FAFSA filing

<p>Brief synopsis:</p>

<p>Ex-wife (remarrried) has no job so therefore no taxable income. </p>

<p>I claim my son on tax returns as dependent per divorce agreement. Per agreement she would claim our daughter on taxes. We have 50/50 custody & have always split education expenses between the 2 of us. </p>

<p>Since she had not claimed daughter on taxes since divorce, she filled out FAFSA without any of my income. Daughter received full tuition via grants/work study etc. (which i still feel guilty about) I am gathering that her new husband does not file taxes jointly. ( he also refused to pay for any college for his own children)</p>

<p>My son graduates high school in 2015. She wants me to not claim him on taxes for 2014 so she can file FAFSA without my income in hopes of getting another full ride. This does not seem legit at all.I would think that FAFSA would see that he was claimed by me for the last 10 years. </p>

<p>Would this work? Wouldn't we be turned down if they do any research on my son's dependent status for prior year taxes?</p>

<p>My plan is to file FAFSA for him as a single parent with him as dependent. I'm sure he'll get some aid but not a full ride.</p>

<p>any help????????</p>

<p>It doesn’t matter who claims the student as a dependent on the taxes - what matters is who the student lived with most in the 365 days prior to the day the FAFSA is filed. The school won’t do research on your past tax history, because which parent claims the student doesn’t matter. Divorced parents sometimes make an agreement to have dad claim the student, even if the student lived with mom for one more day out of the year. If this is the case, mom’s information is to be included on the FAFSA. </p>

<p>There is something fishy about your post. Your former wife is remarried, right? If so, her husband’s income and assets must be included on the kids’ FAFSA forms…as well as any child support and/or spousal support that you provide. So…the FAFSA would not indicate $0 for income, unless both mom and step dad are both unemployed…and you don’t pay child support.</p>

<p>If your son resides with his mother even one day more than 1/2 time, then SHE is the custodial parent for FAFSA purposes. Both mom and her husband MUST be included on the FAFSA…and their tax filing status doesn’t change that requirement. In other words…him filing separately doesn’t mean anything. His income and assets must still be included.</p>

<p>Tax filing status has nothing to do with this AT ALL.</p>

<p>If your son does not reside with YOU, the father, it would actually be fraudulent for YOU to complete the FAFSA as his custodial parent.</p>

<p>Interesting difference between custody awarded and where a child lives. My best friend was supposed to visit his father every weekend and for a month per year, and he stopped going because it was too much of a disruption. Also know a friend of my son’s who sleeps at his mother’s in another town almost all the time and uses his father’s house for residency.</p>

<p>As far as I can tell, your ex-wife is telling you to do something that appears to you to be unethical. Considering the source, no matter how amicable your relationship, you should steer clear.</p>

<p>I’m also trying to figure out - your daughter was claimed as no one’s dependent for years, though your wife was supposed to claim her? This “lady” sounds like bad news, and I would not get wrapped up in it. Even knowing that your daughter is getting a full ride and probably would not be entitled to it is troublesome. Don’t set up your son the same way.</p>

<p>How do we know these kids are not entitled to the scholarships? </p>

<p>If the daughter was living with the MOM, the MOM would be the custodial parent and would file the FAFSA form. If the student got a FULL ride, it was not solely based in the FAFSA. The FAFSA is primarily used to determine eligibility for federally funded need based aid…a Pell Grant, SEOG, Direct and Oerkins Loans, and some state grants for low income students. </p>

<p>I’d your wife did not file a tax return at all, she would have needed to file a non-filers statement. And a $0 EFC per FAFSA is almost always a trigger for verification…because it begs the question of how the mom paid her bills. </p>

<p>Something is terribly missing in this story. Full ride need based aid when your daughter went to college was non-existent based on FAFSA EFC alone (for this admissions round, University of Chicago will be a FAFSA only school meeting full need…but that was not the case when the OP’s daughter was applying).</p>

<p>I didn’t hear the OP saying anything about laying half of the college costs, or paying spousal or child support…all things that would matter.</p>

<p>And a lot depends on the college this student is attending. For all we know, her full ride is a merit award.</p>

<p>no worries, it is all by SS number and if she is not working and is truthful then it is what it is. Bottom line if she was working they will catch her and that is illegal but only thing that will happen she will be denied aid to her kids for 2 years.</p>

<p>Oh and must not be Ivy, they REQUIRE natural dad’s income, assets, etc. Public one parent and their income rest is formality.</p>

<p>I agree with @thumper1, the story isn’t complete and the OP is making assumptions that are not true. We don’t know that anything is being done wrong. But where did he say anything about Uchicago?</p>

<p>Listen to @kgos16, the FAFSA doesn’t work how you think. It is based on custodial parent, not who claims kid on tax return.The parent who the kid lives with more files the FAFSA. You do not include the non-custodial parent–there was nothing wrong with not including you on FAFSA-- but they do include the spouse. The entire household income of custodial parent goes on FAFSA. Otherwise it is fraud. It doesn’t matter if the husband isn’t going to contribute, or if he helps his own kids. If he pays child support for them that will be part of the formula though as outgoing money. They will make the calculation for aid and you decide among you who pays the family portion. </p>

<p>If the college is not a FAFSA-only school and you have to file additional forms like CSS Profile, they will want both parents and their spouse income. That’s most private colleges.</p>

<p>So, who does your son live with? If it is with her then you can still claim him but she fills out FAFSA with her household income. If with you, then you do it with your income. </p>

<p>Is daughter graduated?</p>

<p>The OP did not mention Chicago at all. I was just pointing out that it is the only school that will award need based aid based on the FAFSA only.</p>

<p>OP seems to have vanished leaving many questions unanswered.</p>

<p>Maybe the OP is reading only. He was active on this forum this afternoon.</p>

Update - son lives with me 50% of the time. right now the plan is for me still claim him on my taxes. his mother will fill out the FAFSA stating no income and include my tax return.

Shalb…I think you need look at the FAFSA guidelines more carefully.

First you need to determine who the custodial parent is for your son. This is the parent who the son resides with the most…so who is that? If it is really 50/50, then you use the parent who has provided the majority of the student’s support for the year previous to the FAFSA filing date.

Tax filing status has nothing to do with this.

So…here are the options as I see them.

  1. You (the father) are the custodial parent because the child lives with you 51 % of the time. If that is the case, you and your spouse would be listed on the FAFSA, and your ex wife would not be. You would use YOUR tax return...and link that to the IRS data retrieval tool. It does not matter who declares this kiddo on their taxes.

OR

  1. Your ex wife is the custodial parent because the kiddo resides with her greater than 50% of the time. If that is the case, your ex wife and spouse would be listed on the FAFSA. Any child support or spousal support would have to be listed as well. They would use THEIR tax return...not your tax return. They would link their tax return to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. If they are the custodial parent and spouse, they cannot use your tax return. If they were not required to file a 2014 tax return, they would complete a non-filers statement. It does not matter who declares this kiddo on their taxes.

Your ex wife cannot use YOUR tax return if she is the custodial parent.

OR

  1. You really have 50/50 custody. In that case, you MUST use the parent who provided the majority of the support. Since your ex wife is unemployed, I would imagine that YOU would be the one providing the majority of support. So...you and your spouse would be on the FAFSA and YOUR tax returns would be linked to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Again...it does not matter who declares the kiddo on their taxes.

And lastly, completing the FAFSA with dishonest information for financial aid gain is considered fraud…so make sure you are honest.

A fraudulent FAFSA can lead to loss of any awarded aid, loss of the admission offer to the school, and a fine.