<p>My HD and I file our taxes separately.. How do we fill the FAFSA? I don't understand the IRS tool especially since we file separately. I am also a displaced worker. How does that work? I also claimed my sons. Please anyone help</p>
<p>Who claims the children as dependents for taxes is irrelevant for fafsa. If you are married and not separated you will have to report the combined financial info for both of you. I doubt you will be able to use the DRT. It can only bring over data from one return for the parents. If verified you will probably have to order tax transcripts for both of you and send them to the school(s).</p>
<p>If you are married, you will indicate “married” on the FAFSA. The income and assets for both parents will be combined and listed on the FAFSA. Your tax filing status is irrelevant.</p>
<p>Hello thump… I understand that. My S his college is asking for verification and to use the DRT tool. How does that work</p>
<p>Did you read my post? I don’t think you can use the DRT since you have two returns for the parents. Inform the school that the parents file separate returns but I think you will need to order a tax transcript from the IRS for each of your returns.</p>
<p>[Order</a> a Transcript](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Order-a-Transcript]Order”>Get Transcript | Internal Revenue Service)</p>
<p>OP, I hope you didn’t file your taxes separately because you thought this would be better for financial aid purposes. I hope there was some other tax advantage that you gained by filing separately (DH and I have run those numbers and filing jointly has always been to our advantage…in our situation).</p>
<p>Annoyingdad is correct, call or e-mail the financial aid department at the college and tell them you file separately so the tool will not work. I believe he is correct and most likely you will have to order a tax transcript for each return to meet the verification requirement. The one year I was a displaced worker I also had to send the paperwork that I used to obtain cobra and other benefits but only send what the college is asking you to send. If you combined all the information for the FAFSA --you did it correctly if you are married. </p>
<p>I’ve heard anecdotally in a conversation with a bunch of friends a couple years ago, that every once in a while there is an advantage to filing separately instead of joint e.g. one family member has huge medical bills so gets the Schedule B deduction but together they wouldn’t, or one family member racks up a ton of miscellaneous deductions etc. but togehter they wouldn’t…it’s somewhat rare for married people that the stars and moon line up to make it advantageous, but it can happen.</p>
<p>You cannot use the DRT. Financial aid offices are aware of this, but since it is not a common thing to have married filing separately, it is not generally covered in the info sent to you by a school for verification. You will need to combine everything (add all together) for the parent income / tax info.</p>
<p>You will have to order a tax transcript for each parent and send those.</p>
<p>My HD and I file our taxes separately… How do we fill the FAFSA? I don’t understand the IRS tool especially since we file separately. I am also a displaced worker. How does that work? I also claimed my sons. Please anyone help</p>
<p>Are you filing separately because you’re a “displaced worker”? Are you filing as “married, filing separately” or as “head of household”?</p>
<p>Filing separately means that you’re not eligible for a number of deductions…</p>
<p>It is very important that you both filed as married filing separately — if one filed head of household, you will not be able to get federal aid until you do an amended return. This was a really sticky problem where I used to work. There are some very unscrupulous tax preparers out there (as well as some folks who file their own taxes & aren’t clear on the rules).</p>