The wording of the FAFSA is confusing me. I can see that if parents are divorced and re-married, “Parent” includes the step-parent plus the custodial parent, and both of their income and assets.
HOWEVER, the questions regarding income and assets specifically state “mother”. Is “step-father” implied with these and I am to combine our income and assets in all answers, or am I to separate our information? We filed our 1040 “married-filing-jointly”, but should I pull out “mother’s income” as the FAFSA asks, or input the combined income as is on our return?
Also, for the asset questions (copied and pasted verbatim): “As of today, what is your mother’s total current balance of cash, savings, and checking accounts?”. Notice how it says “mother’s”? Do they MEAN “mother’s”, or do they mean “mother’s and step-father’s”? Will it ask later for step-dad’s stuff? or not and I should combine it now?
If parent 1 is your mother, then parent 2 is her spouse if she is married. Both the income and assets of your custodial parent and your step parent must be included on the FAFSA
Is anyone able to speak from experience here? It asks about Parent 1 and Parent 2 in education. Mom is parent 1. Then in finances it asks if parents are married (no), do they live together (no), what is Parent 1’s tax filing status (married filing jointly (remarried!!)). After that an error message comes up saying you entered divorced, but married filing jointly, is this correct? Click yes, and it ask for “mother’s” income. Not mother and step-father. Not “parent 1”.
From the instructions to the 2018-2019 FAFSA paper version:
If your parents are divorced or separated, answer the questions about the parent you lived with more during the past 12 months. (If you did not live with one parent more than the other, give answers about the parent who provided more financial support during the past 12 months or during the most recent year that you actually received support from a parent.) If this parent is remarried as of today, answer the questions about that parent and your stepparent.
In a stepparent situation, the “parents” on FAFSA are bio-parent and step-parent
The gist is that Parent 1 is not living alone and unmarried. FAFSA wants the household income and assets, which includes the step parent.
The reason that stepparent income is included is that Parent 1 is not the only one paying all the household bills if stepparent has an income. The calculation would be very wrong if only Parent 1’s income was used because it would be assuming that Parent 1 is paying all rent, utilities, food, expenses all by him/herself…and that’s not the case when the stepparent is also employed.
Even if the stepparent will not be helping pay for college, the fact that his income is helping with household costs, that means that Parent 1 would have more income to put towards college since that parent alone isn’t paying for all household expenses.
No, you start with the fact that your mother is married.
Go back to beginning of parent section. Put that your mother is married. Then that she filed a 2016 joint tax return. And then she can link that return and you put what your mother (parent 1) and stepfather (parent 2) earned of the total income.
THANK YOU! This is the part that tripped us up then. It asks if “parents” are married. Assumed that meant “to each other”! Lol. Will re-do that section and hope it clarifies.
Sadly, the questions aren’t numbered on the online FAFSA app, so unfortunately even though I already wrote out the original question in my first post, people still weren’t able to answer my question… Oops!