<p>Some couples are divorcing & living together afterwards due to economic realities. In such cases, the parent income is split & the student would use the higher income. For separation, though, both parents’ info would be needed if the family still lives together (although some aid offices might use PJ to do otherwise, I suppose).</p>
<p>One of the issues we face is parents who give us two addresses but then we discover that they actually do live together. Sometimes the parents will both file head of household using separate addresses & tell us they are separated - and we later find out that they really live together. So … given the lengths folks go to in order to try to get more money, aid officers have to be wary. If a couple really is separated, they will be able to show that somehow if necessary.</p>