Hello, I am unsure of which parent’s information that I should use to fill out my FAFSA. I am a current high school senior, but I want to have all of my facts straight before I do the FAFSA to enable me to get as much aid as possible, LEGALLY. My situation is: My three siblings and I live most of the time with my mother with my grandparents. My mother is unemployed, because she was needed to help take care of my elderly grandmother and toddler sister. She did, however, work in 2017 and filed taxes, so she has some financial information to show as she made 7,533 dollars. I made 4,874 dollars that year. Our grandparents, as well as any money that i recieve from work, helps fund basic things that I want. On the other hand, my father has full, legal custody of my siblings and I, because he got custody over us when he and my mother divorced in 2010. She has straightened her life up and he has since let us live with her, although he still claims us on his tax forms, and his address is still our official address because he provides all insurance, car insurance, med bill expenses for us. If I am not mistaken, he made 36000 dollars in 2017. My main question is should I use my mother for FAFSA to increase my financial aid opportunities? Also, as mentioned above, my official address is my fathers, so my w-2 form has a different address than my mothers, but will this cause any major problems? Thanks to anyone who can shed some light to my situation.
The first test for which parent to use is the number of nights you spend with the parent. If you spend one more night with your mother, she’s the parent’s info you use.
You should not use your mother to increase your financial aid, but because she’s the parent you live with the most. She will have to include any child support she receives in her information.
Having different addresses on W-2 or insurance forms is not a problem.
Thank you so much! And yes, my mother is the one I live with the most. Could documentation that I may have to sho be avoided to make the process smoother if I link mine and my mother’s information to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to show that the income amounts that I put on FAFSA are in fact the actual amount of money that we earned? My mother does not receive Child support from my father as his residence used to be where I lived the most, and he has legal custody of my siblings and I, but he has never required her to pay child support either.
No, you don’t have to do anything to get the DRT to work, as long as you filed correctly and your mother filed correctly (if she is single and filed either as single or Head of household). It should work for you.
If this will be your first time filing FAFSA, get your FSA IDs now. You’ll need one, your mother will need one.
Another thing I forgot, my father claims my siblings and I on his tax forms, will this affect anything if I were to use my mother? one more thing, due to my odd circumstances, would a college want proof that I live there with my mother? because there really is not a way for me to prove that. I mean it is what it is. I live there more than I do at my dads point blank.
You’re parents TAX filing status…and divorce custody have NO BEARING on which parent you put on your FAFSA.
For the FAFSA, it’s very clear. You use the parent with whom you have resided greater than 50% of the time for the year prior to the date you file your FAFSA… So…if you live with your mom all or most of that time…she is the parent you put on your FAFSA. Period. Your dad’s fo does not go on the FAFSA. Any child or spousal support needs to be listed as well for your mom.
Now…if you apply to any schools that require th Profile and the non-custodial parent Profile…that’s nother story.
OH…and if your mom is remarried, her spouses income and assets re also required on the FAFSA.