<p>Ok. So my mom and stepdad are getting divorced and it is an incredibly messy divorce. He's moving to an entire different country (Italy, where he immigrated from).</p>
<p>Next year (I'm a junior now), when I go to fill out FA forms, he has already informed me he's unwilling to help. He wants us out of his life and so getting any documents we may need will be impossible.</p>
<p>How will I go about filling out the FAFSA? Should I list just my mother as single (she will be by the time I fill out the forms) or will I have to go by this year's tax returns in which they are still married? And if it's the latter, wouldn't the income (and thus EFC) be distorted because that's income we actually no longer have?</p>
<p>If you’re a junior, you will fill out next year’s FAFSA using 2010 tax returns. If the separation and/or divorce happens in 2010, then your mother will fill out the parent portion as “single”. Your mother will most likely file her taxes as Head of Household for 2010. Her 2010 Adjusted Gross Income will be reported as her income. Your stepfather’s income/assets will not be reported for FAFSA at all.</p>
<p>If you still need to fill out the FAFSA for the 2010-2011 school year that starts next fall, you have to use your parents’ 2009 tax return (one being filed now). You will have to use both parents’ financial info. since they were still together in 2009. Did they file a joint tax return? You will need a copy of their tax return(s) to fill out the FAFSA. To make sure that you care doing it correctly, I would definitely speak to a financial aid counselor at your school. You can explain the situation to him/her and he/she can guide you as to what you need to do in the event that your dad won’t cooperate.</p>
<p>I will need to fill out the form for the 2011-12 school year. However, I was confused because they were married for part, although not all of 2010.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if they were married for part of 2010. If they separate or divorce in 2010, and you file FAFSA on or after January 1, 2011, your mother would be considered single.</p>
<p>Ok, since he has already walked out, you will only need to use your mom’s info next year even if the divorce is not final. Only way this would change is if he and your mom reconcile and he comes back to live with her and supports you financially more than your mom.</p>
<p>Here’s what it says on the FAFSA website:</p>
<p>“If your parents have divorced or separated, answer only the questions about the parent that you lived with most during the last 12 months. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, answer only the questions about the parent who provided most of your financial support during the last 12 months.”</p>
<p>Even if your parents end up filing a joint return next year, you will only need to put down your mom’s financial info. since it appears that she will be the one providing the most support.</p>
<p>I don’t believe this is true. Marital status for the FAFSA is as of the DATE of the initial filing for the year. SO if your parents divorce on January 1 2010…and you file the FAFSA on January 2…only your custodial parent provides the information on the FAFSA…That parent would be a single parent the date of your filing and would include only THEIR financial information from 2009.</p>
<p>I’m sure if I’m wrong…someone will correct me!!</p>
<p>That is my understanding as well Thumper. If a couple were together all of 2009 and then separate or divorce only the custodial parent reports on FAFSA. If they filed a joint return then the custodial parent reports only their portion of the income on FAFSA.</p>
<p>“Separate your parent’s information from his/her spouse’s as if he/she filed a single return. If your parents have divorced or separated, answer only the questions about the parent that you lived with most during the last 12 months. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, answer only the questions about the parent who provided most of your financial support during the last 12 months.” </p>
<p>This is straight from the FAFSA website.</p>
<p>For this year’s FAFSA (2010-2011), if the parents were still together for all of 2009, more than likely, the student lived with both parents for an equal amount of time, so the student would have to use the info of the parent who supported him/her the most. Whether it be mom or dad, you use the info of the one who gave the most support. It won’t necessarily be both parents unless they provided equal support. It looks like it will vary from person to person.</p>
<p>Sorry for the incorrect info - thanks for clearing that up everyone! </p>
<p>In the OP’s case, since stepdad will not be around for most of 2010, next year she can just use mom’s info.</p>
<p>Now I’m a bit confused. A step parent is expected to pay for a child’s college education according to FAFSA? Wow. Another reason just to live with that SO at this age.</p>
<p>Op is currently a junior. S/he cannot file a fafsa before 1/1/11. The fafsa will be filed based on income during the tax year 2010. </p>
<p>As far as maritial status, OP’s mother will never be single as Single= never married She will be either one of the following: married, separated, divorced. Thumper and swim are correct that the family should put down their status on the day of filing. The fafsa will ask the follow up questions (month and year you were separated, divorced or widowed) and an answer will be given.</p>
<p>But are their exceptions? I mean, he’s LEAVING THE COUNTRY. He will be virtually un-contactable (made up a new word!) in about a month and even if he were, he’s unwilling to help at all. </p>
<p>Thank you guys for the links but I’m still confused.</p>
<p>For FAFSA he won’t enter the picture at all. But for PROFILE schools, he will likely be expected to provide information. You’re in the same situation as many, many kids of divorced parents where someone (usually the dad) has already made it clear that he has no intention of providing any support for college. The theory is that if you just let everyone by who has a parent who doesn’t want to contribute for college then lots of parents will decide that they don’t want to contribute for college. It is tough on the kids, but that’s the general rule. Schools can make exceptions, but it isn’t common, and probably wouldn’t apply to someone who has had contact as recently as you’ve had with your father. (A father who disappeared when you were a young child and who hasn’t been seen since would probably be a good reason for a waiver. If you had a restraining order against your father – for abuse, for example – that might also qualify.)</p>
<p>So, you’ll probably need to concentrate your college search on all of the public colleges, particularly the in-state colleges and any that are in a tuition discount “common market” with your state, and those private colleges that are FAFSA only, and schools which are likely to offer significant merit scholarships for someone with your gpa/test scores/achievements.</p>
<p>I’m still trying to bend my mind around this. So, if a child has parents who are divorced, and they both remarried, FAFSA expects the student to tap financial resources of all four parents? </p>
<p>Or, in my case, if I were to marry a guy with kids in college, not only would I have to pay for my kid’s college, it would be assumed both me and his ex-wife would be paying for his kid’s college? Does that sound odd to anyone else?</p>
<p>So my stepdad, for financial aid purposes, is considered like my real dad? I could understand making him pay while my mom and he are together, but if my stepdad and mom split up I don’t understand why he has a lingering commitment, since there’s no biological attachment.</p>
<p>No, FAFSA students would expect that the parent with whom the child spent the most time, and that parent’s spouse (if the parent has formally remarried) have income that should be considered for federal financial aid purposes. FAFSA-only schools will not look at the other parent’s income, or the income of the other parent’s new spouse. </p>
<p>I believe that PROFILE schools look at it all – so yes, four adults (potentially) to support one student.</p>
<p>I know two families where folks in new relationships chose not to marry because of the degree to which it would affect financial aid – kind of like some seniors not marrying because of effects on pensions.</p>
<p>I have a friend whose kids (twins) are hs seniors this year. Her ex hasn’t seen his kids in 8 years and he’s months behind on child support, so there is no chance that he will contribute. For the PROFILE schools the mom wrote a letter of special circumstances to include with the FA application. A couple of the schools wanted additional documentation, others accepted the letter as sufficient. If you apply to PROFILE schools you and your mom can go this route. It will be more work than FAFSA, that’s for sure, but one of the twins got amazing FA from a private, so it’s worth a shot.</p>
<p>On the FAFSA you list income and assets for your custodial parent…AND their spouse if they have remarried. The FAFSA computes an Expected FAMILY Contribution and your stepparent IS a member of your family.</p>
<p>If your STEPDAD and mom have split up…separated or divorced…you do NOT report your stepdad’s income/assets on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>You do not list your non-custodial parent on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>For the CSS Profile…everyone gets to report income and assets in most cases, parents, and stepparents.</p>