference if there’s a court order somewhere that says “shared custody” and “equal time” with each parent. It’s the actual time that determines your custodial parent for FAFSA purposes, so that’s what you need to figure out.</p>
<p>And if Davis or Berkeley questions the change, just explain that you misunderstood which of your parents was “custodial” for FAFSA purposes (which, from your posts above, you obviously did!) and have now corrected your error.</p>
<p>So, before you take out $27,000 in loans, go do the math . . . and let us know what the result is!</p>