So I am a dependent student with married parents. However, I only have one parent’s tax return, and not the other’s. I have no way of contacting my other parent because we aren’t that close and he took a trip abroad without telling us. What do I do with the FAFSA? I absolutely need to submit it to renew my institutional aid even if I wont receive much federal aid.
Do you know where your father is? Does your mother consider them to be separated? If so, just use her figures.
I dont know where he is, they are married, and is it possible to simply submit with one parents information even though both are married?
Is he coming back? Do your parents consider themselves married…or separated with the intent for this to be permanent?
The taxes you need are from 2016. Your mom doesn’t have those?
im sure he is coming back but i dont know when. they are married, and my mom has her own 2016 returns but not his.
And you have NO WAY to get in touch via email or something…with this parent who is abroad?
no way at all, ive thought it through, theres no way to get his tax return. What can I do in this situation with only one tax return? again, its not mainly about maximizing my federal aid, I need to be able to submit it so that my institutional aid is renewed at the very least
Two thoughts:
-If, like you, your mother does not know where your father is, she cannot contact him, she does not know when he will return, and he went abroad without advance notice, this sounds very far from a “normal” marriage. Might separated be a more appropriate (and certainly more helpful) way to describe the current situation?
-Have you 100% verified that your mother’s tax filing status in 2016 was “Married filing separately” and not “Married filing jointly”?
If they are married, you need BOTH incomes, taxes paid, assets, etc. Did you have this (would have been 2015 tax year) all for the 2017-2018 FAFSA?
You know…this FAFSA was available for filing on October 1. When did your dad leave the country?
Are you sure he filed his taxes for 2016?
Is he a U.S. citizen?
I have to say, this is a very unusual situation where a spouse knows her husband is returning…but has no idea where he is or when he will be back.
Maybe you should talk to your school financial aid office…see what they suggest.
And really…maybe your parents marital status is separated…and your dad really left without the intention of returning. Clarify that with your mom.
@BelknapPoint you’re right, its not very normal, they never talk to each other like at all, just live in the same house. yes i have verified that my mother’s filing status is Married Filing Separately.
@thumper1 yeah, i had his tax return for 2015 but not 2016 (for this year). He is a US citizen, yes.
does a situation where they are legally married but never talk to each other (even though they share the same house) count as “separated” under a legal definition? if not then they are simply “married”.
The important distinction here is that your father is not living in the house, you do not know here he is, he left without advance notice, you cannot contact him, and you do not know when he is coming back.
yes; also i know that he is coming back for sure. what are my options here?
If your natural parents are both alive and legally married, your only choices on FAFSA are to designate them as either married or separated. If you designate married, you will need to have financial information for your father, including his 2016 income and tax return, and the current value of certain assets. You need to talk this over with your mother and figure out how to best proceed. It’s hard to give you any better advice, without knowing more details which you may understandably be reluctant to provide.
If you really have no way to get this informational…and your parents are truly married with the intention of staying married…
Maybe you should talk to your financial aid department and find out how to proceed.
How long has your father been gone? If it is a long time, I think they are separated. They aren’t living separately because of a job situation. They file taxes separately, which isn’t usually beneficial unless there is a big difference in income, large medical bills, etc. Ask your mother if she is willing to consider herself separated. If so, she can fill out the parent part of the FAFSA as a single parent. Doesn’t mean it is forever, doesn’t mean they aren’t married (they legally are).
It is your mother’s view of the situation. Does she consider herself married or separated? If separated, file the FAFSA. If married, she can file as the parent on the FAFSA, but she is going to have to include his income. Because they filed separately, you cannot use the DRT for the taxes, so assume you will be selected for verification and will need to get a tax transcript. Only your father can request his.
If you file with both parents, you will need tax transcripts from 2016 from BOTH parents.
Your mom can request hers…but your dad needs to request his.
The FAFSA has no way to explain special circumstances, but financial aid officers do have leeway to make “professional judgement” regarding a student’s need.
I think you file the FAFSA with just your information, checking the box that parent information is not available. Then you provide your mom’s 2016 tax return and your dad’s 2015 tax return and your letter of explanation to the financial aid office and ask for professional judgement.
You will want to contact the financial aid office and find out their procedures/forms for financial aid appeals and judgements. Some colleges have very specific procedures.
I don’t think there is a box for “info not available” on the FAFSA. And anyway…it’s onlynhalf true because she does have her mom’s info.
But I do agree…this student should take what they HAVE to the financial aid office, and have them help her.
Thanks for the responses everybody, I definitely will go to the financial aid office.
Also, some of you seem to be saying I could tell the FAFSA that my parents are "separated’ even though theyre legally married. What are the circumstances under which I could claim them to be “separated”?
Your mother can claim they are separated. Only she knows the true status. From your explanation, your father has abandoned you. You have no way to contact him. Your mother may feel differently, but if they are still together, not separated, it is you who will pay the price because you’ll have trouble filing for financial aid and will have to wait until your father comes back.