<p>Hey fellow CCers, I'm going through a really hard time and I could use some help.</p>
<p>I just came back from EA weekend at my college to find out my dad has had an on-going affair with a woman, and my parents are now splitting up. He's off to live with the other woman while my mom, sisters, and I remain in our house. Since I'm 18, I will receive no child support from him (not that he has any to give-- right before they split up his unemployment ran out), and I am not obligated to see him if I don't want to.</p>
<p>I already filed FAFSA with the 2009 figures, but I didn't know if this would be a special circumstance to call the financial aid office about or not. I don't know much about filing FAFSA when parents are seperated/divoriced... I never thought this would happen to me.</p>
<p>I think you are obligated to report both parents income/assets on the FAFSA but rather than rely on advice from some well meaning strangers, call the admissions office.</p>
<p>You can contact the school, but you might want to run the numbers through <a href=“http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov%5B/url%5D”>http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov</a> first. You can omit his unemployment income, but that will also mean one less person in the household. (Assuming it is a FAFSA-only school)</p>
<p>If the parents are divorced, only the parent with whom you live who provides more than 50% of income would be reported on the FAFSA. </p>
<p>OP, you can ask the financial aid officer to consider a special circumstance adjustment. However, I would advise you to run the calculators both ways (with parents separated and together) because it may be in your best interest not to change your FAFSA. If your father was only earning unemployment and your mom was supporting the family, it may be that the additional family income (his unemployment) is offset by having an additional person in your family and by the larger asset protection that is allowed for 2 parents versus one. If your parents remain separated or divorce for next year, you will be obligated to fill out your FASA with just your mom’s info but run the calculators now to see what gives you the lower EFC.</p>
<p>Why would the OP change the FAFSA? The parents were not divorced as of 12/31/09, and the Dad was living with the student for the entire 2009 year. I can understand calling the admissions office regarding a special circumstances adjustment, but to change the FAFSA would be incorrect.</p>
<p>When I run the calculator, do I include my father’s income at all or no? When I leave it blank and change my AGI to what my mom made this year, our EFC is 0. When I filed FAFSA, it was 769. I’m not sure how accurate the forecaster is because it won’t let me change the household size, unless it doesn’t matter because my income is now even lower (about $20,000).</p>
<p>The student won’t change the FAFSA. The school would- if they approve a special circumstance. However, before pursuing that, running the numbers through the 4caster will help predict the effect of omitting the father’s income and place in the HH.</p>
<p>With those EFC numbers, even the $769 that you received before circumstances changed, there will be very little difference in what you are eligible for. Generally a family household income under $30,000 (GENERALLY) will mean an EFC of zero and therefore a maximum Pell grant of $5550 (I think that is this year’s figure). Wit the 769 maybe your Pell grant will be 5250 or somthing like that, not a huge difference. The other financial aid for which you qualify because of qualifying for the Pell, should not change significantly. Don’t sweat it.</p>
<p>I am sorry for the disintegration of your family as it has been. Pace yourself through the life changes of your own coming up (finishing HS and going off to your new college life) and try to stay as disengaged from the problems your parents are dealing with, as you can. You will need your energy for YOUR life.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can change the FAFSA yourself as it correctly reflected your parent’s marital status when you filed it. But I would suggest talking to your FA department to see if they will make a special circumstances adjustment to reflect the change in your family situation. It is definitely worth asking. If it changes your EFC to 0 it *might<a href=“depending%20on%20your%20school’s%20policies”>/I</a> make more difference to to your aid than just an increase of around $700 in the Pell. At my daughter’s school a 0 EFC qualifies a student for the SEOG grant which at her school is $2000 (this varies by school). It does not hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no. </p>
<p>I am sorry you are going through this. My parents split up when I was 18. I remember being surprised at how devastating it was to me.</p>
<p>Yes (agreeing with swimcatsmom). Sometimes there is also state aid for low income kids and, since it’s a limited pot, there are better chances for it with a 0 EFC than with one a bit higher.</p>
<p>IF your parents were separated when you filed then you should have filed as divorced/separated. I don’t know if you can correct that but you must have gotten your parents info somehow - they didn’t tell you?</p>
<p>If your father moved out AFTER you filed FAFSA then you can’t change it.</p>
<p>The status is as of filing date AND you don’t have to be divorced. Being separated is enough.
Anyway - if you can’t change fafsa; then certainly send a note to the college informing them of the change in your financial situation.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody. I called the school today, and they said they would send me a Special Circumstance form that I’d receive in October. I didn’t realize it’d take this long to do all this. Today my mom applied for Food Stamps.</p>
<p>I know, but I still have the 769 to pay at the bare minimum. That’s our house payment. We could have done okay with $36,000. But now only $20,000? It’s going to be really hard.</p>
<p>I’d also like to add that those are all based on estimation… I was hoping for the best based on my FAFSA results. I will get a FA letter from IUP in March-April and I will find out the accurate results then.</p>
<p>my d is 18 also and in a similar place. So first of all so so sorry about your circumstances. Try to remember it says nothing about you or your siblings, this is his issue and is about him.
as for the dollars and cents, i think you are far better off to kick him to the curb and just include your mom.</p>
<p>tell your mom to keep her head up high and take one day at a time. I have been there . . .
not eating so I could feed my d, etc.
it will all be ok, somehow it always works itself out.</p>