<p>I'm a student in California. This year, I can't receive my finialcial aid, but I had recieved last year. They told me that my parents filled the tax return separately. The statues of their marriage is married on my financial aid form. They doesn't match. So, they told me to get a proof of separation at court for my parents or let my parents re-fill the tax return joinly (1040). I don't want to do that either of them. Does anyone can help me?</p>
<p>What is the true story? Are they married or not?</p>
<p>OP,
Did your parents filed married tax returns separately?</p>
<p>yes, they filed married tax returns separately. That’s the problem.</p>
<p>Your only options are to do what the financial aid office has asked you to do, or to live without the financial aid. It really is that simple.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s that simple. The OP can’t do the first thing the school mentioned because the parents are married, not separated. And I don’t see that a school can force parents to file taxes a certain way to get aid as long as they’ve filed in a legitimate fashion. Maybe kelsmom will see this and comment. The Data Retrieval Tool can’t be used but tax transcripts for each parent could be obtained. </p>
<p>OP, did you include both incomes on fafsa? Did your parents explain why they filed married filing separately? That’s an unusual thing to do. Who did you talk to at the school? You may need to talk to someone higher up at the finaid office.</p>
<p>OP -</p>
<p>If your parents filed in married filing separately status, and each of them only included their own individual income, then you need to combine that income for the FAFSA. </p>
<p>If each of them filed a separate tax return as married filing jointly, then at least one of those returns is wrong, and you can’t get aid until that is fixed.</p>
<p>Which returns did they file?</p>
<p>
OP, both your parents might filed single returns, not married returns separately.</p>
<p>Married couples are not required to file joint tax returns. A legitimate tax filing status is “married filling separately,” even if they are living together and not separated. I don’t see how a college financial aid office can just blow up OP’s financial aid based on that if in fact that’s the way they filed their taxes.</p>
<p>OP…did you list your parents as separated on the FAFSA? For FAFSA purposes, if they are separated, you only include your custodial parent. Is that what you did? </p>
<p>Or are your parents married, and you only included ONE parent on the FAFSA? Please clarify?</p>
<p>If your parents are married, and filed 1040s separately, then the FAFSA form is filed correctly with a married status and you had to have included the totals from both 1040s from both parents, adding them together for their financial info. THat they file, married, but separately is not a problem–many couples do. But you have to include both parents’ info, not just one when they are married, and the info has to match when verification is done. Also make sure the school has pulled both returns if this is the case.</p>