<p>Well my EFC was kinda high, like 4452, due to my mother remarrying and when my stepdad came from Peru, he came january of 08 and immediately started working. Well he never really contributed much to the house after a few months, and the relationship got steadily worse, he left I believe in February 09 from the house. The thing is that he is still working and still legally married to my mother, even though he doesnt live with us and contributes nothing to us at all. My mother is looking to get a legal separation/divorce but money is real tight right now.</p>
<p>My question is, since he left the house since February, and my mom has the police report that says he left (he was verbally/emotionally harassing her) in February, can I get my EFC lowered? It's not fair that my EFC has been impacted by his 20k he made, and the money he continues to make even though he is not a part of this household. What can I do since they arent legally divorced, he just left?</p>
<p>Oh and in addition to his, my mother hasnt been working much this year so far due to her job giving her less and less work. She doesnt even work full time hours anymore, can i bring in like a stub of her pay check also?</p>
<p>I also was wondering if my mother cant pay for a divorce/legal separation for awhile, will this past 6 months be added on my FAFSA for next year? Thats what I’m worried most about, not so much this year but next FAFSA. I dnt want them calculating his income with ours if we havent seen the man since February 09. what can I do in that regard?</p>
<p>id imagine one would be able to simply go down to the pertinent local government office and simply say “i would like to have my marriage considered ended,” but I;m not sure if that is possible or a good idea.</p>
<p>they can make accommodations for you if your FAFSA is not representative of your family’s income.</p>
<p>Your mother should get the paper work completed for a legal separation. Depending on the state, it could be an inexpensive thing. There are women’s centers that are helpful that way. </p>
<p>Unless the separation is filed, there may be schools that will not recognize it. Yes, you can explain. Yes, some schools will understand and adjust, but with the legalities in place, they all will.</p>
<p>If your stepfather has left the house and has no contact with your mother and does not support your household, your mother needs to file for separation/divorce for reasons other than your EFC. For example, she can be held liable if he fails to report income to the IRS, if he violates immigration laws, if he commits a crime with “joint assets”, etc. She needs to cut herself loose legally from him. It doesn’t cost a lot to do a legal separation or a divorce in which there is no fight over assets or children. She needs to do it now.</p>
<p>First, your mom can call the clerk of Family Court in your county and they will mail her the papers required to file for a divorce. There is a filing fee and she’ll have to pay for him to be served with the papers, but if there’s no assets/kids involved it’s pretty low and you don’t have to have an attorney. Whether or not she’s legally separated/divorced, she can file FAFSA next year using only her information (see link below). You can appeal your FA with the school by requesting a special circumstance review.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad is absolutely right. That EFC makes you Pell eligible. Do realize that even with a zero EFC, all you are guaranteed is the PELL. The rest depends on the college, the costs, the state. Few schools will fully fund your need. Those that do tend to ask for more info such as PROFILE or their own app.</p>
<p>There are some exceptions being made due to the economy and jobless rate. Your mother is considered displaced, and depending on the college, a more generous reading of the number may be made. But again, this all depends on the college policies.</p>
<p>Like Erin’s Dad said, that EFC is mighty low. Mine was almost $19,000 my first year in college, which was about a third of my parents’ income at the time.</p>
<p>However, you may be able to get your school to lower your EFC. I found this on Finaid.com:</p>
<p>“According to the verification guide (see below), separation can include either informal separation or legal separation. There are two main types of separation. Both involve a cessation of cohabitation by husband and wife. Neither dissolves the marriage. A legal separation involves the court system and the issuing of a court order. Rules relating to legal separation vary from state to state. A legal separation usually also resolves any financial claims, such as financial support issues. An informal or trial separation does not involve a court order, merely the cessation of cohabitation.”</p>
<p>However:</p>
<p>“An informal separation is very difficult to document, and might not have any documentation (e.g., one of the spouses moves out of the house to live with a friend or relative). Since informal separation does not require any kind of formal documentation, it is prone to abuse, with parents claiming to be separated solely to obtain additional aid for their children’s education.”</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>“Since an informal separation is prone to abuse and doesn’t require separate finances or address support issues, financial aid administrators should apply extra scrutiny to such situations. At least with a legal separation the parents have to jump through a few hoops and can provide clearcut documentation in the form of a court order. Possible considerations can include the duration of the separation and whether the separation began conveniently close to the FAFSA application date. Some financial aid administrators require a minimum separation of at least six month’s duration, the same standard used by the IRS for head of household filing status.”</p>
<p>An EFC of $4452 is Pell eligible, but the grant will only be $976. Plus a $750 ACG if qualified. That’s probably not nearly enough for the OP and a less than 1/5 of a full Pell grant. If a special review resulted in a lower EFC, additional state aid might also kick in. </p>
<p>My guess is a police report, and possibly restraining order, would suffice to prove an informal separation.</p>
<p>Yes, you should file a special circumstances request. Contact your financial aid office to find out how to do it. There is no guarantee that you will get a change, but you very well may. The police report is important to include.</p>
<p>I have to say…I’m not sure that most folks would agree that an EFC of $4452 is “kinda high”. It’s pretty low…Pell eligible as Kelsmom noted (although not for the full amount).</p>
<p>For those of us with EFC’s north of $20k, 4400 seems low. However, for someone with a 4400 EFC, it is not low … it is every bit as difficult to come up with as our ridiculous EFC’s are for us. At least we can opt for something more affordable. With a 4400 EFC, there really are few “affordable” options. In addition, the extra Pell a lower EFC yields may be very important in helping this student afford to go to school. I cannot say whether or not a review of this case might yield a lower EFC, but I think it is certainly worth pursuing.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have to tell you, I don’t think of $4400 as low. Anyway, OP, contact schools you’re applying to and ask for an exception, see if they will work with you. Chances are, some will, and some won’t. To help with this, prepare any documents you have, like the police reports, and a narrative like you wrote for this question. </p>
<p>Don’t get discouraged. While some schools may be very rigid about financial aid rules, others will be more flexible in applying the special circumstances they can.</p>
<p>If a student were to get into a school that fulfills need (without loans), you could pay for an EFC of 4500 with a summer job and some minimal work study. That’s pretty low. Of course the hard part is getting into a school that meets need without loans.</p>