<p>My parents are married. My mom is recieving social security disability benefits and is not working, which is untaxed income. She put her information down, my dad is working as a computer engineer and makes way more than my mom recieves from her monthy check. My mom and dad are going through marriage problems and my dad refuses to contribute and to put down his information for the FAFSA can I just use my mom's income and not both of my parents? My dad couldn't file my mom on his taxes since she is on disability, he just filed me. But he doesn't want to help so the only information I have is my mom's.</p>
<p>Edit: My mom and dad consider themselves seperated even though they are living together until he moves out soon. Should my mom put separated on the FAFSA and just put her information even though they are still living together while he's looking to move out? I will be continuing to stay with my mom</p>
<p>You are required to submit the income and assets of both your parents since they are married and living together. Your father’s income will be considered. </p>
<p>Willful misrepresentation will be grounds for having your admissions rescinded, you and your parents paying fines, penalities, possible jail time, you not receiving any financial aid in the future and your having to repay any FA aid given to you.</p>
<p>That is one of the new things about FAFSA being tied into the IRS system, it will eventually come out.</p>
<p>I don’t know the tax laws, but SIL receives Disability and it is most definitely taxed, and SIL and BIL are married filing jointly, so I don’t understand your statement that your father can’t put your mother on his tax forms. I think you need some professional advice on this, quickly. Just because your father doesn’t WANT to help doesn’t mean he can’t be counted - wouldn’t EVERY set of parents just say “oh we don’t want to pay for your college, so just put down that you’ve got nothing and you will get it paid for by financial aid” ?</p>
<p>Echoing what Sylvan says: I’ve been learning about disability and taxation because we are in the same situation as your parents. My DH just started getting disability and I still have a pretty good income. Because we are married (as your parents are in spite of their assertion that they are “separated”) when we file federal income taxes our joint income will be high enough that a portion of his disability income will be subject to federal income taxes.
Your parents really need to get some tax advice, in addition to the FAFSA issues.</p>
<p>You need to list the income and assets of both of your parents. They are still married…they live in the same home. To only list one and say they are “separated” will raise a bunch of enormous red flags. Married folks living in the same household are both required to put the information on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>But I do have to ask…what FAFSA are you completing? If you are completing the FAFSA for NEXT school year (2011-2012) it is not even available to file until January 1, 2011.</p>
<p>If your parents REALLY want to be listed as separated, they should pursue a legal separation BEFORE you file your FAFSA.</p>
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<p>How odd. We know folks where one spouse is collectiing disability and they file their taxes jointly.</p>
<p>ditto to what the above posters have said about the taxes. Social security disability taxes start becoming taxable when the total income for a married couple is over a certain amount (a little over $30,000). </p>
<p>You can’t say your parents are separated when they are not. That would be fraud.</p>