<p>So here is my complicated situation:
I submitted a Fafsa last year for the 2011 2012 school season. I was considered a dependent student and one of my parents information was required. I have lived with my mother for over a year now, so I used her information. My father does not provide any support for me. It asked for her 2010 income tax information. She was granted an extension for her 2010 tax return. It still required an estimate, so I used her last W-2 in December 2010. I was awarded $5500 in Pell Grant money that was used for tuition and related expenses. So when she did file her 2010 tax return a few weeks ago, I had to go back and fill in the actual numbers (which didnt change) However, heres the complicated part: My parents are in the process of getting a divorce. They have been separated for almost 3 years. They ended up filing their 2010 tax return jointly. I was still told to use the Adjusted Gross Income for my mother and not father for the Fafsa. So I went back and put the actual numbers in and re-submitted the application. I got an email today saying that I had been selected for verification. They needed my parents tax returns, my tax return, and a dependent verification sheet. Heres where the problem comes in. My mother and father are way above their heads in debt and are also in the process of filing for bankruptcy. Their combined Adjusted Gross Income was $158,000. My mother made approximately $26,000 of that. My father does not provide any money for my college tuition and neither does my mother. In fact, my mothers truck just got repossessed this afternoon. My fathers old house got foreclosed on a couple years ago, he owes the IRS thousands of dollars, and he owes multiple other creditors money. So even though my father makes a substantial amount of money, he cant afford much of anything. And to top it off, he lives in a trailer. So is the financial aid office at my school going to see his income is >$100,000 and make me pay back the $5500 even though he didnt/isnt going to be providing any money for my college tuition and his information wasn't required on the Fafsa? I'm freaking out about this! Please help!!!</p>
<p>You need to work closely with your FA office on this. Since your parents were separated you were right to only use your mom’s info.</p>
<p>You will be fine. You may be asked to provide proof that your parents are actually separated, and you will probably be asked to provide both your mom’s and your dad’s W2 forms. Your dad’s W2 info will not be used in determining EFC … it is used to verify that what your mom says is her portion of the total income really is correct.</p>