<p>Okay so I've never known my real dad - "unknown" on my birth cert. even though I know WHO he is. Mom had sex with him even though he had a wife and two kids, anyway...</p>
<p>My mom and step-dad have been married for 8 years. I'm an only child. And since I'm finally off to college, they've FINALLY decided to get a divorce. Their house isn't in sellable condition, and they don't want to wait that long to sell it, so they're letting it go into forclosure.</p>
<p>Last year my EFC was around 8k. My mom made ~48k and my step-dad made ~27k.</p>
<p>So is it possible if they get divorced before the first of the year that I can have only one of them included on my FAFSA? And could I have my step-dad included instead? My FA would go way up if I could include his information. He's losing his job after the last day of November and he's 60-61 years old. He never "legally" adopted me though, does this have to be done before they divorce?</p>
<p>I'm just trying to take advantage of my ****ed up family situation before I file my FAFSA. (I'm a freshman in college)</p>
<p>If they separate or are divorced before the 1st you can file with the parent you will stay with the most (are you really going to stay with your step dad instead of your biological mother??). However, even though your EFC may go down you may not get much more aid unless you attend a school that meets need or has very good FA.</p>
<p>Is your step-dad going to want to be on the hook for whatever his contribution to your college costs is calculated to be? Does your step-dad know you want to use his info?</p>
<p>If your mom and step-dad are separated at the time you file FAFSA, I don’t think your step-dad can be your “custodial parent” since he’s not your bio parent. I think that even if you live with him, you’ll have to use your mom’s info.</p>
<p>Mom has to be the parent you use … regardless of whether or not you live with stepdad. The only way this would not be so is if stepdad adopted you.</p>
<p>My step-dad wouldn’t care if I put him down for my fafsa. We would both be under the agreement he wouldn’t pay for anything.</p>
<p>There’s just a couple of things I’m trying to understand.</p>
<p>I live in KY; would they have enough time to get divorced if they started the process like Monday? I talked to my mom about it today and she said she would be okay with that.</p>
<p>Basically, if it’s not FINALIZED, as in still in process, by Dec. 31st what do I do? I really need to only have one down on my fafsa.</p>
<p>And would it be worth the effort to try and get my step-dad on my fafsa? as in him adopt me? My mom told me that with her cut hours, her income will probably be more like 39k-40k this year. Which isn’t a lot different from my step-dad’s.</p>
<p>I’m looking to transfer into a top 50 uni, in a top 50 LAC right now. Socially I just don’t like it and I want more opportunities for finance.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter whether or not your stepdad cares if you use him on the FAFSA. You CAN’T use him if your parents are separated/divorced. End of story.</p>
<p>As long as your parents are separated & living in separate residences at the time you file FAFSA, you can consider them separated/divorced for FAFSA. If they are living together, you need to use the income/asset info for both. If they are separated/divorced, you do not have a choice … you must use mom’s info. Stepparents cannot be used once your bio parent separates/divorces, unless that stepparent adopted you.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter that your stepdad “doesn’t mind”. The federal gov’t is the one who cares. The feds aren’t going to give you taxpayer money when YOUR MOM earns enough too much for you to deserve it. And the feds say that you HAVE to use a bio parent (or adopted parent). </p>
<p>With a family size of two (mom and you) and an income of $48k, I don’t think you’ll qualify for any/much Pell. A one adult family with one child is going to have a stiffer calculation. </p>
<p>If your stepdad were used, then it would imply that your mom is still with him…and then that would mean that HER income AND his income would BOTH be used.</p>
<p>P.S…you’re too old to be adopted at this point.</p>
<p>You are eager for your mom to divorce your step-dad, but yet you feel so much love for him you are willing to use him on Fafsa, or even consider having him adopt you , just to save bucks? If mom loves step-dad, just stay together and deal with what life brings. If not, let the guy go free so he can find someone who just doesn’t want to use him. Geez. I feel sorry for the guy.
Oh, and BTW, transfer students do not tend to get the good financial aid offers incoming freshmen do, so be prepared for a worse situation than you have now, not necessarily better.
Also, letting the house go into foreclosure, instead of using some energy and a little cash to fix it up and sell it, will jeopardize your mother’s ability to get a loan should she need one to help afford school. That foreclosure isn’t going to look very pretty on a credit report.</p>