I am 27 and have decided to go back to school. My significant other and I are not married but we’ve been together for quite some time now. We have 2 children together are living under the same roof. I was wondering if I have to be married in order to be eligible for FAFSA. I don’t know if this has anything to do with anything but I have been unemployed since 2012 and just started working in the middle of this year.
You do not have to be married in order to be eligible for need-based financial aid as determined by FAFSA.
Your app will be flagged because you’ll be asked how you support yourself with no income. If your SO is supporting your kids, and you are not, then I’m not sure you can list them on your FAFSA.
@kelsmom how does this work…she’s living with her SO, who is the provider for her and their children. How would she file FAFSA?
Who claims the children as dependents and gets the Head of Household status? If it’s not the OP, then s/he should just file as an independent adult. They will only ask for the 2016 taxes for FAFSA and if OP was unemployed, she was unemployed. I don’t recall if FAFSA asks who provides more than 50% of the support, like the IRS does, because my FAFSAs just presumed I supported my kids. One wrinkle might be if the SO claimed OP as a dependent, if that’s even allowed.
She is going to get flagged for a low income verification because they want to know how she receives food clothes and shelter.
It would depend on how the bills are set up. Any bills in her name paid by SO would be untaxed income under monies paid on your behalf.
If you are not supporting your children at least 50%, you should file household size = 1 and number in college = 1. Any bills IN THE OP’s NAME that were paid by the BF in 2016 would be considered untaxed income, as sybbie719 points out above.
You can definitely get financial aid. You may be selected for verification & you may have to submit documents, but that happens to lots of folks. Just make sure to provide what is requested.