FAFSA help asap

Hi I know this is last minute but I need help. I am newly separated (informally) as of Dec of last year. My ex is going to pay all bills etc just as he did when we are married until out of school. I am a full time student with zero income. I do have student loans subsidized and unsubsidized with one small grant. Do I put zero income? The other question is I know I need to put it as untaxed income but how much all of what he pays a month? Half? And under the untaxed income section which one do I check? This is confusing to me I hope that someone can help I have until the 2nd.

Thank you so much

I’m sorry that I’m not absolutely sure, and hope others will chime in, but I think that bills that are in your name and someone pays them, you would report that.

As far as bring separated, but still married. I think if spouse doesn’t live with you, you just put your income if any.

If you did not work you might have to verify what you live on.

@kelsmom, do you have any advice for OP?

Thank you for your feedback. He is paying for all of the bills and for me in general so that is what I live off of. He does not live with me has has been gone since we separated but we have been told by the lawyer and our accountant that we should file married joint because technically we are still married and the divorce will not go through until the middle of this year.

There might be a problem with your separated status on FAFSA and your tax return being married filing joint.

You might have to prove that you live at separate addresses.

You can file FAFSA as separated, even if your taxes are filed jointly. You do need to report the money he paid for bills in your name in the past 12 months, which is treated like untaxed income (the questions are in the untaxed income section). It’s question 45j, and if the bills are in both your names, you would report half.

Everything is in both of our names nothing in just mine. So do I just report half of what he made last year as income ? We have only been separated since Dec

If you are separated, you report NONE of his income.

If things are in both of your names, you report the half that he is paying…as money paid on your behalf. So if your rent is $1000 a minty…and he is paying YOUR half of $500 per month…you report the total rent he paid on your behalf. So $500 times the number of months. Same for all other bills.

Ok thank you for your help and clarification. I really appreciate it