Parents file taxes as seperated?

Paying for College
1

<p>Hi guys I'm filling out my FAFSA and I am at the Parent demographics part that asks for parent marital status. My parents filled their last tax income tax as separated because they were but I don't know their status since they are living in the same household now. The separation was informal so I am unsure what do since my Dad provides for me financially. Will FAFSA need some sort of verification if I put separated?
Thanks!</p>

2

<p>If your parents are living together than you put married, not separated, since that is their marital status. How they file taxes isn’t part of this question - plenty of married people file separately for various reasons.</p>

3

<p>FAFSA defines “separated”:</p>

<p>If your parents are legally separated, the same rules that apply for a divorced couple are used to determine which parent’s information must be reported. A couple doesn’t have to be legally separated in order to be considered separated for purposes of the FAFSA. The couple may consider themselves informally separated when one of the partners has permanently left the household. If the partners live together, they can’t be considered informally separated.</p>

<p>[Completing</a> the FAFSA 2011-2012/The Application Questions(58-92)](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/2011_2012/ques3-5.html]Completing”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/2011_2012/ques3-5.html)</p>

4

<p>We are trying to figure out if my Dad should move out so I can file them separate and do I need a verification like rent bill or something?</p>

5

<p>That seems pretty extreme, to base their marriage outcome on your financial aid?</p>

<p>Anyway, here’s a rundown on what means what for separated parents on the FAFSA:</p>

<p>[FinAid</a> | Answering Your Questions | Divorce and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/questions/divorce.phtml]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/questions/divorce.phtml)</p>

<p>Also:</p>

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<p>and</p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.finaid.org/educators/pj/divorce.phtml[/url]”>http://www.finaid.org/educators/pj/divorce.phtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Your dad is going to rent an apt and incur those costs for WHAT? Maybe a Pell grant? Doesn’t make sense. The most a Pell Grant is 5550. Renting an apt costs more than that.</p>

<p>Are your parents really separated or have they reconciled?</p>

7

<p>It sounds like they are married, and they are not currently separated. You will need to add the lines from both returns if they file separately. By the way, if they were living together on December 31, neither is eligible to file head of household (they have to have lived apart for at least the last 6 months of the year). Their only filing status can be married filing separately or married filing jointly.</p>

8

<p>I have been seperated since the day I got married. My husband had an affair with another woman the night I returned to work. Now all of a sudden I have to get a letter from a clergy with their letter head on it vouching for our seperation. I don’t have one in mind. Now what shall I do. My job has never been informed I got married, Because I was too embarrassed.</p>