Hello, ive been getting confused with filling out the fafsa for this year. So this is my situation: since they use your 2016 taxes for this current year my dad filed head of household and I was listed as a dependent for the year 2016 taxes. He was also still married then. But as i was filing out the fafsa for this year he was in the middle of a divorce and in around august when I was about submit my fafsa he officially divorced but then remarried in a couple weeks to a new woman.( Sounds Dumb I Know). His new wife is on social security. Even though he filed head of household for 2016 (and married to someone else) do I also need to provide his new wife’s social security payments? Also doing a income reduction for my community college since he went through cancer treatment last fall and has been on short term disability since then. I am selected to verification since im filing out the income reduction forms.
Are you doing a FAFSA for the 2018-2019 academic year…the current year?
OR are you planning to do a FAFSA for the 2019-2020 academic year?
If you are doing a 2018-2019 FAFSA, and haven’t submitted it yet…you would use 2016 income for your dad and his new wife from 2016. To complete the FAFSA, you will probably need the w2 forms for dad and new stepmom. You will need to figure out how much of what was reported on the 2016 return was your dad…and then add your new step mom income and taxes paid.
The FAFSA marital status is as of the date of filing. So…your dad is now married to this new woman…so her income and assets need to be included.
I’m assuming your dad is your custodial parent? If you live with your mom…there is a different answer.
ETA…there are very specific guidelines for filing as head of household if you are a married person. That is a whole other issue. If your dad doesn’t fit those guidelines, he will need to correct that. Filing as head of household when married is a sure trigger for verification. The college will want to know what’s up.
For the 2018/19 FAFSA 2016 income is used and marital status is reported as of the day you submit the FAFSA.
If your dad was married on the day you filed that FAFSA, you would report his 2016 income and the 2016 income of his wife.
If he was separated on the day that FAFSA was filed, you would report that and only include his income from 2016.
The 2019/2020 FAFSA is available on October 1. It uses 2017 income and you would report that your dad is married and provide his 2017 income and the 2017 income of his wife.
He filed head of household because even though he was still married to his old wife in 2016 they were not living together.
Which FAFSA do you need to complete…the one for THIS current academic year…or the one for 2019-2020.
If he was married, and filed head of household, he will need to likely provide documentation to prove his filing status was accurate. Just be prepared.
Is your dad your custodial parent? Did you live with him? Or did you live with your mom?
Im currently doing the 2018-19 one since he has been on short term disbality for the past year therefore I am submitting papers to my college proving a reduction in income. Which also means I have to verify all the taxes. I already got tax transcripts from him and getting mine on Monday.
I know im really late in making corrections. Usually in previous years its an easy proccess but since he got divorced then immedaitly remarried then had throat cancer last fall and went from making 100k to 60k. so im having to show proof to my school.
It doesn’t sound as if you are making corrections but appealing the (correct) award and asking for professional judgment. They may include his new wife’s income because you are asking them to view things as they are NOW, and she is in the picture now.
Honestly, for an appeal they can ask for anything.
I’m very confused. Have you already submitted your 2018-2019 FAFSA…or did this not get done until your dad married again?
If you submitted your FAFSA when your dad was separated, and he is your custodial parent, your financial aid application would be based on the info in your initial submission. Who did he include income wise on that one? If he was separated and not living with a wife, it should have been only HIS income for 2016.
BUT if you submitted when he was already remarried…then it would be current wife and him.
If you submitted when he was separated, and received an award, you are appealing THAT award. If you were verified, you were verified for the info on THAT submitted FAFSA…they likely wanted some verification that indeed your dad was able to file HOH.
my useless financial aid counselor said to make corrections to my fafsa since he got remarried, thats why im going an making changes to my fafsa. Meaning i have like 2 issues going on. Im also having my college make a professional decision like your saying also.
Thumper im just about as confused as you, and contacting my counselor leads to more confusion. heres to long story. I originally submitted the 2018-2019 fafsa earlier this year while my dad and his old wife were still married. When it was processed my award was nothing since he made 100k in 2016 and it was only 3(not his old wife but younger brother) of us in a house. I was not selected for verification. But since my dad got throat cancer in the fall of 2017 and started treatment he has been on short term diablity since then and will be for another few months likely. Meaning he isnt actually making 100k but instead 60k (old wife didnt work) Therefore i contacted my counselor and she gave me forums to fill out. Side problem he got divorced and remarried in a matter of 2 weeks so my counselor said to go back in my 2018-19 fafsa and remove old wife and put in new wife. The forms the counselor gave me have me verify taxes from me, dad, and wife. But since my counslor had me go in my fafsa and change the person my dad is married to , i am getting taxes for his new wife along with betting proof of his new income and doctors letters saying he has been on short term diablitl due to his cancer treamtent.
What are you expecting for additional need based aid? You will get the Direct Loan regardless of your dad’s income.
With his $60,000 income plus his wife’s social security income…I’m not sure you would be eligible for a Pell Grant at all.
How much does your CC cost?
Im expecting them to waive the tuition fee at my community college like they did in my first year since he his income was 65k
I believe you completed the FAFSA correctly. At the time of filing, it was you, your sibling, and your father; although he was still legally married, his ex-wife was not living with him at the time you filed the FAFSA so you wouldn’t include her as a member of the household, or include her income. He filed HOH, so only his income was on the fafsa and you used his 2016 income. Now you are asking for a reconsideration based on current circumstances. The school should evaluate your household income as of Sept 2018, which includes the new wife (although her SS might not be considered; I’m not sure how that works). You are NOT refiling FAFSA, you are asking for reconsideration because of a change in circumstances. They’ll want to know how much money is coming in now, how the bills are paid.
When you file in Oct for 2019-20, you’ll file with the new household income, but the 2017 tax forms might not include all the income for the new wife. You’ll have to add that to the income on the taxes.
@twoinanddone social security income is considered…income. I believe it is unearned income.
^^^
For reporting on FAFSA, it depends on the type of SS payments.
http://www.losmedanos.edu/financialaid/documents/2018-2019ReductionInIncomeForm.pdf That is the link to the form im filling out saying my dad had a change in income
i did find it odd that my counselor was having me go back on the fafsa and replace the wife even though i submitted it before they even met
could you guys look over the form and help me with determining how to fill it out properly?