Why does this student do? In 2015, the parents were separated…and filed as head of household…and single.
But now they have reconciled…and are married. Fafsa asks tax filing status for them as married.
@BelknapPoint and @Madison85 can separated couples file taxes as single or head of household?
Depending on your state, you can file taxes separately when separated - didn’t know it’s different for diff states, but googled it. The question is - I put them as “married” now, and then next question is “your parents’ filing status in 2015”. I need to choose either Single, HoH or Don’t Know
Clearly I was not aware of this rule.
But why is the FAFSA not asking if they filed married jointly or separately? Those other choices don’t make sense if they are married.
Just if they are single or separated.
Fafsa simply asks “how did you parents file taxes in 2015”, and you choose from the drop down - out of all filing options. You can only choose one option for both parents. I figured other students definitely came across same situation
In this case, the student will just report the situation. Parents filed the way they filed in 2015, and that is how it is. Add the AGI and the taxes paid from the two returns to get the amounts to report on the FAFSA. I can’t find anything in the financial aid handbook regarding how to report which filing status to use - I guess I would say use the filing status of the parent you used last year for FAFSA. You might get a warning message about the fact that you said they are married & the filing status is not consistent with this, but you SHOULD still be able to choose HofH.