Registered Domestic Partners and financial aid reporting

Paying for College
1

<p>My partner and I are RDPs in Washington, which is a community property state. That means that all of our income is split equally between us. Although cannot file a joint federal return, but we are required to file as though each of us earned half of our total income.</p>

<p>I am the biological mother and my partner the adoptive mother of our daughter, who will be a senior in high school next year.</p>

<p>Does anyone have experience with how colleges view this financial situation? Do we include both incomes on the financial aid application? My income is significantly lower than my partner’s. Do we include both incomes on the financial aid form? Just mine? My actual income, or my community-property-half-the-total income?</p>

<p>This is new enough that we are having constant back-and-forth between our tax accountant and the IRS about how this is to be calculated. (Don’t get me started about how frustrating it is to have to pay an accountant to do our taxes after all these years, and then the IRS runs up our bill with calls because they can’t train their employees how to handle the new situation that we legally have to comply with).Does anyone have any experience with this issue and/or advice?</p>

2

<p>I don’t think you use both incomes.</p>

<p>Since your D lives equally with both parents (and bio and adopted are “equals”…bio doesn’t trump adoptive)…then I think the rule is that you have to use the one parent with the higher income on FAFSA.</p>

3

<p>Please call FAFSA and call each school. I believe FAFSA will want the parent who provided the most support. I believe states schools in states that recognize domestic partnerships and some private schools may want you to fill out a separate form that will look at both of your incomes and assets.</p>

<p>Here’s the way CA does it: </p>

<p>[California</a> Student Aid Commission - How do I complete the FAFSA if I or my parents are in a registered domestic partnership?](<a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=930]California”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=930)</p>

<p>If your parents are in a registered domestic partnership, you’ll be considered the same as a student with married parents, including financial and residency requirements</p>