<p>So, I'm going to be starting college next fall, and I need some FAFSA help! </p>
<p>I was reading over the 2009-2010 FAFSA and I couldn't figure out some things. </p>
<p>I'm considered a dependent, and I need to provide my parents' information. However, it says in Section 3, "If your parents are divorced or separated, answer the questions about the parent you lived with more during the past 12 months. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, give answers about the parent who provided more financial support during the past 12 months." </p>
<p>My parents have been divorced for 5 years. They have joint custody of me, and they alternate when claiming me on their taxes. In 2008 my mother claimed me, and my dad will claim me for 2009. However in October, I moved to my dad's house permanently. We're filing the paper work for that right now, to let the courts know what's going on. </p>
<p>So, since I live with my dad now, do I just leave all of the questions regarding my mother blank? Like... her social security number, date of birth, and last name?
Then when it asks what my parents gross income and exemptions are, I just answer with my father's information?</p>
<p>I just want to double check.. to make sure I don't get denied aid because I omitted my mother's information. </p>
<p>Swimcatsmom, Thumper, and a few others know a lot about what you’re asking.</p>
<p>It sounds like for 2009, you’ll have lived more with your dad, so he’ll be your custodial parent. Therefore, you’ll use his income.</p>
<p>Others…I know that FAFSA provides the federal EFC, but what happens when a student has a low EFC because he/she lives with a low income CP, but then applies to a CSS Profile school that requires NCP info (and the NCP makes a lot of money)? </p>
<p>I’m guessing that the FAFSA EFC stays the same, but the institutional EFC will rise. Right? Now, if the FAFSA EFC is 0 (from a low income custodial parent), will the student still get Pell, etc, if they are going to a CSS School and the NCPs income is high and they expect the NCP to pay a lot? I’m not sure I’m asking this right. lol But, is it possible for a child to get Pell to attend an CSS school while also having a high institutional EFC because NCP makes a lot of money?</p>
<p>If you live with your father permanently then you’d use his information as the custodial parent when you fill out FAFSA. It doesn’t matter who claims you on their tax return. You do not put any of your mother’s information on the FAFSA form. </p>
<p>The same goes for Profile, if the schools you’re applying to require that the Profile be filed. You and your father would fill out the student Profile form. If the school requires the non-custodial parent information, your mother would fill out a separate non-custodial form that only she would have access to.</p>
<p>
It depends on the school. Some schools weight non-custodial parent income and assets relatively low in their equations, along with the income/assets of the custodial parent’s spouse. Other schools expect contributions of custodial & non-custodial parents to be equal. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.</p>
Maybe you are just looking over the 2009-2010 to get a feel for the information you will need (good idea!), but I wanted to mention that students entering **Fall 2010 **must fill out the **2010-2011 FAFSA **which is not available until January 1st, 2010.</p>
<p>For federal aid such as the Pell grant it is always the FAFSA EFC that is used. So whatever school a student attends his FAFSA EFC would be the same and the Pell grant would be the same (except in exceptional circumstances such as if one school approved a special circumstances adjustment that changes the EFC and another school does not approve the adjustment ad goes with the original EFC).</p>
<p>Schools that require additional information such as the CSS will use FAFSA for awarding federal aid and the additional information (including non custodial parent info when asked for) for awarding institutional aid.</p>
<p>Ahh… so a student who has a FAFSA EFC of 0 because his custodial mom may only earn $15k per year will get Pell, etc, even if he goes to a CSS Profile school with NCP info and has an NCP father who is a surgeon making 7 figures? That is odd.</p>