<p>cameliasinensis,
I actually think it does matter. But it depends whether you pick schools that require just FAFSA or if they also require PROFILE. Schools that require PROFILE look at income & assets of both custodial and non-custodial parents. Schools that look at only FAFSA consider just the income and assets of your custodial parent (who you live with most). It seems to me if your parents are divorced in the fall then they file income taxes separately and you apply to FAFSA only schools, those schools would only look at the income of your custodial parent. But I'm not a tax attorney nor am I a financial aid officer so I don't really know for sure. & I believe that if you're applying to college in the fall of 2006 then when you do your financial aid forms in January, you'll need income tax info for 2006 (not 2005).</p>