Financial Aid Question, help appreciated.

[sabinabeing]

<p>Just have a few questions regarding the FAFSA and CSS Profile...</p>

<p>My parents are divorced and have joint custody. I spend 4 days out of the week with my mom and the rest with my dad. My mom claims me as a tax exemption, according to the FAFSA my mom should file, however, my dad makes considerably more than my mom. Three of the schools I am applying to require the CSS Profile as well, however what about the other schools? It seems wrong to me to only report my mom’s income to the majority of the schools I am applying to; my moms expected contribution would be zero, and my dad is definitely going to pay for my college.</p>

<p>I talked to a financial counselor at one of these schools, and they told me to report my moms info because I would receive more aid. I am also afraid that my moms low income status may prevent some schools from accepting me, as they cannot see any of my dad’s potential contribution. Most of my schools claim to be "need blind" but I've heard that isn’t entirely true.</p>

<p>I am very confused and I would love some guidance.</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

[vballmom]

<p>You report your mother’s income on FAFSA because you live with her more of the year than you live with your father. That’s how the custodial parent is determined for FAFSA. In cases where it’s not clear who the custodial parent is, then other factors such as who provides the most support or who claims the student on their taxes come into play. In your case the first criterion, who you live with most, is the defining one for determining the custodial parent. It has nothing to do with who makes more money. It’s clear that you spend more time with your mother than your father, so she would be considered custodial for FAFSA.</p>

<p>Your mother would file FAFSA, and would also file Profile as the custodial parent. If your Profile schools require the non-custodial form, then they’ll see your father’s income and assets.</p>

<p>There’s a place on the Profile form that asks how much you expect to be able to pay for college. Enter this information using your father’s expected contribution.</p>

<p>from finaid.org:</p>

<p>

Financial aid applications can be somewhat confusing because there are several different criteria applied for different kinds of parenthood:</p>

<ol>
<li>The parent with whom the child lived the most during the past 12 months (the 12 months ending on the FAFSA application date).</li>
<li>The parent who provided more financial support to the child during the past 12 months.</li>
<li>The parent who provided the most financial support to the child during the most recent calendar year for which either parent provided more support to the child.</li>
<li>The parent who provided more than half the child’s support (and will continue to do so).</li>
<li>The parent who has legal custody.</li>
<li>The parent who claimed the child as a dependent on their tax return.</li>
<li>The parent with the greater income. </li>
</ol>

<p>As noted above, criteria 1, 2 and 3 are used for determining the custodial parent, with the first criteria being primary. In a situation where the parents split all costs equally (without even a penny difference), criterion number 7 is often used.

</p>