<p>So I'm filling out the FAFSA, and I have a predicament. My parents have never been married, but they live with each other. They file taxes separately and they don't have a joint bank account or anything. She's actually kicked him out a few times over the last few years, so he hasn't been living with us steadily for the last few years. Should I put them down as single or what? Thanks!</p>
<p>Your parents are single.</p>
<p>You use the parent’s info that earns the most money since you live with both of them.</p>
<p>I’m wondering if the mom kicked the dad out at all in 2012 would s/he use the mom since she lived with mom more?</p>
<p>Yes, but it doesn’t sound like that. It sounds like they’ve had some temporary issues and the dad left for short periods of time. </p>
<p>Frankly, I think FAFSA should change. When bio parents live together, both incomes should be used.</p>
<p>If my parents are unmarried but living together and I select single for parents’ marital status, do I include both parents in the household number?</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Do both of your parents’ work?</p>
<p>My dad was gone for around two months, and it’s been that length three times over the last five years. I’m not trying to make it favor my mother, who makes less, I just don’t want to get into trouble for not filling it out correctly.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids, yes both my parents work. Also, unlike the fafsa, I am suppose to report combined incomes of my parents on the CSS. Will colleges mind the discrepancies between the numbers reported on the fafsa and the CSS?</p>
<p>Use the parent who makes the most money since you live equally with both (not counting absences). Unless that parent supports the other parent at least 50%, only use the parent who makes the most money & yourself. Do any brothers or sisters live with you? This advice is for FAFSA, because those are the FAFSA rules. I don’t know about CSS … I would suggest calling one of the CSS schools & talking to an aid officer about your situation.</p>
<p>Since both parents work, then it doesn’t sound like one parent is really supporting the other enough to count as being in the “household”.</p>
<p>The income that the “other parent” earns is considered to be supporting that parent. And, since that parent’s income isn’t included on FAFSA, then you’d don’t count that person on FAFSA. Your other parent is treated like a roommate with an income of his/her own. </p>
<p>It wouldn’t make sense to include that other parent in the household and not include that parent’s income. </p>
<p>An exception would be if that “other parent” earns so little (like maybe only a couple of thousand per year) and the FAFSA parent is paying a few thousand per year for that other parent.</p>