<p>Ok first of all my parents are divorced. My dad lives in PA and my mom in jersey. My mom lives in a rough neighborhood in jersey so i opted to live in the lehigh valley with my dad to finish my last three years of high school. Everything was fine until the end of my senior year after all my fafsa was done and i had been set on attending Bloomsburg which i will in the fall, me and my step mother didnt get along and i was kicked out by her. There were three months left in school and i couldnt move back with my mom cause i wouldnt graduate. I lived with a friend for 3 months and when i graduated moved back with my mom. Now my dilema starts next year when i have to apply for the fafsa again. Who gets to claim me. Whose income tax will i be forced to use. I can't change my address to jersey yet because i will get charged out of state tuition which i never had planned. I wouldnt mind transferrin to a jersey school if i can get a good financial aid package. I dont know what my options are. I dont want to let my dad claim me on his taxes when he does absolutely nothing for me and my mom is paying for all my supplies and expenses etc. Please help i am lost and dont know what to do.</p>
<p>For FAFSA, I believe you use the financial info from the parent who pays the most $ for your support.</p>
<p>Franglish…that the above is only true (parent who pays the most) if the parents share custody equally…in other words, the kiddo lives 50% of the time in each household…</p>
<p>Otherwise…I believe…</p>
<p>For FAFSA, you use the information from the parent with whom you reside most. If you live with them equally, you use the parent who earns the most income. SO…for next year, you would use your mom’s info IF you are using your mom’s address as your “permanent address” and are considered a member of her household. It really does NOT matter to FAFSA at all who declares you on their income tax…that is a different matter altogether.</p>
<p>But you DO need to resolve your residency…for FAFSA purposes AND for your instate tuition status. </p>
<p>Check the PA instate requirements…I don’t know them…In some states students are considered residents if ONE divorced parent resides there regardless of whether the student does. This may NOT be true for PA…it isn’t true everywhere.</p>
<p>You can find your answer in the FAFSA instructions. Next year you will use the information from whichever parent you lived with more. If you lived with both of them equally, use the information from the parent who provided more than 50% of your support.</p>
<p>Are you concerned about losing your instate tuition rate and/or PA state aid? I’m pretty sure that PA is one of the states that considers you an instate resident for tuition purposed as long as one of your biological parents is a resident. You can search College Board or google for instate residency rules. It may affect any state aid though, since grant rules are often different.</p>
<p>thats the thing i have pheaa money coming in and the school gave me some scholarships. Im just worried that if i change my address now my eligibility for all these is gone i think i will speak to a financial aid representative at my school but stay anonymous just in case they try to tell me i HAVE to change my address by law or something. Does anyone know what benefits jersey gives their students and will i qualify if i have only been residing here over the summer. Even though all my breaks will be here with my mom so that makes me a jersey resident right?</p>