<p>My parents are recently divorced, and my mom told me that any aid for college will be coming strictly from my dad, and that she won't pay a cent. If she isn't paying anything, do I still have to list this on the FAFSA? My family income w/o her is ~$100k, and w/her is ~$150k. I realize I won't be getting much (if anything at all) from FAFSA, but I'm just wondering if she won't contribute financially, will this distort my EFC?</p>
<p>I think you will get lots of good responses, and am sorry this is not one of them, but “screw me over” isn’t going to help a lot, as for as title’s go.</p>
<p>Whether she contributes or not is completely irrelevant to FAFSA. The only thing that is relevant is the income/assets of the parent you have to report on FAFSA. Their willingness to contribute is not taken into account.</p>
<p>When parents are divorced, the parent you live with the most is the one whose information you must report on FAFSA.</p>
<p>Yeah ur right. I didn’t really think when I came up with a title lol. But you know what I mean, right? Like my EFC will appear higher than it really will be.</p>
<p>Your family’s FAFSA income is that of the parent with whom you live. Unless you’re applying to a school that also requires the CSS PROFILE submission, the noncustodial parent’s income is not considered. (And not all CSS PROFILE schools consider it.) Who is willing to pay what doesn’t enter into the FAFSA calculations, though it may well affect what schools you can and cannot afford to go to.</p>
<p>And you have my sympathy for the difficult situation your parents have put you into.</p>
<p>Thank you for the helpful input, annasdad. What exactly happens, though, if you are under shared custody? Also, what is a CSS PROFILE?</p>
<p>For FAFSA…even if you’re under shared custody, if you live with one parent more, then you use that parent’s income.</p>
<p>If you live with both equally, then you use the income of the parent who provides the most for you…usually the higher income parent.</p>
<p>As for CSS Profile…many of the schools that give the best aid require you to also fill out CSS Profile and many require the incomes from all parents.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if one won’t contribute.</p>
<p>CSS PROFILE is a form that many of the more selective private colleges require; it requires a lot more detailed financial information than the FAFSA does. If a college’s financial aid information says it uses the “institutional method” for calculating need-based aid, that normally is a marker that it requires the CSS PROFILE.</p>
<p>If you are under shared custody, it’s the parent that you live with most of the time. Here are the messy details:</p>
<p>[FinAid</a> | Answering Your Questions | Divorce and Financial Aid](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Divorce and Financial Aid - Finaid)</p>
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<p>It’s rare that it’s equal, since in 3 years out of 4, there are an odd number of days in the year. In that case, “In such circumstances it is based on whichever parent provided more support. If that is not definitive, then the financial aid administrator at the college will make the decision, and this will usually be based on whichever parent has the greater income.” (from the link I posted in my previous response)</p>
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<p>FAFSA does not give you anything. It is simply a form that is needed to determine how much federal aid (from the federal government) you can get and it suggests an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Colleges use the FAFSA to determine what component of your aid package is comes from the Government. They can choose to use the EFC from FAFSA or they can choose to use another form or method to determine how much your family should contribute. In other words each college has it owns method to determine FA, the federal government uses a standard method to determine how much and what type of federal aid you are eligible for.</p>
<p>With your fathers income (or even you mothers income) you will not be eligible for Pell Grants or subsidized stafford (two types of federal aid.) You are eligible for unsubsidized Stafford, which is a loan of up to $5500. </p>
<p>So you need to do some reserach on how you are going to pay for your education. You need to calculate your EFC based on the types of colleges you want to apply to (do they use FAFSA, FAFSA/CSS or their own forms), find out how much your father can really pay, what aid you may get from the school and what the gap is. In other words, you have some serious homework to do.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids: Thank you for the info. However, I’m in an odd situation. My parents live literally 1/4th of a mile from each other(awkward, I know), so I often walk from one house to the other. I’m guessing officically I have set days to be at one house or the other, but they just let me walk to the other house if I wish. I suppose in this situation, then, the parent that makes the most is listed.</p>
<p>@annasdad: Thank you for sending that link, it was quite helpful and informative. Also, thanks for informing me about what a CSS PROFILE is.</p>
<p>@mazewanderer: I didn’t know some places use their own form. I thought everyone just used the FAFSA (ughh I feel clueless, lol). And you’re right, I do have some homework ahead of me.</p>
<p>As others have said, what either parent is willing to pay does not affect your FAFSA EFC. However, it would behoove you to spend a little more time with the parent with the lower income, so that your EFC will be lower since only the custodial parent’s financials will be used to get that number. You do have some control over where you spend the most time.</p>
<p>However, unless your mother’s numbers come out low enough for you to be PELL grant eligible, the only guarantee that you will get from the FAFSA filing is $5500 in loans in your own name, with some f the interest possibly being subsidized while you are still in college. The rest of the money will have to come from whatever college you attend.</p>
<p>Colleges that use FAFSA only do not tend to meet full need. Those colleges that do meet full need will want both parents’ information and that one or the other is not going to contribute is not something they consider. This happens quite often. Full need meeting colleges tend to also be difficult the ones that are more selective, so getting into one of them is not a given.</p>
<p>You and your father need to sit and figure out what he can afford to contribute for college. Look at the costs of the schools that you are considering and see if they are realistic given financial constraints. You should always have some colleges on your list that are sure things in terms of acceptance and affordability because you don’t know what kind of package you will get, if any from other colleges from which you will need in order to attend. When you have more information, share it with your mother too. When it comes down to it, she may end up helping you out in some ways. Commuting to college may be a good option for you, in which case you may be living with her still for at least part the time.</p>
<p>sam…here’s how it goes. If you REALLY live equally with both parents (which is highly unlikely…) you are REQUIRED to list the parent who provides most of your financial support. In most cases, this is the parent with the higher income. So…you would report the parent with the higher income on YOUR FAFSA only…if you live with them equally.</p>
<p>If you live with ONE parent more than the other…you list the parent with whom you reside the MOST regardless of their income…on the FAFSA. </p>
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<p>It sounds like your father’s income is $100K and your mom’s is $50K…is that correct?</p>
<p>If you reside more with your mom, you would put her $50K income ONLY on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>If you reside more with your dad, you would put his $100K income ONLY on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>Any child support or alimony paid is also listed on the FAFSA (e.g. if your mom receives child support/alimony, that would be added in on her FAFSA).</p>
<p>NOW…as others have mentioned…if you apply to a school requiring the CSS Profile OR a school form, you might have to list the income and assets for BOTH of your parents. Some schools require the non-custodial parent Profile form to be completed. Some schools have their own financial aid forms that include non-custodial parent info. You need to check YOUR prospective colleges to see what they require.</p>
<p>In any event…you HAVE to include whatever the college requires. You can’t decide to change the rules or withhold required information.</p>
<p>Which address do you use? Who pays your medical bills? Who buys your clothes? Who pays your athletic fees if your school has them? Whose house do you generally eat at? My son has a friend whose divorced parents live across the street from each other, but there is generally one parent who shoulders abit more of the parenting burden.</p>