<p>^^ Key word there is "legitimately." You can maintain two households without "legitimately" living separately.</p>
<p>Keil, if there is enough money for two households, I suspect there is enough that even the poorer parent (and in my divorce that would be moi) will have huge EFC. Speaking as someone who has gone through a divorce, dividing stuff up isnt that easy. On the parent board, there is a thread about when divorced parents dont meet obligations of tuition.</p>
<p>Keil, and it is that issue of legitimately that brings about the case of fraud, making it more obvious that the divorce was fraudulent and solely for the purpose of obtaining a higher financial aid award.</p>
<p>My parents divorced in my freshman year and still live together. They did not do it for college FA purposes at all; they felt that they had to divorce in order to keep the house that they bought. I've been completely open about it to both the college I will attend as well as the feds. Both are understanding and willing to help me file the necessary financial aid forms. Yes, my FAFSA was selected for verification, but it was done so because it raises a flag in the system. It's very peculiar, but it's still better than lying on the forms. In this situation, what can the student do? As long as you're honest, you won't get slammed. </p>
<p>That said, I think it's disgusting that someone who can afford to pay for college to think about doing this. Just be honest about your situation and pay what is required of you.</p>
<p>And, to those who think that if you're divorced, you have to live separately: that's absolutely incorrect. Couples don't necessarily divorce because they're unhappy. Some marry without realizing the financial implications that it has and divorce because it's not right for them. If there's some motivation behind it for financial aid, then that's terrible.. but it's not up to the feds to seek out that motivation, nor is it their duty to determine which lifestyles are acceptable in terms of financial aid. If a school has a problem with it or believes that the parents are being fraudulent, then it can handle it with the student in question (like Nikki implies she would do).</p>
<p>Whose income is reported?--- If a mother who lives with her boyfriend (in community property state) that is not the parent of the college student? The mother files head of household. The boyfriend is not related. Does the mother file HH and say three people are in the household.</p>
<p>Now to complicate things, the daughter moves to her grandmother's for half the year due to issues at home. Whose household would be considered. Neither the mother or the daughter have high income.</p>
<p>There are enough complications just trying to "get it right" and some "real" situtations could appear to be set up for other reasons.</p>
<p>First question: If they are not married, use only the mother's info. However, the mother should not include the boyfriend in the household unless she is supporting him more than 50% (and can prove it). An aid officer can chose to disallow the boyfriend even if mom says she supports him.</p>
<p>Second question: The daughter is always in her mother's household as long as she is a dependent student. If her grandmother gains legal custody (with a court order), then the student is independent for 2009-10.</p>
<p>Thanks, Kelsmom. Dependency/exemption issues have so many options on both the tax return and the FAFSA.</p>
<p>So, is it legal to separate on paper for FA reasons? I just ran through the efc calculator if I filed taxes as separated and my EFC is only about 5k whereas my husband I together our EFC is about 34K, unbelievable! We don’t have 34K for college. Is it worth getting a legal separation for the savings? How would it all work? Any advice/tips/suggestions? My son will be a freshman in the fall, so is it too late to back track my taxes and refile?</p>
<p>I am not an expert on FAFSA or financial aid. But from what I understand, the custodial parent is used on FAFSA. If a student lives with both parents who are divorced, then the parent with the highest income is deemed to have provided the support. So I don’t think legally separating or divorcing in order to get a lower EFC will work if your husband is the father of your son.</p>
<p>Filing separate returns does NOT mean you are legally separated. If you were married and living together in 2009 there’s nothing you can do about it now.</p>
<p>How about for 2010, I file “separated”. Do I need to be legally separated to file separated? What is involved in getting separated on paper, legally? Can the gov’t say, one of us has to move out? Can we be legally separated on paper and keep everything the same, ie bills, wills, etc?</p>
<p>Wow. I think most kids would feel like crap if they knew their parents were legally separating because of them. LITERALLY, BECAUSE OF THEM. You can say it’s “just on paper,” but what will your children think? </p>
<p>Also, will this effect your other marriage rights? If your spouse gets in a bad car wreck, will you be allowed to visit them and make medical decisions on their behalf? Or will the hospital refuse, because you’re separated or divorced? (I know gay couples sometimes run into this kind of problem in states where they can’t legally marry.) I don’t know the answer, but you should certainly find out before you go down this road.</p>
<p>
I think you’re not hearing what is being said. It doesn’t matter if you are legally separated, or even divorced if you two are still living together. If your husband is the father of the student, then HE is the custodial parent for FAFSA purposes.</p>
<p>Financial aid is very leery of “separated/divorced” parents who are still living under the same roof for this very reason. You could get investigated. </p>
<p>Do you realize what would happen if everyone did what you are suggesting? Who would then pay for college?</p>
<p>Do you realize that this is fraud? </p>
<p>I don’t know what school your child will be attending, but unless it’s a school that meets need without loans, I doubt all your financial gymnastics are going to yield much. EFC is a FEDERAL number; it doesn’t create an obligation for colleges to give you free money. All schools have to do with an EFC is determine if you’re eligible for federal aid.</p>
<p>However, I must say…when I see the generous FA packages that the UCs are giving out this year to low EFC kids, I wouldn’t be surprised to see many Californians pull this crap.</p>
<p>I see that your child applied to some pricey schools and some OOS publics. I hope that he applied to some instate NY schools. If so, just accept the fact that your child will have to go to a school that YOU can afford to send him to. SUNY’s are affordable, why not send him there?</p>
<p>You know the government does not value marriage one iota! This is infuriarating! I will not get separated, no way not for college. I am so ANNOYED at this though. Married people are penalized for being married. I completely understand paying my fair share, what I don’t get is why my son has to take his loans unsubsidized, that is not fair. I completely get why older people divorce so they can get their medicare. The system is ass backwards for people in the middle class…did you know that 50% of the people pay 95% of the taxes in this country? I am on a roll now. The gov’t allows these loopholes. Unless a students’ parent is dead, the FAFSA should require both parents income. Gee the middle class people with HONEST jobs get the shaft. It is not fair. Just my 2cents worth!</p>
<p>Yes, he did apply to pricey colleges. It would not be a problem though if we were poor or we were self employed and hid our money; but we don’t we are honest working people with legit w-2s. As far as SUNY is concerned, I agree with you 100% however my son does not want to go to any of them. Are you familiar with the SUNY system? Anyway, most of them are located in very remote areas which he does not care for. For his major, he feels that it is important that he is near a major city with international flair. But, like I said, I think SUNYs are so reasonably priced and am willing to pay the whole ticket for him, as long as he maintains the GPA that we expect him to. I try to put myself in his place, many years ago, my dad told me if I chose SUNY, he’d pay the whole tab and if private, only 1/2 and if I got below a B in any class, I had to pay him back for the entire class. Of course, being 18, I didn’t listen and went to a private and got out of college with lots of debt and could have had the same job I have now. Consequently when I got my Master’s and paid the whole tab, I opted for SUNY. I guess it takes growing up to realize the value of an instate public school!</p>
<p>As far as SUNY is concerned, I agree with you 100% however my son does not want to go to any of them. Are you familiar with the SUNY system? Anyway, most of them are located in very remote areas which he does not care for.</p>
<p>Your son needs to get over himself…or he needs to pay for the luxury of his privileged tastes. It’s not the responsibility of others to pay for his desire for a cosmopolitan big city flair.</p>
<p>Don’t think that I don’t sympathize with you. Our EFC is higher than yours. </p>
<p>I do think that both parents’ incomes should count on FAFSA unless the NCP is truly not contactable, has never been in the child’s life, or is a danger to the child. </p>
<p>In Calif, the situation is ridiculous. You have a state that is nearly bankrupt, yet its schools use only FAFSA and its UCs are doling out large sums of money to students who have NCPs that are in their lives. Just silly.</p>
<p>3bm103, we are not getting separated. It just isn’t worth it. It is just maddening that these loopholes exist. I tell you, when I hear about a woman and man that I work with, they are divorced, have been for a few years, and the man tells me yesterday that the FAFSA only looks at his exwife’s income and child support (she does same job as me, been there longer) and earns more than me and their daughters EFC is only 4500 and the man earns more than my hubby, yet their daughter is getting Pell, TAP, need grant free aid money, work study and ONE subsidized loan it makes me SICK! Together they have way more $ than me. So the 2 of them are splitting the 4500 bill, so 2750 each for a year, 1375 for a semester, that is BS! When I am looking at paying 37K plus my son has to take out UNSUBSIDIZED loans. Their daughter can go to the privates, state wherever. She hasn’t decided yet, but money is not a factor. Yet, her parent’s have way more $$ than me and my hubby and needless to say the man is living with a woman who is very wealthy! very maddening that gov’t condones this bs!</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, I agree that no body should pay for my kid’s luxury. However, neither should I pay for other kids! Just look at the usf financial aid thread on here and you will see that there are many international kids who go here on our tax money. It is complete BS, why should kids that are supposedly “poor” be given the chance to go to luxury schools??? You are right about California, they will deny an oos student who will pay 10K more per year in tuition with better stats than an instater. To some degree I do agree with that. I can see both sides. However I think their comm. colleges should charge more than $900 year for tuition. That is crazy and has to be the lowest in the US for sure. This friend of mine is with his kids 49% of the time, they share custody, but because his salary is much higher than his ex’s they do it this way. People like you and I are the ones picking up the tab for our own kids and many others!</p>