<p>So I got legally married a month ago and I'm trying to file FAFSA for 2012-2013. </p>
<p>I would like to file as single because my husband made around 100,000 and I don't think I would be able to receive FAFSA if I file as married. </p>
<p>I filed my tax for 2011 as single and would it be possible to put my marriage status as "SINGLE" for this application and just change to "MARRIED" next year since we will be doing our taxes together this year?</p>
<p>Yes you could do it, as FAFSA pretty much depends on your taxes during the last year. However if they catch wind that you are married and are hiding income you are facing a world of financial and legal hurt. Try not to mess with the government when money is concerned.</p>
<p>You can’t file as single. You have to use your legal marital status as of the day you file the FAFSA. Since you have not filed yet and you were married a month ago you have to put married on the FAFSA. Putting single would be a felony. [What</a> is your marital status?](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fotw17a.htm]What”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fotw17a.htm)</p>
<p>Your tax filing marital status for 2011 does not impact FAFSA. FAFSA has its own rules. </p>
<p>There is no such thing as “receiving FAFSA”. All FAFSA is is an application for aid. Aid is awarded by the govt if you are eligible (you won’t be with your family income) and by your school. </p>
<p>All you are guaranteed by filing the FAFSA is a Stafford loan.</p>
<p>Markopolio, your advice is incorrect. Please see the link in my post above.</p>
<p>Iron Maiden is absolutely correct. You are committing federal fraud when you deliberately put false info on these forms, and if it ever comes down to it, you can be in serious trouble. Your date of marriage is written into stone. There is no finnagling with it. If you are not married, and contemplating, marriage, you can plan the marriage so that your financial aid app info is to your best advantage. Not at thing wrong with that. But once you are married, you need to report your status that way.</p>
<p>Markopolio, you are probably confusing the flexibility one before actually marrying in terms of setting the date for the marriage and filing of FAFSA, and there is a lot of flex there. But as stated above, once the marriage has been done, the status has to be so supported. Like reported assets, it is as of the day the form is filed, not the last day of the previous calender year that is relevant.</p>
<p>As others have said, you can not file as single. it is your marital status as of the date you file FAFSA that is important, not how you filed taxes last year. If you wanted to file as single, you should have filed FAFSA before you got married.</p>
<p>from th FAFSA instructions:</p>
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<p>Too bad you didn’t file FAFSA before you married. At this point, you HAVE to file as married.</p>
<p>As for your concern about “I don’t think I’ll be able to receive FAFSA”…no one receives ANYTHING from FAFSA. FAFSA is just an application. It doesn’t provide any money. it’s not an entity. </p>
<p>If you were low income before you married, then you will likely lose a Federal Pell grant (up to $5550), but that may be all you’re really losing. </p>
<p>What school will you be attending?</p>
<p>Marcopolo is incorrect as others have noted. You are married NOW, and therefore must submit your FAFSA as a married student. You are no longer single. Last years tax filing status doesn’t matter at all. It is your marital status right now that matters.</p>