<p>Exhusband and I separated in 2004, divorce wasn't final until 2008. We did not have a child support order until last month. We've passed money back and forth over the last 4 years, but no court order. I can try to figure out how much he actually gave this year, but it's going to be a nightmare (he sent me money, I sent him money). In 2007, the amount was negligible, in 2008, it was significantly more (ex-husband was unemployed/under-employed through all of 2006 and most of 2007). Do I have to put a child support amount on the FAFSA for 2008 if we didn't have court ordered payments? We have filed taxes separately the last 2 years.
Thanks.</p>
<p>You have to put whatever you received, court-ordered or not. If it wasn’t court-ordered and you are verified, you can sign a statement indicating both the amount of child support you paid and the amount of child support he paid you (you will list these on the FAFSA - the instructions will tell you where to list them). If the net amount of chld support you will receive in 2009 is significantly lower than the net amount in 2008 with the court-ordered payment, you may send a letter to the college requesting that they look at your particular situation. They may or may not adjust figures for you based on the info.</p>