Fafsa Q: filling a different parent

<p>My parents are separated. Last year I filled my father's tax info, since they asked to fill the info for the parent who provides me with the most support. This year, I want to enter my mother's data. Is that ok? Well, I already began to, but the application said an error occurred, because "parents' income is significantly less than the amount reported last year." Should I go on and say that's correct?</p>

<p>Who do you live with for the majority of the time you live at home? Who is your "custodial parent"? If you don't have one (I assume you're over 18), then you report the income from the parent who provided the most support.</p>

<p>You cannot just "change" the parent you report. That's a Federal crime. There are specific instructions on which parent's income to report. Follow them.</p>

<p>It's true that the custodial parent is the one whose income appears on FAFSA. However, in the case of 50/50 custody, I can see that the parent who "provides the most support" might change from year to year. Say that both parents contribute equally to the student's college expenses, and one summer the student comes back to Dad's house & the next he stays with Mom. Wouldn't this be a legitimate reason to change the custodial parent on FAFSA?</p>