I have primary physical and legal custody of my 17 year old grandchild as ordered by the court when she was 18 months old. Her father has shared legal custody but has had no income for the last few years and does not support this child. Her mother is deceased. We were going to fill out the FAFSA with my financial information but I was told this is not possible as I am not the parent. Is my grandchild considered an independent student or should we use her father’s information (no income)?
If you have actual legally-ordered guardianship that is currently in place, your grandchild is independent for FAFSA purposes. If you simply have custody that is shared with the father, she is dependent & her father is the parent for FAFSA purposes. He will use his income - 0 if that is correct - on the parent section of the FAFSA.