NASFAA published information about how the FAFSA parent is determined if parents are divorced/separated. It’s lengthy, and I am pasting what I think is most helpful here:
“ … (T)he U.S, Department of Education (ED) further addressed divorced or separated parents. The determination is made in this specific order:
- The parent of record is the parent who provided the greater portion of the student’s financial support during the 12 months immediately prior to filing the FAFSA.
- If neither parent provided support in the 12-month period in #1, the parent of record is the parent who provided the greater portion of support during the most recent year that the student received financial support from a parent.
- If both parents claim an equal amount of support, then the parent of record is the parent with the greater amount of income or assets. There remains some confusion on whether this should be “income or assets,” “income and assets,” or “income plus assets.” When this is finalized by ED, we will update this Q&A.
Whose Support Is Used: When determining the FAFSA parent of record when the parents are not married to each other, you determine parent of record separately from whose information is reported on the FAFSA. You start by looking only at each individual biological/adoptive parent’s financial support without regard to any stepparent’s income or support. Then, after that determination is made, if the parent of record is remarried at the time of FAFSA completion, the spouse’s/stepparent’s income and asset information is included on the FAFSA. In other words, in a scenario where one or both of the biological/adoptive parents have remarried (someone other than the other biological/adoptive parent), the new spouse’s/stepparent’s support is not included when determining the parent of record, but the new spouse of the parent of record is included on the FAFSA.
For example, if the student’s mother has remarried, you only look at her own financial support for the student (without her spouse’s income, assets, or support). Using her own income and assets, if she provides more of the student’s support than the biological father, then the mother is the parent of record on the FAFSA. Then, when completing the FAFSA, the mother’s spouse includes their information, income, and assets, on the FAFSA.
Child Support In Parent of Record Determinations: According to guidance NASFAA has received from ED, starting in 2024-25, the parent who pays child support should include the amount of child support paid during the relevant 12-month period when determining which parent is the parent of record based on providing more than half of the student’s support. For example, if the mother is paying the child support to the father, that child support counts as part of the mother’s (not the father’s) support for the child. If this child support, along with any other support provided for the child by the mother, adds up to more than 50% of the support of the child, then the mother is the parent of record on the FAFSA.”