<p>hi, i'm in need of advise on what to put on the FASFA app. i'm a senior in high school and will be applying for aid (FASFA and CSS) 2013. here is my situation:</p>
<p>i live with my mom. she is legally married to my dad, but they are separated. he pays for our rent and utilities as part of their agreement for child support. my mom is considered a dislocated worker. i know that for FASFA i do nto have to put down my dad's info since he is not my custodial parent, that i understand. my confusion is though, since my dad and mom filed their taxes jointly (this was before they split) do i put down my dad's income as my mom's since my dad filed jointly with my mom even though she had no work income? or do i leave my dad's info out completely and put zero for my mom's info since she did not work? </p>
<p>this FASFA stuff is so confusing and my mom is not able to afford to pay for an advisor to help with the app. any info or links to where i can get more details is GREATLY appreciated! thanks!</p>
<p>Tax filing status has nothing to do with the FAFSA. You would put your mom’s income on the FAFSA, NOT your dad’s. There is a question about money paid on your behalf. I’m not positive, but I would think that the rent, utilities etc would need to be listed. But I could be wrong about that.</p>
<p>Thank you thumper1 for your reply. I want to make sure the FASFA is filled out correctly. I have nobody (family/friends) with experience since I am the 1st one on the family to go to college…God willing of course. </p>
<p>You know, the crazy thing is that I contacted an advisor yesterday (through e-mail) and he replied today. I explained to him my situation, just like I did on this post, and he told me to put my dad’s info even if I do not live with him on FASFA. </p>
<p>Why do you think that is? </p>
<p>I emailed the advisor today, asking him for clarification on why, let’s see if he replies.</p>
<p>“Because I think you said that your Mom filed a joint return with your Father and if she does, the college will doubt that they are separated. If she files a 2012 1040 as head of household and not jointly, you can omit him.”</p>
<p>The above is the reply that I was given by the advisor. The thing is that my mom does not work so she cannot file a tax form on her own…so how can she file “head of household etc…” ? FASFA does not ask for legal documents, what forms can we fill out stating that my parents are separated so that the college does not doubt?</p>
<p>Your mom would get a non-tax filer statement from the IRS. Your dad would file, married filing separate. On the FAFSA, since your mom is the custodial parent, only her “income” would be used.</p>
<p>Hi Sybbie719: now, I am really confused. I had no idea that if one did not earn income that one had to file a non-taxed form. Thumper1 mentioned that tax filing has nothing to do with FASFA. </p>
<p>I will ask my Mom to call the FASFA office and clarify what needs to be done. It sucks that the more info I search, different answers are stated, especially from the advisor.</p>
<p>Sybbie and I are saying the same thing. Your parents’ tax filing status has nothing to do with the completion of the FAFSA. The info from your MOM only would be used on the FAFSA. Your mom would provide the non filers statement to the colleges. This is just to verify for the colleges that your mom was not required to file.</p>
<p>Re the advisor… I believe he is wrong. FAFSA has a help phone line. You can call them for an answer too.</p>
<p>Thanks Thumper1 for your input. I had my Mom call FASFA, the rep told her that nope, we do not need to put down my Dad’s tax info. She stated that a verification could be done on my application from the school. Each school requires their own verification forms. She told me to look at all the schools that I am applying too and look under “verification.” </p>
<p>She contacted a CPA in our area. And he told her this: “Since your husband filed married filing jointly, even though you are separated, his tax filing means that you also filed taxes.” </p>
<p>I told her that she needs to do (for this coming year since last year was already filed) the non-tax filer form. Hopefully that form is not confusing =D</p>
<p>Does your mom get alimony in addition to child support? Child suppor, while not taxable to the IRS, must be included on the FAFSA. Alimony must be filed on the taxes, and must be included on the FAFSA. Does the alimony add up to enough where your mom will not have to file taxes?</p>
<p>If she files jointly with your dad she cannot file the non tax filer form because when he files married filing jointly, this means that she too has filed taxes and is responsible for the information on the tax form.</p>
<p>Contact Kelsmom to find out how this will affect your getting federal aid (Pell/FWS).</p>
<p>Ah…I say! Even if your mom has filed a joint return, I believe her income is the only income put on the FAFSA. Agreed…Kelsmom would be able to answer this. I hope she sees this thread.</p>
<p>If your moms income is zero, it would beg the question of how your bills were paid. In would think this would be a verification red flag.</p>
<p>Put mom’s real income on the FAFSA … if it was $0, that is what you put. Taxes paid would be $0, as well, since the taxes that your parents paid were based on your dad’s income. The tricky part is how to report the untaxed income. If the child support received includes money to pay bills, that needs to be reported. Normally, only the child support itself and the alimony received is reported - if the ex pays household bills, that is not reported as income. However, if the agreement stipulates monetary payments, it seems to me that would be reported. To be honest, I never dealt with a situation like that, and it’s not addressed in any literature I am aware of — so a discussion with an aid officer at the school is in order.</p>
<p>An income of $0 very often sparks verification. Information will be collected by the school, and they may want a worksheet completed that explains the sources of income that allow the family to survive. The payments from the ex will be detailed here, even if they don’t have to go on the FAFSA itself. A 0 EFC will get Pell no matter what (as long as it stays 0 following any verification), but schools might take the other sources of income into consideration for awarding institutional aid.</p>
<p>It is important to answer certain questions correctly on the FAFSA in OP’s case. Mom might qualify for Auto 0, but incorrect answers to some questions will make it seem like she does when in fact, she does not. 1) Did your parents itemize taxes? If so, Mom cannot say that she “could have” filed a 1040A or 1040EZ; same goes if your parents received a tax refund or had any deduction that could not have been taken without filing a 1040. 2) Is your mom a dislocated worker or a displaced homemaker? If she stayed home with the kids & now has no source of income due to the divorce, she can be considered a displaced homemaker. 3) Did anyone in your family receive federal means-tested benefits, including free or reduced lunch, within the last 24 months? If so, answer yes. If any of the 3 are “yes,” she would qualify for Auto 0 EFC & the money your dad gives her won’t count.</p>
<p>The only thing I have to caution about here: If you are verified, you will have to submit proof of the income attributed to dad. That is, you will need his W2’s, which should total the amount on line 7 of the FAFSA (unless he owns his own business, in which case the school will want to see Schedule C, which should only list dad - not dad & mom). This can be an issue for students, but it will be necessary in order to prove that none of the income on the tax return was mom’s.</p>
<p>You’re going to college in fall of 2013, correct?</p>
<p>The jointly filed 2011 taxes are not applicable.</p>
<p>Now that your parents have separated, will they file jointly for 2012 or will they file separately? If they were living apart for the last 6 months of 2012 - and some other considerations in the link below - as far as the IRS is concerned they can file as singles, and your mom can file as Head of Household. It may not make sense tax-wise to do so, but it is an option.</p>
<p>See “considered unmarried” under Head of Household here:</p>
<p>I didn’t think of that, but it’s true … only the CSS will ask for 2011. I do realize that some people continue to file jointly even when they are separated, but perhaps OP’s mom could make it a condition of filing jointly for 2012 that he provide the information necessary for the student to comply with verification requirements.</p>
<p>based on what i read, my mom does not qualify to file “head of household”
she told me that my dad suggest they keep filing jointly since it is obvious more beneficial. she can file married filing separate…but my dad will not be able to get a bigger tax return, which is much needed with the cost of living going up and gas too.
my sisters and i are getting free school lunch.
what do you mean by itemized taxes?</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter (itemized taxes). The fact that you & your sisters get free lunch, coupled with the fact that your mom doesn’t earn any money from work, means you will have a 0 EFC (automatic 0 EFC formula). The money your dad contributes for the child support agreement will not be considered (although you still have to report it on the FAFSA). This means you will get a Pell grant.</p>
<p>Thank you so much Kelsmom for your reply and detailed answers, I appreciate it a lot! I’m thinking, and have talked to my Mom…and we are coming to the conclusion to go ahead and put down my dad’s info (even though FASFA does not reuquire us to do so) since my parents are going to file jointly regardless of them being separated. </p>
<p>I’m having trouble understanding your reasoning OP. you are NOT supposed to include noncustodial parent income on the FAFSA. Putting your dad’s info on the the FAFSA implies that your parents are living together. Your federally funded need based aid determination is able to be made on the basis of your MOM’S income, and this is advantageous to you. If you include your dad’s income, you will not be eligible for the Pell grant. </p>
<p>Again I ask…why would you include your dads income when it is not required?</p>
<p>I agree with thumper1. Why on earth would you use your dad?! First of all, since you live with your mom, you are SUPPOSED to use your mom. If you don’t, you are not being truthful. In addition, you are forfeiting money that is rightfully yours. Just because mom doesn’t make money on her own does not mean that you cannot and should not use her as your custodial parent. Again, if you live with her, SHE is your custodial parent. You need to be honest and use her. Not only is it truthful, but it is in your best interest financially. Please listen to me … I am a financial aid director, not just a mom who posts on CC (although moms who post here are generally extremely knowledgeable - and called out by others if they are not spot-on with their advice).</p>