another fafsa question . . . parents separated but the one i live with is unemployed?

Paying for College
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<p>Hey guys, I'm doing my FAFSA and I'm a bit confused as to which parent's income I should put down. I live full time with my sister and my mother, who does not work. My parents have been separated since 06, dad owns his own condo, etc. They file a joint tax return.</p>

<p>FAFSA says to list the info of the parent you live with - my mom. On the form itself, it says "what was your MOTHER'S adjusted gross income for 2009?". Then, in the info in the box at the side, it says "Enter the amount of your PARENTS' adjusted gross income (AGI) in 2009. " So should I put zero- my mom's income - or my dad's income? The answer to the next question, how much did your mom earn from wages, is obviously 0, so I'm thinking that I should put my dad's income. Is that right?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>I’m in a similar situation. They specifically ask for the custodial parent’s information, so you would put 0 if your mother does not work. Though it says “Parents’”, they only refer to any/all custodial parents. (Can someone confirm?)</p>

<p>Because of that, however, they’ll be very interested to know how your expenses are paid (through child support, a third party, etc).</p>

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<p>OP get your mom’s tax form. If she is receiving unemployment income it is taxable…her adjusted gross income will not be zero…use the tax form and on the FAFSA it tells you exactly what lines on the tax form to gather the information. “Income” does not always mean money from a job. Good luck…get a copy of the tax form she is submitting this year before you try to figure out the FAFSA it’s much, much easier.</p>

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<p>momofthreeboys…the OP says her parents are separated and file a JOINT return. The tax form isn’t going to help her with her MOM’s income as the AGI on a joint return is for BOTH of the filers.</p>

<p>This OP needs to make sure that her parent has NO income. It is possible that is the case. BUT she needs to make sure. </p>

<p>Isn’t there someplace on the FAFSA for child support or is it alimony (or both?)? If so, this custodial parent would need to put that in too.</p>

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<p>my mother doesn’t get unemployment . . . their separation was amicable and my father still supports the three of us (although once i transfer i’m going to be financially self-supporting, but i’ll still be on my dad’s insurance), but there are no official child support payments or anything. My parents are legally separated but still have a joint expense account and file a joint return. My mother got her nursing degree a year ago but there’s been a hiring freeze because of the economy and she hasn’t worked since my sister was born 15 years ago. I think the question is with the phrase “adjusted gross income”. Anyone know what that means?</p>

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<p>(Sorry crossposted)
Hmmm you’re correct I read over the portion about filing a joint return…hopefully someone in finaid will answer because I thought if the parents were separated that it didn’t matter what tax form was filed and that the student would still only use the custodial parent on the FAFSA and any income that custodial parent received would be income plus if the mom is collecting unemployment, unemployement payments are still taxable…so either way the adjusted gross income would still not be zero I think.</p>

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<p>the confusing thing is that on the form it keeps saying “mother’s income/exemptions/salaries/assets etc” but then in the info box on the side it will say “parents’ income/…etc”. for me those are two very different things so i need to know which i should put</p>

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<p>cpbbookworm…the FAFSA is VERY clear. You fill in the information for your CUSTODIAL parent only. That is the parent you live with. Any reference to Parent(s) income is for the REQUIRED parent(s) for YOUR form. In your case, since your parents are separated, and you live with your mom, it’s your mom’s income.</p>

<p>BUT …I do believe there is a spot on the FAFSA for money paid on behalf of the student by someone else. If your father is paying all of your living expenses, the amount of those expenses must be listed.</p>

<p>If you put $0 on the form (even if that is accurate) and you have no child support, no alimony, no state aid…nada…SOMEONE is going to want to know just how your family pays the bills. You will need to be prepared to answer that question, in my opinion.</p>

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<p>yeah, I am prepared . . . and I’m not trying to game the system or anything, I know I won’t qualify for aid since I have more than enough money for everything from child acting . . . but for grad school etc I may have to take out student loans and I want to have my fafsa on record. plus there are some merit scholarships you can’t apply for without submitting fafsa. thanks thumper, i think you’re right.</p>

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<p>Certainly the amount that the father provides to the household must be included. So, if the dad provides $ for mortgage, food, clothes, child-support, etc, that must be listed. Either the dad gives the mom a set amount each month or pays the bills (or some combo), but that amount is income to the household.</p>

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<p>First…the above doesn’t matter. Your FAFSA for undergrad school needs to be filed ANNUALLY and has NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING to do with your grad school costs or the payment of them in subsequent years. Having a “FAFSA on file” is not necessary. Did you KNOW that your FAFSA is only for the upcoming school year? It’s not used for subsequent years AT ALL…NOT AT ALL. Garbage after that academic year is over. Plus, your FAFSA this year (for undergrad) will be submitted to schools YOU choose for this upcoming year. These might not even be the SAME schools that you apply to for grad school (it wouldn’t matter anyway…schools don’t look at LAST year’s…or the year before"s FAFSAs anyway).</p>

<p>Second…I’m not sure what to believe or not believe about this thread. The OP first comes here with questions about filing the FAFSA, but then says he/she has enough money to attend school regardless because of the money from being a child actor? What??</p>

<p>Third…Move here…salaries are high and there is a significant shortage of NURSES. I’d love to know where the OP lives where her mom cannot find A nursing job. I can’t believe that there are job freezes at ALL places that hire nurses. It’s ok of the mom doesn’t want to work…but not being able to find a nursing job is unbelievable. BUT to the OP…the colleges won’t care if your mom can’t find a job. That is not factored into the finaid calculation.</p>

<p>Fourth…if your mom REALLY has no income (none of the things that could be income)…you might qualify for the simplified needs test and YOUR assets (including your “child acting” income) would not be taken into consideration.</p>

<p>Fifth. Grad school financial aid is VERY different from undergrad. So in FOUR years when that DOES matter…be prepared. You will then be an independent student…with virtually no asset protection unless you are married. Grad school aid is given based on MERIT…fellowships, scholarships, assistantships, etc…and then loans. Need based aid is not the same as for undergrad. BUT you don’t have to deal with that now…that is FOUR YEARS AWAY and any financial information you have as of now WILL NOT MATTER.</p>

<p>Sixth…be prepared to document this “legal separation”. Your parents maintain joint accounts, file taxes jointly, and your father pays all of your family expenses, right? This more sounds like a married couple who happen to reside in two residences. If I’m viewing it that way…someone else might as well.</p>

<p>Seventh…From reading other posts, it looks like you are attending SMC (is that Santa Monica College?). Are you continuing to attend there next year or not? Community colleges are not required to meet full need. What did you do for the current college year if this is the case…regarding financial aid form completion?</p>

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<p>Filing a FAFSA now will have NOTHING to do with grad school needs.</p>

<p>You don’t need a “FAFSA on record” for undergrad to later file one for grad school. Why do you think that?</p>

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<p>Thumper- thank you for clarifying the grad school stuff. I do know you have to file it every year/that’s the only year it’s good for, and that it’s very different for grad school, but I’ve been getting lots of conflicting information and I just wanted to check. I did read all the information, naturally, but as stated above, sometimes they contradict themselves.</p>

<p>Second- I’m filing the fafsa because some merit scholarships, like the UC Leadership/Alumni ones, require you to submit fafsa regardless of need. I do have a little more than enough for two years at a UC, but I am also planning on going to law school, so why not save as much money as I can on undergrad by trying to get merit scholarships?</p>

<p>Third: We can’t leave LA :slight_smile: In this county there is actually a hiring freeze on hiring brand-new nurses. Hospitals don’t have the money to train them and are only hiring those who have done a year or more of professional work. A few private places are hiring, but mostly nursing homes with long contracts and little opportunity to learn. My mother also worked in public health for 20 years (planned parenthood/on the hill, etc) and doesn’t want to enter into a long contract when she will hopefully be able to work at UCLA or something in a year. There are some other issues too- I’m not defending her decisions, just explaining them.</p>

<p>Fourth: She has no income. Is not working, no assets except our house, which she doesn’t own outright. I’m actually make a lot more than her because I’m working two jobs haha. </p>

<p>Fifth: It’s actually two years away . . . I’m a one year transfer. And like I said, I want to save as much of my cash as possible for grad school by getting merit scholarships. I forgot to mention this before, but I AM NOT TAKING ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM MY PARENTS FOR COLLEGE. I am living at home now but I pay for my own food/transportation/tuition and books and I will be paying for my own housing and tuition and everything once I transfer in the fall. I would never ever misrepresent my situation to take money from students who actually need it, but I have some qualities that qualify me for merit scholarships and I’m going to try to get as many of those as I can.</p>

<p>Sixth: There are four years of joint tax returns, bank accounts, etc. to document the separation- it’s all very legal and I’m not worried. They had a lawyer draw up a separation contract and on my sister’s financial info(she goes to a private boarding school) they are listed as separated and there have been no questions. My mom is also no longer covered by my dad’s company’s health insurance.</p>

<p>Seventh: Last year at this time I was doing my final semester of high school as an exchange student in Germany. I’m a one-year transfer and I will be attending a UC in the fall. I didn’t bother filing last year because SMC cost me mayyyybe a thousand bucks in tuition and books, which I can pay out of my wages, and I also wasn’t at home then to compile financial info.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids: thanks for specifying that dad’s contributions are income. I wasn’t sure about that and it confused me. And like I said, I’ve been getting a lot of conflicting info (some smc counselors are great and some are idiots) and I just wanted to ascertain I wasn’t inadvertently submitting false info on a form.</p>

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<p>One other thing you should be aware of…MANY law schools REQUIRE parental information on the FAFSA even though you are considered independent because of having a bachelors degree. Some law schools require this parental info (income and assets) for ALL students regardless of age, marital status or anything else. Just FYI…as that takes some students (and their parents) by surprise.</p>

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<p>There are places were nursing jobs are scarce. This has been a dramatic change from as recently as just a couple years ago. The director of a college nursing program came to speak to a meeting of volunteers who help out at the high school with kids applying to colleges and for financial aid. (I volunteer there with this.)</p>

<p>She said the economic downturn has caused many experienced nurses who left the field to return to it, and many that might have moved on to other things to stay. There are also far fewer opportunities for nurses to change jobs even within the field than there used to be. Experienced nurses have fared far better than new nurses throughout all this. Of course there are differences depending on geograhic area, but large urban areas like LA, NY, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. have seen a marked decrease in employment for new nurses.</p>

<p>She also told us that getting into nursing programs in college has gotten much easier than it was a few years ago. At her program there used to be 8 applicants for every opening, now there are 2-3.</p>

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<p>*it’s all very legal and I’m not worried. They had a lawyer draw up a separation contract and on my sister’s financial info(she goes to a private boarding school) they are listed as separated and there have been no questions. My mom is also no longer covered by my dad’s company’s health insurance.
*</p>

<p>Since there is a separation contract, I’m guessing that there is an amount of money that your dad gives your money directly/indirectly each month - such as: directly to buy groceries and pay for other household & auto needs, and perhaps indirectly by paying the mortgage/property taxes/homeowner’s insurance.</p>

<p>Since it sounds like your dad makes a high income, it also sounds like he provides well for your household.</p>

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<p>For the OP, if you are claimed as a dependent, then with your mom’s info you may meet the “simplified needs test” and your assets will not be considered in computing your EFC. This could be a good thing, because then you will have those reserves for law/grad school later. At that point there is precious little aid available, so that could be important.</p>

<p>You just need to fill it out as straight-forwardly as you can and see how it works out. When putting down a figure for “bills paid on your behalf” on the FAFSA, you should probably make sure not to put down an amount that also covers bills paid on your mom’s behalf. That is to say, if your dad pays the rent for you, your sister and your mom, I don’t think you’d put down the full amount of rent he pays. I’m not sure how you’d reckon your share… like divide it by 3 or something? I don’t know, but the FAFSA specifically does not ask the parents that question about bills being paid on their behalf. It only asks the student. Probably because of cases like yours. Actually, I don’t know if you’d even include rent. I mean, you’re not the person who’s actually renting the place. That would be your mom.</p>

<p>What you put down, though, will be counted as untaxed income, and along with your earned income it may push your EFC up quite a bit. You really just need to answer the questions as accurately as you can, but you don’t have to answer questions it doesn’t ask.</p>

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<p>Swimcatsmom will have to pipe in as she really knows a LOT more about the auto $0 and simplified needs than I do…but I do believe the applicant’s family has to either file a 1040EZ or a 1040A to qualify for these. Otherwise…not. So if the “joint return” that the parents are filing is a long form 1040, they might not qualify for this test.</p>

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<p>I qualified for the simplified needs and 0 EFC despite the fact that my mother files a 1040, because the FAFSA simply asks if you are “eligible” to file a 1040A. Regardless of what the OP’s mother files, she is (likely) eligible.</p>

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<p>Haematic - that is not true at all. You can’t just say you are eligible to file a 1040A or EZ if you are not. There are lots of things that make one ineligible to file a 1040A. For instance if you itemize deductions you are not eligible to file a 1040a or EZ. If you have a taxable state tax refund you are not eligible to file a 1040a or 1040ez (my pet peeve as we had a less than $100 taxable state refund and it made us ineligible to file a 1040 a or ez and made us ineligible for simplified needs - 3 years ago and I am still whining about it). There is a long list of things that make one ineligible to file 1040a/ez.</p>

<p>If you file a 1040 but say you were eligible to file a 1040a then that is something the verification process will check on (which will not be a problem if your Mom was in fact eligible).</p>